I am intrigued by people who hold onto the request stop chord on the bus like it is their lifejacket as they swim for their life from the wreckage of a plane crash.
I often watch people cup their hands around the chord as the bus is 50+ feet from the next stop that the chord has already been pulled for. They then pull the chord down as soon as the bus' doors close.
I find it hilarious when the bus then stops abruptly to pick up someone who is running for the bus. Then the person has to put their lifejacket on again and get back in the water.
Its as if the chord is a safety line for people, it assures them that they will get home. Are people really so convinced they won't be able to pull the chord at some point in the space between the last stop and their stop?
And it's not just old Asian women (as was my first belief) or confused Asian tourists (I'm not racist) because I see someone do it at least once on every bus ride and they range between every kind of average bus rider.
What is this obsession with preparing to prepare to pull the chord, preparing to pull the chord, and then pulling the chord? That's right, I see you people who hold your arm up near the chord before you cup your hands around it.
It's even better when the chord is broken and they run in a frenzied panic to the front of the bus to alert the driver. People often stare at me, confused as to why I'm laughing.