Commuting rights

I firmly believe that drunks and smokers should be banned from riding public transportations. BANNED!

I came in for work this morning smelling like cheap cigarettes, courtesy of a kindly gentleman who could not help smoking aboard the jeepney. In fact, he was retarded enough to smoke against the incoming wind, which pretty much blew all his carcinogenic cloud over my way. Thank you, sir, for cutting the lifespan of your fellow passengers by 20 years.

Too bad this man did not take RS with me. My teacher specifically said that passengers have a right to ask fellow passengers to not smoke. Those who intend to smoke inside a jeepney should ask for permission first before lighting a stick. It's called etiquette.

Smoking commuters, I can tolerate. Dead drunk commuters, now that is a different story. I mean, a big man on alcohol in the deep of the night is pretty scary, if you ask me.

On the occasions that I have shared a jeepney ride with a drunk passenger, none have been comfortable for it seemed they always chose the spot next to me to sit/sleep/shake off their alcoholic stupor. Ugh.

One man, who happened to sit beside me, was so drunk he kept sliding off his seat. I could even smell the beer (San Mig? Beer na Beer? Tuba?) circulating inside the cramped jeep. He was all elbows and backbone; they kept jutting my arm and my back. Take note: Elbows and backbones ARE VERY ANNOYING THINGS TO DEAL WITH INSIDE A JEEPNEY.

Anyway, alcohol had turned this man into a virtual human jellyfish. He flew this way and that at every acceleration and at the occasional push I gave him every time the jeepney screeched to a halt. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Of course, imbibing all the alcohol you can is not inherently bad. The bad thing about it is if you can't hold it down. It's a pitiful sight.

No passenger can own or hog a jeepney basically because it is a public vehicle. Commuters like me have the right to experience a safe and comfortable trip home. It means I have the right to fully sit down, enjoy minimal space to move and not talk to anyone. On that note, I think talking really loud inside a jeepney is very impolite. It's not even practical. You have to either repeat yourself or shout yourself hoarse to be heard and understood. Your spittle is not holy water, so please keep it to yourself.

Even if it is a public transport, commuters are entitled to have a wee bit of personal space to occupy and unfortunately, smokers, drunks and sometimes, the general populace, have no sense of boundary whatsoever, violating privacy and peace of mind.

If ever you want to smoke or get drunk in the future, make sure you have your own private transportation to drag you home. Because in all honesty, sharing a seat with a smoker and a drunk inside a jeepney is one appalling experience.