The bus — a necessity and a nuisance. Here at Rutgers, we heavily rely on the Rutgers campus bus service to get to class. While they may not always be operating in our favor, we spend a nice chunk of our time on these beauties. We laugh, stress, and maybe even form new relationships on the bus. These vehicles can double as an array of different places and experiences — but should the bus serve as our kitchen table as well?

Don't get me wrong, traveling really gets my appetite super excited. To some extent, eating on the bus is not completely outrageous. We're all busy college kids, and sometimes it's hard to find time to eat in between classes. I for one will admit to drinking a cup of coffee or indulging in a small and compact snack, like a granola bar during my ride to class. But shouldn't the line of food consumption be drawn there? Is an entire meal meant to be eaten on your bumpy travels from Livingston to College Ave?

You want to eat a protein bar? Fine.

Sip your Starbucks? A-OK.

I can even justify eating a bagel or small sandwich while still wrapped up.

What I will NEVER be able to justify is eating an entire pizza from takeout while the bus is stalled at the student center for the next 10 minutes. While you wipe your greasy hands on the seat next to you (a seat that WILL be occupied later), the smell of undercooked pizza fills the air of an already confined bus. It's enough to make other passengers' stomachs turn before the bus even starts moving, creating an even more unsanitary and unenjoyable experience.

This isn't just a problem that affects those around you. That's right, eating on the bus puts you at risk too. For one, gobbling down while the bus is in motion is likely to leave your clothes with some fresh new stains. Unless you're trying to start a new fashion trend, this will not leave you in a good mood. Not to mention, pigging out as fast as possible before a ride down Route 18 will never be a good idea for your stomach. You're also likely to fall victim to choking or embarrassment.

The bottom line is, eating on the bus has many more costs than rewards. Sure, you might have managed to eat your Fat Sandwich while it was still warm, but was it truly worth the hassle to yourself and everyone else? Trash almost always gets left behind, making a mess for someone else to clean up later and let's not even talk about couples who feed each other on the bus.

We all deserve to satisfy our appetites when we're in a time crunch, but let's be sure to eat responsibly.