Courtesy Towards Vendors

We would just like to remind our passengers who use ticket vendors to exercise courtesy and patience as you purchase your tickets.

The vendors do not actually work for VRE. They are, for the most part, small businesses that have agreed to sell our tickets just as they may have agreed to sell Coke or Pepsi products.

Be sure to keep this in mind when asking them VRE questions. They may know some answers but do not expect them to have all the answers, especially keep this in mind if you have a problem with VRE (late trains, TVMs not working). Please yell at us (gotrains@vre.org, or (703) 684-1001) and not at them. We might be able to do something about it. Finally, please do not push your way through their lines because you showed up late for your train. Their customers deserve courtesy too.

Pay Attention to Your Surroundings

If you carry a purse, a backpack, a jacket or anything with a strap onto the train, then this message is for you.

Since most people don’t enjoy being struck by someone else’s belongings, please pay attention to both your possessions and to the people around you.

As aisles are narrow, it is best to walk down them with your belongings in front of you, so that they don’t bang the heads or shoulders of your fellow passengers as you go past.

Likewise, if you need to put on a jacket, it would be better to do so after you have detrained, so as not to drape it across the face of someone else.

Scratched and Dinged Vehicles

This courtesy reminder is on behalf of scratched and dinged vehicles in VRE parking lots.

These scratched and dinged vehicles would like to ask people to please be gentle with them as they do not like to be scratched, nor do they like to be dinged.

Please be careful when opening your vehicle doors adjacent to another car. Likewise, when walking in between two cars, please make sure that your belongings do not bang or rub alongside either of the vehicles.

They would like to remind folks that they are somebody’s vehicle…not somebody’s counter top. So, place do not place your belongings upon them unless you’re the one who purchased them.

By being mindful of your surroundings, all our cars can keep their current shine.

Taking up Space

Commuting isn’t always the highlight in one’s life, but at least in doing so one should be able to sit, relax and rest. If you bring stuff with you, keep it with you. Put it under your seat or in the overhead racks. Don’t take up another person’s space. We all work hard and we all deserve our rest whenever we can get it.

Trash Disposal

As you gather your belongings to detrain, please remember that trash receptacles are available for your newspapers, empty water bottles, empty coffee cups, and/or any other “stuff” you no longer need.

Of course, if you are more environmentally minded, newspaper recycling bins are located at most of our stations!

Many of our train sets provide service more than once during the rush hours. Since the time between runs is so short, we are not able to perform a trash sweep in between.

To make the train an enjoyable experience for everyone, we need your help. Take your belongings with you and if you don’t want to keep something, just throw it away. Thank you got helping to keep our trains clean.

The Quiet Car

As most of you already know, passengers ride in the Quiet Car to take advantage of an atmosphere of peace and placidity. Cell phones are not allowed and any talk that must occur should be in whispers.

We want to take this opportunity to remind riders of another courtesy, one of civility rather than hostility. The Quiet Car should be thought of by passengers more in terms of a library rather than in terms of absolute silence. Should you be in the Quiet Car and encounter a fellow rider who may be talking too loudly, politely remind them that they are in the Quiet Car and kindly ask them to keep noise to a minimum.

While we encourage riders to “police” the Quiet Cars, extreme behavior by anyone is unacceptable. Remember, the Quiet Car exists as a courtesy and we don’t want that courtesy abused.