Homebound Sardines

December 4, 2007
7:14 PM

I'm on my way home from work. My back is starting to hurt. The passenger van I'm on has forward-facing seats of 4 rows. It's designed so that 3 people could sit comfortably in each row - 2 on regular seats and 1 on the jump-(folding) seats.

To maximize revenue, the driver adds 1 more person per row so that there would now be 4 passengers in each row. The vehicle doesn't leave until all its seats are filled. I'm sitting uncomfortably because only one of my butt cheeks is properly supported on the jump-seat near the van's single sliding door.

A good number of vans plying this route are imported units from Japan. These are modified (i.e. converted from Right-Hand Drive to Left-Hand Drive) to be used as public shuttle vehicles. As if 2 people sitting on a factory-installed jump-seat wasn't punishment enough, try 2 people sharing a poorly-made jump-seat; poorly-made as in unstable contraptions with the backrest at an awkward-leaning angle. If you happen to be sitting in one of these seats, do be careful about leaning back because you might hit the knees of the person behind you.

With traffic and rising fuel costs, shuttle van drivers will do everything to make each of their trips count.

We're so squeezed in but I'm starting to forget about my aching back because now I think I'm getting a leg cramp ...