Public transport | Tell me where you sit, I’ll tell you why

The choice of a seat on the bus is not insignificant: it reflects our identity, but above all our state of mind. We clarified the question with a New Zealand researcher who studied the subject, with a driver and with users of circuit 901, in Laval.

Catherine Handfield
The Press

The solo seats

At 4:25 p.m., at the Cartier metro station in Laval, driver Nancy Élémont opens the front door of her empty bus. The first passengers settle down without hesitation on the individual seats, located along the windows. “The first seats occupied are those,” says Nancy Élémont, with a 19-year career.

The first passenger in line, Gabrielle Hermans, explains her choice bluntly. “I don’t like sitting next to someone else,” she says.

So why look for solitude on the bus? The answer may seem obvious — even more so since the pandemic — but it nevertheless reveals fascinating anthropological and psychological theories.

The New Zealand researcher Jared Thomas devoted his doctoral thesis to the behaviors and social needs of users in public transport in 2009. “From my perspective, the main reason why people want to sit alone is explained by a theory called proxemics, explains the specialist to The Press. Traveling by public transport forces passengers to an intimate distance — between 0 and 15 cm. However, we usually reserve this distance for people with whom we have a very close relationship. »

Being so close to a complete stranger creates social discomfort, says Thomas, now technical director of behavioral sciences at engineering consulting firm WSP.

What’s more, during the pandemic, wearing a mask has deprived passengers of critical facial cues when interacting with others, Jared Thomas points out. “Our perception of closeness discomfort increased,” he says.

Near the doors

During the pandemic, the front door was only used to accommodate passengers, who had to exit through the back door. The driver Nancy Élémont could see it in her rear view mirror: the benches near the back door were popular.

It is there, moreover, that the couple formed by Alicia Cruz and Obed Valladares settled. The double seat just above the rear door is Madame’s favourite. “I like to see what’s going on on the bus…and I can get out quickly,” says Alicia.

Passenger interest in the area surrounding the exit door was present long before the pandemic. Normally, at rush hour, passengers tend to stand near the doors even if there are free seats, notes New Zealand researcher Jared Thomas.

“I did a study in Singapore, where passengers didn’t move to the back of the bus because they wanted to get out as quickly as possible and avoid feeling stuck between other passengers,” he says. -he. It created a real operational problem. »

When environments are too crowded, he says, people tend to minimize social interactions to avoid becoming mentally overloaded.

Solutions exist, notes the researcher. We can obviously invest in public transport (“there is also a cost to road congestion”) and promote courtesy on buses. Since the discomfort felt in the bus is also linked to the lack of control, there would also be a way of modifying the design of the buses to give more control to the passengers: better delimiting the benches, putting swivel benches, installing sockets charging, etc.

It should be noted that, during the pandemic, the Société de transport de Laval made sure to limit the number of passengers to 25 or 30 per bus and put a second bus on the line if necessary.

The rear section

Traditionally popular with students, the rear section of the bus has never been more popular than during the pandemic, said driver Nancy Élémont, who has a 19-year career. Why ? As it is located near the back door (the only one where one could leave), the old people began to settle there too.

When passing from The Press, Léoni Novembre, 25 (obviously the youngest passenger on board), had opted for the seat at the very back. “We are asked to leave the front seats for people with reduced mobility,” she says. And it’s quieter in the back. »

Dave Dupont, 35, also has a weakness for the rear. “I like being able to see everything that’s going on on the bus,” he says.

According to New Zealand researcher Jared Thomas, who devoted his doctoral thesis to the behaviors and social needs of users in public transport, if young people sit together, it is because it is more comfortable to s sit next to people who look like us. Studies in the New York City subway in the 1970s found that passengers tended to sit next to people of the same gender and ethnicity.

“If you can find similarities, your social roles can also be the same: you know when it’s appropriate to talk, when it’s appropriate to start a conversation,” says Jared Thomas.

Over time, we ignore these superficial considerations, he says, but resorting to these stereotypes is a “shortcut that we use to simplify our social interactions”.

In the new STL buses, the seats in the back are arranged in a U-shape. U- or L-shaped arrangements seem to be the most comfortable for having a conversation, as do seats that face each other, notes Jared Thomas .

The double seats

Because the solo seats were all already taken, Renoka Persaud set her sights on a double seat. She put her small bag on the seat next to it. “If anyone comes, I’ll take them,” Renoka assures. Note that there were few passengers on board that day.

Another passenger sat in the bench near the aisle, making it difficult to access the second.

At the height of the pandemic, people were unlikely to share a double seat given recommendations around physical distancing. “If someone was seated, the other person remained standing, notes the driver. Older people risked more, especially if it was to sit next to another older person. »

In an attempt to reduce social discomfort, passengers tend to put a bag on the seat next to them, or to immerse themselves in their cell phone, in a book or in their music, observes New Zealand researcher Jared Thomas.

These attempts are futile, he says. The best way to reduce this discomfort, he says, is to establish contact with those you are trying to avoid. Without necessarily getting into a long conversation, you can greet them, or even make eye contact when you sit next to them.

“I think we forget that public transport is a mode of social transport,” says Jared Thomas. We may be hesitant, not sure how to take the first step, or just simply not in the mood. But if we’re in the mood, we usually feel better after coming into contact with another passenger. »

the front

It is known: the front of the bus is reserved for the elderly and those with reduced mobility. “It’s automatic to give them your seat,” summarizes the driver Nancy Élémont, who sometimes intervenes.

During the pandemic, the two individual seats located at the front of the bus were condemned to provide a protected area for the driver. The chains that condemned them are gradually removed. Nancy Élémont sees passengers returning to the front, to her great delight.

“When you change the path, the river ends up resuming its natural course,” she says. Habits return, human contact returns. And it’s nice. It’s what feeds me. »

In the new buses, the first bench at the front has been removed to allow the installation of the system to accommodate people in wheelchairs. When driving an older bus, Nancy Élémont appreciates this bench, popular with “people who want to know what’s going on on the bus”.

“As a driver, we meet great people every day,” says Ms.^me Élémont, who points out that, for some passengers, this contact with the driver is one of the only ones they have during the day.

Due to the pandemic, many people feel isolated, says researcher Jared Thomas. The lack of direct contact is a factor of depression.

“Allowing opportunities to connect can only be positive for well-being,” says Jared Thomas, who points out that the driver has a big impact on the pleasure passengers will have on board.