It is said that we are now living in an Information Age, where all kinds of information regarding different disciplines overwhelms our society. I can’t agree more with this accurate notion, especially when I am travelling on a bus on the way to school. The televisions are nothing but annoying, and I’m quite sure that many people actually hold the same view as I do. Indeed, it is unacceptable for bus companies to sacrifice passengers’ peaceful travel environment in a bid to feed their wallets.
In spite of the official answer that Bus TVs are installed ‘to provide passengers with much-needed news and information’, the genuine objective is to generate a considerable amount of extra income by attracting business clients for advertisement. As a matter of fact, over 50% of the total broadcasting time is allocated for adverts. Doubtless, they are not the ‘much needed’ information that passengers want. As a frequent bus traveler, I find those commercials boring and of low quality. What’s more, they repeat again and again, trying to brainwash me into buying the products. In a 30-minute ride, the same advert can appear on the screen as many as 6 to 7 times. While the bus companies enjoy a better profit, we passengers have to bear the cost. Can this be justified? Never!
One can argue whether everyone finds the Bus TV programmes meaningless, but one thing is for sure: the bus companies are exploiting passengers’ right to a quiet travel environment. We are now living in a society where privacy has become a luxury. Worse still, the business tycoons are stealing more of it from us. However disturbing the Bus TVs are, we cannot switch them off. We are FORCED to receive every piece of information, succumbing to the noisy sound effects and letting them bombard into our ears. If ‘turning a blind eye and a deaf ear’ to something is sometimes correct, then that ‘something’ must be the Bus TVs. But wait a minute. Why should we do this? It is our rights to enjoy a quiet period of time free from noise and stress! Ironically, we in fact could not turn a blind eye to this ridiculous policy of having televisions on buses.
Bus TVs interfere with passengers’ activities on buses. Since the volume is often too loud, it is not possible to take a nap or read a book peacefully. It is already extremely noisy on the streets, but even after we get on a bus, we can’t escape from unbearable noise. I often recall the good memories when Bus TVs were not yet installed. I could enjoy a good nap or talk to my friends with a soft voice without difficulty in hearing what I said. Those days are gone.
Honestly, it is totally unnecessary to have televisions on buses. We have already received too much information in our daily life. We don’t need anymore. I hope the bus companies will one day realize this and not turn a deaf ear to passengers’ voice.