Cell phones on the bus
Here is my letter to the Star Bulletin on the idea of regulating cell phone use on the bus
http://starbulletin.com/2006/11/22/editorial/letters.html
Don't ban cell phones on city buses
There is a bill in the City Council to regulate the use of cell phones on TheBus. That is a step in the wrong direction, and is out of touch with the lives of average bus riders.
If I'm riding the bus and there is a traffic jam, I'll be late for wherever I'm going. I'll need to notify those who I need to meet. I'll need to use my cell phone!
Another scenario: I am almost never home in daytime. But someone might need to contact me during the daytime. That is why I carry a cell phone. If I'm on the bus, I'll need to speak to that person on the cell phone!
I might need to get important information out to someone. But the only time I could do so is when I'm not busy. And when I'm on the bus, I'm not busy, so that's the time to call!
I don't use the cell phone every single minute while I'm on the bus. I also understand common courtesy and will not discuss certain subjects in a public space.
But I also believe bus riders need to understand that the bus is not a private space, nor should they feel entitled to having every single moment on the bus as a silent moment.
Pablo Wegesend
Honolulu
And here's a response to my letter
http://starbulletin.com/2006/11/25/editorial/letters.html
We do need ban on cell phones in buses
In reference to the Nov. 22 letter by Pablo Wegesend about cell phones on city buses: It is about time a cell-phone ban takes place. I have been a bus rider for 20 years -- 10 years with the presence of cell phones. It is hell riding on the bus with someone sitting next to you chattering about personal business for more than one hour at 7 o'clock in the morning or going home late in the afternoon. God help you when that person is using a walkie-talkie type cell phone! And imagine if you have someone next to you and behind you talking on cell phones at the same time. When that happens, I usually find another seat and move. Why should I be forced to do that?
I understand the need for cell phones in emergencies. Other than that, people should shut them off. Business can wait. Unless you commute to the countryside, bus rides usually are short.
So shut off those cell phones, and meditate or read. This applies to bus drivers as well. This is the very same reason why radios are not permitted in the bus. Imagine if everyone turned their radios on?
Rosita Sipirok-Siregar
Makakilo
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My response:
Listening to a fellow bus passenger talk on the cell phone is just like listening to 2 friends on the bus talking to each other!
What, we cannot talk while we're in the bus?
