Some people call buses germ heaven, others call it the only way to get around your college campus. Considering that the buses are the easiest way to get around, chances are that you'll be spending a good chunk of your time waiting for one or riding one. There are times when getting on the bus ruins your day. Now, missing the bus, that's definitely a day ruiner. If you don't miss it, don't worry, there's still a chance your day could get ruined. As soon as you step onto that bus, it all becomes clear. While most of the ride is determined by how fast the bus driver is going, the rest is based on who you're riding with. If you have a friend with you, you're golden. If you don't, here are the few types of people you might end up sharing space with.
The seasoned student: Easily recognizable by an abnormally large backpack, this student has the bus routes down pat. After at least a year of riding the bus routes, they don't even have to look up to know where they are. They also like to play a little something called bus roulette, in which they don't even bother to pull the cord for their stop because they know someone else will. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.
The Freshman: Hint: they may look like they're texting, but really they're just tracking the bus on the RTS app to make sure they don't miss their stop. If they're feeling confident enough to not use their phone, you can tell them apart by the look in their eyes that screams, “I really hope I didn't miss my stop”. But then they do. And then they have to get off at the next stop and walk to class in shame.
That one person that uses the free campus buses but is clearly not a student: First of all, you look way older than 22, you could be a grad student, but you're holding a baby so I'm going to assume you prioritized. Not everyone in this category has a baby, but baby or not, you know they're not a student.
The locals: Sometimes, you get on to the bus and you are met not with the shining faces of your 50,000 schoolmates, but with the equally as shiny faces of the Gainesville locals. Most of these people are just headed to or from work, usually dressed in their work gear. Others, very few, are what we could possible call homeless. It's either that or they just don't shower that often. Either way, you have to spend the next few minutes with them so you might as well say hi.
