Tram Characters

So, the famous trams. I spend at least 30 minutes a day on these things, just as a basic commute. This gives me ample time to people-watch. And i've proudly come to the conclusion that there are six different types of tram-people:



The Drunk
This person, typically male, lounges across at least two seats, reeking of stale alcohol, and staring vacantly at the window. Not at the view out of the window, but the window itself, resulting in a strange, hazy expression. His pockets can often be heard clinking.

The Homeless Man
He walks down the tram, mournfully holding out a hand, earnestly asking if anyone can spare a few centimes. When people politely decline, as they invariably do, the Homeless Man moves solemnly on to the next person. Might be more effective if he didn't do it every single day. Anyway, if he spent less money on tram tickets/fines, and more on housing, he'd probably be a bit better off.

The Pushchair-wielding Mother
Yes, you have a pushchair twice the width of the aisle. No, it most definitely won't fit. Oh, you're going to try anyway? That was my foot.

The Old Lady with Shopping
She gets on at Orvault-Morliere, with more shopping bags than she can sensibly expect to carry. As the tram corners just before Bignon, the bags topple over, unleashing an array of conveniently circular groceries onto the tram floor. Old-Lady-with-Shopping then proceeds to gather up the escapee vegetables, tins and bottles from the floor, and puts them back into her bag just in time for her stop, Plaisance.

The Teenager with Music
This young man is on every single tram, on every single line, all day, every day. His mobile phone has some microscopic speaker which is capable of blaring out music at an surprisingly loud, yet low-quality level. He somehow remains completely oblivious to the fact that his pocket is making such a horrendous noise and defiantly out-stares anyone who even thinks about making eye-contact with him.

The First-time Tram-ers
This is a couple who quite possibly live in a little village near Nantes. They are therefore completely befuddled by anything remotely tram-related. This unfortunately includes doors, tickets, seats, holding-on, getting-off. For this reason, the First-time Trammers often get off at the wrong stop, after falling over, losing their ticket and puzzling over the tram map. Even then, they can't open the door.