Smoking on buses

Like drinking alcohol, smoking is said to be detrimental to health. Doctors sometimes have to advise their patients to stop smoking altogether for health reasons. Some patients listen to their doctor's advice, some don't.

What really makes people smoke? People may give different answers to this question. But what is certain is that each smoker must have his/her reason for smoking. Nowadays, smoking is not confined to older folks only. It is common to see younger people, or even school children, smoke (of course not in the presence of their teachers or parents) as if they don't have to worry about what affect smoking has on their health. I recall the time when people felt disgusted at seeing teenagers smoking. They would look upon such teenagers as unbecoming and misbehaving, people who should be punished accordingly.

Others, still, have virtually become cigarette addicts. They do not feel good if they don't smoke. Some younger folks may smoke just for fun, or they like to be looked upon as having manly qualities, in contrast to womanly qualities. Smoking may also be regarded as a time killing activity, or sometimes done to overcome restlessness.

A smoker myself until about ten years ago when I stopped for health reasons, now I can still imagine the enjoyment of smoking, especially when in the bathroom, and every now and then I have to make a special effort to vanquish the desire to smoke a kretek (clove cigarette). But I do feel disgusted finding people smoking in buses, especially in crowded Metro Mini or Kopaja buses. Of course, they have full right to do whatever they like including smoking. But don't they have the faintest idea that their smoking may cause a lot of inconvenience to their non-smoking fellow passengers? Mind you, a smoker only smokes for a few minutes at almost regular intervals each day. I don't mind one or two passengers smoking in larger buses, because the effect of their smoking can be disregarded, provided the windows of the bus are open.

Since on average only about five percent of the passengers smoke in a bus (and always men), would it be too much to call on people to refrain from smoking while they are riding in a city bus? Imagine what would happen if by mere coincidence half of the passengers lit up cigarettes even they know that the ride will last less than one hour, a period short enough to forget about smoking.

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