NJ Transit Debuts #RudeZone Campaign
The cartoon on the front of the postcard depicts the person you don’t want sitting near you on a train. She has a cell phone plastered to her ear, she is talking at the top of her voice, and the entire train car can hear her conversation.
NJ Transit hopes to reach such passengers and encourage them to mind their manners with a new six-week courtesy campaign.
“Greetings from the #RudeZone! You’ve heard this person before during your commute,” reads the postcard on a seat that is accompanied by a cartoon of the nightmare passenger. “Don’t be that person, keep it down.”
The campaign, which is currently focused on rail customers, has several components, including messages on social media, cards on seats, posters, and a digital displays system.
“As we continue to listen to our customers, one thing we keep hearing them point out is common courtesy among fellow passengers,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique Hakim. “This campaign is a fun and subtle reminder that we’re all in this together and that manners matter when riding our system.”
The customer courtesy campaign kicked off yesterday. Each week will highlight a new theme.
- PHONE BOOTH – You’ve heard this person telling the most intimate or boring details of their life “confidentially” at the top of their lungs.
- POTTY MOUTH – Language is a marvelous thing. It would be nice if people tried using words with more than 4 letters.
- EXCESS BAGGAGE – We’ve all got baggage; usually in our minds. But sometimes we have literal baggage. You’ve seen people using the aisles and seats of the train or bus like it’s the conveyor belt at the airport.
- TRAVELING DJ – You’ve seen this guy…at least you’ve heard him. He may have headphones on, but his tunes are leaking out of his head all over the bus or train.
- FOOT LOOSE – This person thinks they’re sitting in a lounge chair. The rule of thumb is: head up, feet down.
- COASTLINE CLIPPER – Personal grooming is important. But it’s best done at home. You’ve seen this guy trimming his nails, nasal hair, cleaning ear wax…yuck!
Did you find a card on your seat during your commute this week, and do you think the campaign will have an impact? Post your feedback in comments.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
It’s a great idea and I hope it has an effect. I’ve ridden both NJ Transit and SEPTA quite a lot, and the NJ Transit riders are much, well, ruder. And that’s saying a lot because on SEPTA, they aren’t all doves either.