Er, how about some tips for screeming children.   Some of them are so loud they put Hans Solo's Star Wars buddy Chewy to shame.  Any louder, they could be used as dive horns on subs.

I was on the 204 one day and one woman blabbed from downtown until the P&R. It was actually quite entertaining. She was going off on her husband (maybe boyfriend) about not being a good father. She was going on about the cheap diapers he bought for the baby. Then she went on about how she was pregnant and was going to take him to court and clean him out, take his car, and have him living like her. It was like hearing a Maury show. Then when she got off the bus she really let him have it.

And someone should tell those idiots with those walkie talkie phone to use the headset. I cant stand when people talk on those things. And you hear the other persons voice.

Then the kids who play their music on the phones... so irritating

I hear that in Philadelphia, they have started a new program on their rail system tht actually bans the use of cell phones on one of the train's cars, and on the other cars any calls must be done quietly. Apparently, their riders are very enthusiastic about the program and acutally have a hand at educating others about the quietride rules!

On Amtrak, there is a cell phone law in place. It goes as follows:

"You're welcome to bring your cellular phone with you on Amtrak.

To maintain your privacy, and for the enjoyment of your fellow passengers, please speak as quietly as possible when using your cell phone.

In addition, we strongly recommend that you make use of your phone's silent alert or vibrate feature. Please help to make everyone's riding experience as enjoyable as possible."

There is not a chance in the world that anyone who talks on their cellphone for an entire 45 minute trip is going to care about anyone's suggestions regarding their phone use.  Rude people are just rude.  It's the same with the people who drink and eat on the bus.  The new thing is to spread out their laptops and equipment, taking up two seats.  

I'm not too bothered by the cell phone conversations and treat them as free entertainment on the ride home.  A few times on the ride in on the 265 at 5:30AM, some guy chatted in a foreign language for 20 minutes.  I guess he figured that if he had to be up that early he would wake someone else up too.

I sometimes ride the 163 to carpool with my wife home and overheard the following conversation between 2 girls on the bus and another on the phone: Girl 1 sees a car next to the bus with a Mexico plate on it and remarks to Girl2 "Look, that car is from Mexico".  Girl2 answers "how did they get the car here all the way from Mexico?".  Girl 1 says "I guess they came on the bridge".  Girl2 says "They got a bridge all the way across the water?" (I imagine she is thinking about a bridge from Cancun to Galveston) Girl 1 has a good time remarking how dumb Girl2 is then gets on her cell phone and calls Girl3 and recounts the whole conversation and tells Girl3 how dumb Girl2 is.  It was very entertaining.

"Keep the volume low on music."  

When I am on the bus and someone with an ipod is playing loud music, I ask the bus driver to tell the person his (her) music is too loud.

When I am on the train, I cannot ask the conductor to silence the miscreant.  When I judge that physical violence is not likely to be the result, I will then ask the person to turn off the music ("I really do not care to listen to your music") or, if that fails, give them the cold stare of death.

The cold stare of course is not likely to actually stop the person who is so inconsiderate that she (he) will continue playing the music even knowing that it is bothering other people.  But at least it imposes some cost, no matter how little, on the person's rudeness.

Metro really needs to find some way to enforce some minimal standards of courtesy on the trains.  More people should be riding the trains rather than driving; but this is going to happen only when the ride becomes less annoying.  

people on cell phones on the train irk me to death...especially when they are on it at 7:30am.  WHO do you need to talk to that darn early?  I wish metro would designate a 'quiet' train (when there are 2 trains hooked togehter).  I've gotten pretty anti-cell phone/electronic social networking lately.  Whatever happened to just putting on some headphones or reading a book?