What are the rules about eating on the bus?
I rode the 125 bus for a story I'm working on this week, and the photographer traveling with me, Ed Hille, noticed a sign that's omnipresent on SEPTA vehicles. This one:
Notice the sign says, "It's the law."
Is it really against the law to eat and drink on a bus, he asked.
Well, no. Smoking violates a city smoking ban that went into effect in 1992, said spokesman Andrew Busch. But eating and drinking on a bus isn't violating any law or ordinance, and won't result in a citation.
It's good etiquette, though, he said, something SEPTA is trying to engender among its riders.
There's a page on SEPTA's web site about good public transportation manners, and several bullet points specifically about food and drink that are somewhat less rigid than the bus sign.
Drink only from containers with sturdy, resealable lids. No open containers or cans
Cooked or prepared foods don't mix with transit travel
Take your meal home to eat
Light, small snacks are OK. No trash please
SEPTA is looking into replacing these signs, Busch said.
"We're not going to have police come out to remove someone for eating a sandwich," Busch said in an email.