With more than 60,000 passengers now using the train system each day, traveling conditions are tighter than ever on Caltrain. That’s why it’s important that riders respect the rules of the system and do their best to display best traveling practices.
To help give customers a friendly reminder about appropriate onboard behavior, Caltrain has launched a courtesy campaign on its social media platforms. The campaign, called Caltrain Manners, is the result of a recent online survey, where passengers were asked what annoyed them most about their fellow riders. Caltrain tallied the results to determine the three worst passenger gaffes.
Last Wednesday, Caltrain’s social media team posted a humorous GIF depicting the third-most egregious passenger mistake—placing a personal bag on an empty seat. As the post notes, some trains operate at 120 percent capacity, so every seat is cherished and should be reserved for people, not possessions.
The campaign has certainly struck a chord with passengers, who have sounded off on the comments section in Facebook.
“I get if it is an empty train, but if the train is packed... it’s a real jerk move!” wrote one commenter. “At the end of a long day everyone just wants to go home, and for some of us with bad joints (me) being able to sit is real nice!”
“No one should ever have to ask anyone to move anything off the seats,” wrote another commenter. “People need to have a little class and show a little respect. If you didn't pay for two seats, you have no right or proper expectation to occupy two seats.”
“Common courtesy, like common sense, isn't so common,” said one passenger. “When I see the crowd building I take my stuff off the seat next to me so others can sit down. And I'm still old-school enough to give up my seat to someone who needs to be seated more than I do.”
Tomorrow, Caltrain will post another GIF illustrating the second-most annoying faux pas, as determined by passengers. The following week will showcase the problem that passengers find the most bothersome.
For updates on the campaign, customers can visit the Caltrain Manners site here, or check out Caltrain’s Facebook page and Twitter account.
Caltrain knows that no passengers are perfect, and everyone makes etiquette mistakes at times. This campaign is just a light-hearted way to remind passengers that all riders are the “public” part of public transportation.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed five years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the system, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/caltrain and follow on Twitter @Caltrain.
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