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It is not a good time for endless cell phone conversations
to which 14 others (driver included) are forced to listen. There
is a time and place for almost everything, and riding the HPU
shuttle is neither the time nor the place to share a one-sided
conversation about plans for the upcoming weekend or other personal
conversations. Continuous one-sided chatter distracts other
riders, making reading and studying nearly impossible.
“It’s like they think we are not even here,” said shuttle driver
Harvey Weinstein. He has heard conversations that range from
boyfriend issues to personal biological problems.
Weinstein said he has even had to tell cell phone users to
“cool their (bad) language.” Drivers understand that some brief
cell phone conversations are made by passengers for purposes
such as telling family members or friends to pick them up at
the destined campus. “What annoys me,” Weinstein continued,
“are the passengers who are on their phones when I pick them
up, they talk the entire ride, and they are still talking when
they get off the shuttle.” Weinstein admitted that extended
cell phone conversations are one of the reasons van drivers
do not allow passengers on the vans during their breaks.
Not only are cell phone conversations distracting, they are
potentially dangerous when they distract the drivers. The van
drivers battle traffic for several hours a day. Adding inconsiderate
passengers to the stress of driving reduces shuttle safety (and
can lead to nervous breakdowns.) For the safety and sanity of
everyone who rides the shuttle, students are asked to respect
passengers and drivers by keeping cell phone conversations short.
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