Last week I counted 17 people scrolling TikTok on the 7:15 bus

I take the 7:15 bus from downtown Portland every morning and last Tuesday I decided to count how many people were on their phones. By the time we hit the 5th stop I was at 17 out of 22 passengers just scrolling TikTok or Instagram with the sound blasting. There was this guy next to me watching some loud cooking video full volume and I could smell his breakfast sandwich through the wrapper. I get it, mornings are rough and nobody wants to talk to strangers but is the whole bus just a silent phone zone now? Does anyone else feel like public transit used to have more random human moments like people asking for the time or sharing a newspaper? I miss when youd glance over and see someone reading a paperback instead of just staring at a screen.

2 comments

2 Comments

tarajenkins1d ago

17 people on their phones, so what? Mornings are boring.

amy9751d ago

The 7:14 bus I take every morning is basically a phone museum at this point. My neighbor three seats up has been scrolling Instagram since we left the stop, and I don't blame her one bit. Mornings are honestly the worst time of day for starting conversations with strangers anyway. I'd rather stare at my own screen than make awkward eye contact with someone who isn't interested in talking. Plus, it gives me an excuse to avoid the weird smell that sometimes drifts over from the back of the bus. So yeah, let people have their phones during the boring commute hours.