What Price Civility?
This question is raised after an experience catching the 22 Bus into the City from outside Premier Stores/Olympus Health in Main Street Evington on Friday 28th August 2026 at about 15:00 hours.
At the bus stop there were four adults and one young man, they were joined by another adult as they watched the bus information board ever altering the due arrival time steadily backwards.
Shortly before the bus eventually arrived, groups of school children started milling around, going into Premier Stores or passing by the bus stop. One group of young boys between 12 to 15 years of age, all in school uniforms, arrived and stood by the bus stop to the side of the bus shelter.
As the bus arrived, they paid no heed to the adult passengers already waiting and all simply barged onto the bus, rushing to take seats to the rear of the single deck vehicle. One man in his seventies who had been waiting prior to school children arriving, was left without a seat. Most passengers were school children and not one offered the gentleman their seat. A middle-aged woman stood and offered him her seat, but he declined the offer because he felt that it was unchivalrous to do so.
Thus, he remained standing some distance into the journey until some of the children exited the bus along with another woman.
This is an indictment on young people their parents and their teachers as it appears there is no instillation of common manners and decency conveyed to today’s young people.
