Answer: True!
Once I arriving, I quickly noticed how quiet my subway and bus rides were. I soon realized that there is an unwritten etiquette for riding public transportation. One of the major rules is to always be quiet. Of course, there are always those passengers (including myself at times) who have conversations on the train. That being said, be prepared for a few stares from people who aren't so pleased with your conversation. Another rule is not to sit next to anyone if there is an open seat somewhere else.... Ever. Also, if you want to ensure that nobody will sit next to you, put your bag on the seat beside you. While you may get a few glares on a full train, for the most part, nobody will confront you (Swedes aren't good at confrontation). In order to truly fit in on public transportation, it is important to be on your phone at all times and don't talk! There is also unwritten rules for getting on and off the train. It is important to let everyone disembark before boarding. If not, you'll get a few angry stares but it also makes for a orderly commute. Even with all of the unwritten public transportation etiquette, their subways and bus system is top notch. They are always clean and on-time, and all I care about is that I get to my destination on time. So, even if I can't talk on the subway, I don't mind as long as the subway fulfills its purpose. However, I have noticed that I have also come to expect the quiet rides and have even give a few stares to people who I deemed are too loud. Maybe I'm adapting more to Swedish culture than I realized. :)
Another fun fact about the subway is that each subway car has a Swedish name, which I thought was neat. I always like to see whose car I'm getting on before boarding.
No comments:
Post a Comment