Every student that buses to campus will have their fair share of horror stories: Smelling your seat neighbor’s morning breath at 8:30 a.m., almost falling flat on your face when the bus takes a sharp turn, waiting for 30 minutes with a horde of angry students as crowded buses just pass you by. A bad bus experience can, at best, be a minor inconvenience, or at worst, ruin someone’s day.

As fellow bus commuters ourselves, we thought we would compile a list of things you should do (and things you shouldn’t do) for the next time you get on that 202. 

When boarding the bus, please continue walking all the way down to the back — yes, we mean the very back — especially when it is going to end up being standing room only. It is impossible to walk around people and turns into quite the inconvenience for those getting on the bus. Plus, by doing this you’re letting more people get on the bus, and we all just want to get home, right? 

When getting off the bus, there is no need to hurry! Many times we have observed people trying to race to the doors. We would like to ask those people: How much time is that saving you? Instead of pushing your way through to the exit, allow things to flow naturally. You’re all going to end up waiting at the same crosswalk, anyway. 

When there is a large number of people waiting for the bus, a single file line is always much more efficient than waiting around in a group. If there is already a line formed when the bus arrives, go to the end of the line and wait your turn; there is no need to push or shove people to get on, especially when many of those people in line have been patiently watching full bus after full bus drive away. 

Before the bus arrives, have your Compass Cloud app queued up! There have been so many times when one student is holding up the line because their app isn’t loading, so for the sake of all of us, please try it out a few minutes before. 

Do not put the bag on the seat next to you. We shouldn’t even have to say this one. 

To anyone that tries to drink their hot coffee/tea/whatever while they’re holding on to a pole with one hand, please don’t. It will inevitably spill and potentially scald you or someone else. Trust us, you can wait another five minutes for your latte. The same goes for juice, water, and any other liquid. 

If you’re standing, and you know you have a big backpack, be aware of where it is! I’ve been hit in the face with backpacks before, and it’s just a very uncomfortable experience.  

Also, if you’re tall, please wear deodorant. The short people that are pressed up against your armpit will thank you.

When you sit, scoot all the way into the window seat. Sitting in the aisle seat and leaving the window seat open is just mean. 

If you and your friend manage to get seats, great! But please don’t have a conversation over the aisle, especially if someone is standing between you. 

Thank your driver! They’ve probably been driving around irritated students all day, and they deserve a lot for being the humans that are taking us to and from class. A simple thank you is just a little token of appreciation we can give them.