To whom it may concern:  

With the ever-increasing number of students here, I believe there should be some sort of CyRide 101. Kind of like LIB 160: We don’t all need it, but it may come in handy. If there were such a class, I would suggest a few things to help ensure the safety of the students, drivers and community. No particular order.

1. “Where’s my ID?” Nobody wants to be that guy. Do have your ISUCard out and ready when you’re about to board. This acts as your bus pass. Without it, the fare is $1.25. The circulator routes 21 Cardinal, 22 Gold and 23 Orange are free, no ID needed. 

2. “Hey dude, you know where this bus goes?” Though your fellow passenger may be well versed in CyRide route schematics, it’s best to find out what bus you need from the schedule’s map, a driver or CyRide.com. My freshman year, a friend and I rode all but two routes when we first came so we knew the town and bus system. It took two Saturdays.

3. “Do we ask the driver?” Driving the bus for five years, I know a little. Yes, I understand some of us may not look like we want to talk, but personally I want to help get you to your destination in the safest, most efficient way. Don’t be afraid to ask us for a little assistance.   

4. “Driver! Open the door.” Rear doors may seem tricky at times. Instructions for opening all rear doors are posted on the doors themselves. Busses with stairs: If you must exit through the rear, please be a dear, and don’t touch the door, just step down onto the floor. The sensor is on floor. Just wait for the green light before stepping down. All other bus sensors are above the door so wave your hand after the green light has come on.

5. “Man, Friday night was crazy.” Don’t share that story. Try to remember this is a city bus and a public transit system. Members of our community — the elderly woman who glares at me to say something, the elementary kid giggling to their mom about your story and the college kid desperately trying to finish their assignment before class who is rolling his eyes — ride this bus too. There is a time and a place and, contrary to popular belief, CyRide is not where you should share your “sexcapades,” though do practice safe sex.  

6. “Aw, man, you must hate your job” or “What time does the drunk bus end?” Do ride, but don’t drive. Moonlight Express, with the help of the route’s designers and funds from Government of the Student Body, runs an efficient service dedicated to getting the late-nighters home. This particular free service runs only on Friday and Saturday nights and almost every in-session weekend from 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Drivers don’t hate their job, so grab a seat and relax so we can get you home. Save the rough housing until then. So get home safe, and if you see something, report it by calling police or ACCESS.

7. “That was close, I think that mirror almost hit you.” Don’t stand on the curb with your backpack out in the street. For your safety, stand back from the curb. We pride ourselves in staying within six inches and parallel to it for our passengers’ convenience. With that being said, a bus also needs the lengths of three to four cars to stop smoothly, so stepping out right in front a moving bus is also not the safest. Two years ago, sitting at the Parks Library stop, a guy literally walked into the side of my bus because he was texting. Pay attention. Yep, it’s an urban legend that you will get free tuition if you get hit by a CyRide bus. Be safe.

8. “Hey, you passed my stop.” I’m so sorry. We never intentionally miss your stop. Pull the cord after the stop before yours. If you’re unsure, ask. We can’t stop the bus on the spot. By the time you see the stop from the middle of the bus, we have already passed it.       

9. Hey, are you still with me? UDCC. Glad that you can now bring certain foods out of the dining centers — you couldn’t back in 2005 when I came out here — but remember that ice cream, pizza, et cetera are not allowed. No eating. It’s messy.          

10. Extra, extra. When a bus pulls past the stop, it is probably dropping only. Do look at the bus pulling in behind it; it may be the same bus. Some may be extras helping the regular bus.         

11. Runners are those people who are not on time to the stop and probably don’t want that bus anyway. Get to the stop early, so that if you have any concerns you can address them. Everyone on the bus has somewhere to go, so let’s get moving.     

12. “Oh, excuse me, excuse me, coming through, let me out.” Do wait for passengers to deboard before boarding the bus. Take a moment from your electronics to look for people exiting. Also with that, use the closest door when exiting, i.e.: the front of the bus. Trying to walk to the rear doors on a full bus may cause a missed stop. Campus is beautiful, so try and put the phone and tablet down for a moment and enjoy your surroundings.