Been riding the M15 for years and I still don’t get the rear stairwell people. If you’re buried back there and the bus is packed, the op can’t see you and the back strip sometimes doesn’t register when someone just leans on it. Am I wrong that you need to start moving one stop before, not after you tap the request strip?

Had a guy lose it this morning because the bus rolled past 28th St. He was standing in the stairwell with headphones on, never tapped the strip until the doors were already closing at 29th. Who’s the bad guy here?

I’m new to the M15 and I didn’t realize the back door had its own request strip until last week. I always thought the only one was the yellow tape by the middle doors. If you press the back strip, does it actually ding at the front? I waited by the back once and the bus stopped, but maybe that was because someone else had already requested it.

Is it better to just yell “next stop please” or make my way toward the front? I don’t want to be the new person holding the bus.

big_city_beth, yeah the back strip is supposed to ring up front, but it only helps if you’re actually down by the doors. Don’t bother going to the front on a crush-loaded bus. Just step down from the top step before the previous stop clears and have your body angled toward the back door. The operator can see you on the mirror/camera if you’re not standing on the top stair.

Also don’t yell unless it’s an emergency. Half the bus has AirPods in, so yelling just makes everyone look up, and then you have to say “not you” fifteen times.

Tried this on the Bx12 today and I think I did it wrong. I pressed the rear strip maybe a block before my stop and stood by the door, but the bus kept going one more stop. Do operators sometimes miss the rear strip if it’s an older bus? Someone behind me said they never trust the back strip and just tap the yellow one and then walk back.

Is that the real move? I’m still learning how much eye contact to make with the driver mirror.

firstwinter, the real move is to treat the rear strip like a suggestion, not a guarantee. On older buses the rear touch strip can be dead or sticky, and if you tap right as they’re passing the previous stop, the op already made the call. Tap once, move down, and make yourself visible by the back door before the next announcement. You don’t need eye contact with the mirror, just don’t stand in the top-step blind spot.

Totally different arena but same “do I just handle it myself or ask?” energy as the older thread Window AC drip wars: do I knock on the upstairs door or just rig my own fix? Window AC drip wars: do I knock on the upstairs door or just rig my own fix? — except on the bus, the fix is just stepping down early.

Thanks central_park_cam! I rode this morning and stood right by the back door at 14th St. I tapped the strip once, nothing, tapped again, and the operator opened the back door right at my stop. Felt like a small victory.

Do people usually tap once or twice? The guy next to me did four quick taps like Morse code and now I’m curious if that’s normal or just stress.