What a great illustration for this article; it made me smile.

Tri-Met. It'll move ya, sometimes like big pinched off poop. (^:

I ride trains and buses all around PDX and am amazed at how many profoundly rude people are in our "livable" city. Here's some simple tips, folks.
1. Do not swear in front of little children. Even if you are a parent of said child. When you do so, you're helping create yet another clueless semi-sociopath for the rest of us to deal with.
2. Do not assume anyone but you and your friends are interested in your sex life. We're not.
3. That goes for your meth use, unsolicited views on the upcoming election and, well, pretty much everything you say in that incredibly loud profane voice you have.
4. If you have a crappy haircut, tatoos all over your neck, smell like weed and haven't taken a shower in two weeks, that may be some of the reasons you find it difficult to get a job, not just because The Man is keeping you down. Please consider these facts when the transit cops bust you for riding without paying a fare and you loudly berate them for not understanding your plight.
5. If you insist on letting everyone know the lyrics to every stupid rap song ever written by singing them out loud, even in front of small children yet to be introduced to the wonders of sex and violence, do not be surprised if we all celebrate when you finally exit the train.
6. We do not care about how you totally kicked that guy's butt, especially if you are now in your 20s. Please shut up with that story.
7. This may come as a shock to the men in Portland, but women get scared when you talk about bitches, hos, etc., so if you want the women on the Max to talk to you, you might consider saving that language for when you're watching ultimate fighting with your homies.
8. Please note while you think you look fantastic with your pants hanging down, it's not much fun sitting down in a seat that you just occupied, and it's even less fun when we actually have to see your butt crack right beforehand.
9. Healthy young men and women, there's a reason the MAX has a special seating areas for the elderly and handicapped. While we realize it's important for you to play your game, check your texts, etc., listen to your music, try occasionally looking up to see if an 80 year old lady with three grocery bags falling from her arthritic hands could use that seat you're in.
10. If you put your feet up on a seat, at least try to wipe it off before you leave, or, better yet, don't put your feet up on a seat, it's really not that hard to resist the urge.
About 1 out of three Portlanders were apparently raised by people who never interacted with other human beings, so I offer this in an attempt to help make up for your terrible upbringings. I love all of you, but wish more of you actually had a clue as to how your behavior makes life miserable for the rest of us.

I used to ride the Crime train from Gateway to Ruby Junction in the morning. I gave it up, I couldn't take it anymore. Daily I heard the sad stories literally shouted into the phone of how he was screwed by his parole officer and he needed an alibi or the woman who screamed at her boyfriend for screwing her mom . I heard details of crimes and drug deals and how the clinic at 162nd was ripping off this guy. Especially bad were the perverts leering at the young girls.

Especially memorable was a "family" and a "grandpa looking" older man who got on the train. He had a small puppy with him in his coat. It was the cutest thing, anyway he bent over to put the dog on the floor and evidently he had forgotten the open can of beer in his coat pocket. As he bent over , the contents of the can flowed onto the floor and over his shoes and crotch. He recoiled in anger thinking his new little friend just went all over him. His wife?, rescued the little dog from a certain beating while several of us fellow passengers tried to tell him it was his beer he just spilled. It was all good, he had another.

Bus operators... I take my hat off to you. You truly have a difficult job dealing with the public and your own employer who vilifies you to your public.

Last week my husband got on the max to ride to work with a friend, a strange man kept looking at him and shaking his head. My husband just minded his own business, the man proceeded to shove his hand into his pants and started masturbating while staring at him...the joys of trimet creepo's.

damosa hasn't been around much to call bs on all these stories. I work for TM and have witnessed things I don't even want to remember because it is so foul.

And here's your illustration:

http://i.imgur.com/UF0Wn.jpg

To "End of the Line" - How does your coworker's comment make him a "condescending, cold-blooded, non-human?" He was merely stating the obvious. Any of us could all go at any time. We don't really get to pick when or how. And if you were to meet the same fate, you'd want to be thrown in front of the MAX? That doesn't even make sense and frankly makes you look selfish. If this were to happen, you'd be not only disrupting the commute of the still-alive bus riders, but the MAX passengers (and likely the entire MAX line) as well. Not to mention the extra time and city personnel it would take to clean up the mess.

I call bs on DamosA! Clearly you don't actually live in Portland -- I live near 82nd, yes, there are hookers here, and I found most of the TriMet horror stories to ring true. I've actually had to defend a mother with a baby from two creepy Yuppies who were berating her one night on the MAX, and another time had to back up a guy holding his baby from a creepy drunk who wanted to fight on the train. I'd say at least once a week I witness behavior that makes me wish I could never ride the train again. That being said, there are also some great people on it, who are polite and caring and know how to hold a conversation. I'm all for public transportation, but Portland has a LOT of people in it who feel entitled to being complete narcissists 24-7, and they make life a drag on a daily basis for a lot of other people here.

And this is why I wouldn't ride a bus with a lifetime free pass!!

I have to say that this crap about us having a prostitution problem on 82nd mostly means we need to educate ... that the MAX station stairtop/bus-area is not a great place for a lady to find a man who can fairly compensate her for her services. Are any women doing outreach to make sure the ladies are at least independent and not under the thumb of any pimps who probably never suffer as much from the cops random efforts to scare these ladies into working elsewhere?