There are rules, and then there are RULES for when one rides a San Antonio bus.

VIA Metropolitan Transit has a Code of Conduct which includes: Do wear shoes. Don't “cuss” or “fuss.” Don't panhandle or ask other passengers to pay your fare. Never yell at the driver to stop; use the “stop requested” cord. Don't open the roof hatch.

All good advice, but when a man riding a VIA bus recently shot another rider in the face, mySA.com conducted an online poll in which about half of the respondents said they didn't feel safe using public transportation in San Antonio.

So, we couldn't help but wonder: What are VIA bus drivers putting up with day-to-day? Violent outbursts? Renegades? Hostile riders who are on the verge of shooting one another in the face?

Not so, four VIA drivers said.

“For the most part, you don't get a lot of misconduct,” said Thurmond McNeil, a bus operator for the past 14 years.

But they do have a few gripes that aren't of the bloodshed variety.

Here are 10 tips to make you a friendly rider for San Antonio bus drivers:

1. Please have your fare ready.

“When you're pulling up and they don't have their exact change out, and they're still kind of fumbling in through their pockets.” That holds up the whole operation, said McNeil. Drivers aren't supposed to pull away from a stop until all boarding passengers have moved to the seating area, so if you're fumbling for bus fare ($1.20, or $1.40 if you want a transfer), you're holding everyone up.

2. Keep your body fluids to yourself...

“My pet peeve is people who pull their transfers out of their mouth,” said Tim Delahunt, a VIA driver for 21 years. “Or they pull it out of their sock, or behind their ear, or from their bra. It's like, you can have that one. It's OK.” Incidentally, No. 12 on the VIA Code of Conduct gets very specific about body fluids for people who aren't sure: “Spitting, urinating, defecating or exposing one's anus, breasts or genitals” is prohibited while riding the bus. Evidently that was worth mentioning, which is alarming.

3. … and that includes vomit.

More Information Poll: Do you feel safe riding the bus? See More Collapse

It happens. But it doesn't really have to, does it? “It's not every day,” said Delahunt. “People, just like anywhere else, they get up, they try to go to work when they're hung over and they get sick on the bus. You try to cover it up with newspapers, and then you get another bus.” Drivers have access to VIA dispatch at all times; in a case like this, they send out a fresh bus. But if you think you might puke, maybe you should just stay home.

4. Your bus driver doesn't know exactly where your Aunt Mabel lives.

They know their route, but they probably don't know the exact location of your final destination — unless your final destination is a stop on the driver's route. A driver who requested to remain anonymous said that riders will ask for directions to someone's house at least once a day. “They get mad with me because I don't know where that is,” he said. “It's annoying.”

5. For the hundredth time, yes, this bus is going downtown.

Or other questions that the drivers know you know the answers to, because they see you on their route all the time. “These people know what the fare is, but they're going to ask you anyway. And they'll ask you which way you're going, even though they ride the bus every day, and they'll keep asking you the same question over and over every day,” said David Garcia, who's been driving for VIA for the past 29 years. If you still feel the need to check your bus route, you can download the Go via VIA app.

6. If your driver pulls into a gas station and gets out, don't panic.

Drivers spend eight hours in the driver's seat. That seat does not have a built-in toilet. If they have to use the bathroom, said one driver, they just pull over at a gas station and run in for a pit stop.

7. Please don't eat onboard.

If the drivers can go eight hours without lunch (which they frequently do), you can wait to feed yourself until you get off. Although on a recent trip through south San Antonio, a man could be seen surreptitiously cramming his face with something that smelled like pork rinds. He tried to be quiet. Maybe a backpack full of chicharrones is just too tempting to wait for.

8. Don't take your bad day/breakup/fight with your sister out on the driver.

People are rude to drivers, and drivers, who deal with just about every shade in the spectrum of human behavior, can usually spot them coming. “We know which people are going to be rude to us and which ones aren't,” said Delahunt. “We just recognize that face, and we already know, this guy's going to give me a hard time about whatever.” So when a total stranger starts in with insults about your mother, what's to be done? Drivers are well versed in customer service as part of the hiring process, and have continuing training beyond that, so they're ready. “You kind of diffuse the situation by staying calm,” said McNeil. “'Have a seat sir,' stuff like that.”

9. Please don't get so wasted that you can't figure out where you're going and/or can't wake up from an alcohol-induced stupor.

First, you should be commended for not drinking and driving. That's great! But a very near second is: Why did you get so drunk? McNeil recalled one passenger who broke several rules because of his inebriation: he couldn't find the correct fare (McNeil finally just comped it); he was talking loudly to himself, prompting other riders to ask the driver to tell him to keep it down; and then he had no idea where he was supposed to get off the bus. Another driver recalled a man who was so hammered that he passed out on a row of seats in the back, then rolled off onto the floor — and stayed unconscious throughout. The driver couldn't get him to come to, so he called VIA transit police, who got the man to stand up long enough to be escorted off. Let's try to keep the drinking in moderation.

And finally …

10. Please don't discharge your firearms while on board.

We really didn't think we'd have to say that.

stressler@express-news.net

Twitter:@sarahtress