Rush hour

<b>My Space</b>Courting danger on the footboard…

Footboarding: Putting their lives at risk. Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

I dread travelling by crowded buses. The prospect of being squashed like a fly doesn’t make me nervous but if I see someone travelling on the footboard, a chill runs down my spine.

The other day some youngsters got onto the footboard despite the conductor telling them another bus would come by in five minutes. What did these people have to lose by waiting? They had waited for nearly half an hour anyway that evening.

But travelling on the footboard is not justifiable even in the morning rush. Can’t people reach the stop early and choose a less crowded bus? Otherwise accept the fact that you are late.

But it seems time is not the only reason for footboard travel. I once saw two boys standing on the footboard happily chatting away though there was enough space inside. Worse they turned a deaf ear to fellow passengers who told them to come inside.

Isn’t there some way to put an end to this dangerous habit?

SOWMYA KUMAR, Final Year, B.E. E.C.E, SSN College of Engineering