The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority placed thousands of posters on subway cars and buses last fall in an effort to promote politeness on the T, but students say they aren’t the main perpetrators of bad behavior such as taking seats reserved for the elderly and handicapped.
MBTA officials said impoliteness in public transportation is a daily issue caused by both residents and students, who make up a third of the city’s population.
‘Part of the reason for launching the campaign was that the MBTA experienced record ridership levels last year,’ MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. ‘[This] caused an increase in the number of complaints regarding impoliteness.’
Emmanuel College senior Donna Centrella said she believes many students are impolite.
‘I’ve seen a lot of college kids that just sit there while an elderly lady is standing right in front of them and they don’t get up,’ Centrella said.
But Emmanuel College freshman Dylan Hillsburg said he disagrees with the common belief that students are the main sources of impolite behavior.
‘The other day there was a woman with a child that was about to sit down and some 40-year-old guy swept in past her and sat down,’ said Hillsburg. ‘I was pretty mad.’
Hillsburg said he usually waits for fellow riders to sit before doing so himself.
Boston University School of Management senior Mike Cicuto said he frequently witnesses instances of courtesy on the T.
‘Usually when I get on the T, when I see elderly people, even women, people get up off their seats,’ he said.
Bostonian riders also came to students’ defense. Ruth Bricklin, a retired middle school principal, said she has always found students to be polite on the T. She said she never had any problems finding a seat.
‘I feel almost embarrassed,’ Bricklin said. ‘I feel that people are generally polite and considerate.’
Centrella said although she sees the politeness ads every morning on the 65 bus, she does not think the rule is actively enforced by T personnel.
‘I’ve never seen a conductor tell someone ‘get up’ to enforce it, but I feel like it’s just human,’ Centrella said. ‘People should do it on their own. I did it myself yesterday.’
Hillsburg said he has never seen the ad campaign, though he takes the T often, but he does not see many people complaining about poor treatment by their fellow riders, including students.
‘For the most part I’m kind of impressed with the way students behave,’ he said.
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