Fear of Public Transportation – Written by: Sanamila
As a Parisian girl, I know a lot about the Fear of Public Transportation. Whether you are from France, Canada or anywhere else that has public transportation, I’m sure you know all about this but please let’s have a look together just in case.
The Parisian metro, RER (suburbs trains) or tram to begin with, it is always crowded, like, dude, give me some space! There are two ways you have to endure it: On one hand, you can be lucky and have a seat (I swear it can actually happen sometimes!) but… well… is it actually lucky to get a seat? Either you are reaaaally lucky and the people aren’t rude and actually give you space or the people you are squeezed between take up allll the space and you’re trapped. You can also have those men who spread their legs like “Hey, I need this space for my balls, okay?!” This is so rude, I hate those guys! Some men are respectful, and that’s great so don’t forget them! On the other hand, you have to stand on your feet and this can be even worse especially if you are short because you have to stand under everybody’s armpits. At least you can smell everybody’s sweat, yay! And as the metro is crowded and moving, you have to manage to focus in order not to fall over!
Sometimes you can find some… presents…on the seats in the Parisian metro. Usually it’s just a newspaper so it’s okay but I have found some poop sitting on a seat before. I was a little scared, but it was a bit funny too. At least because of it everybody was so disgusted I got some extra space around me! Sometimes things can happen in the corridors too. Drunk people puking, beggars peeing, musicians playing songs (ok, some are good, but usually it is just some awful music or singers with no instruments) and, of course, there is always the smell which can really make you want to puke. There’s a lot to Fear about Public Transportation, that’s for sure. There is also the bus! There are less beggars and it still has that bad smell, but the biggest problem are the traffic jams in Paris. It’s simple: you ALWAYS have a Fear of Being Late.
The night buses are the worst. You just got out of the club, maybe after a few too many drinks, you have to go home but you don’t feel safe at all. You start to feel a little paranoid. You are scared of every single person. You trust no one, not even the driver. He clearly wants to get home too so he is driving so fast you think you might die. It might not be crowded, but it’s not safe at all!
There are so many reasons I would rather walk than take public transportation. Of course, you can find some scary things in the streets too, but that’s another Fear, for another story ;).
