When on a bus, most of us would adhere to the usual unspoken rules of not littering or smoking, regardless of whether they’re explicitly stated.
But one Chinese Xiaohongshu user recently shared a rather unusual regulation she spotted on a Hong Kong tour bus that caught her attention.
The sign, which was written in red and blue marker and pasted above the driver’s seat, was titled: “A hygiene public service announcement by the Hong Kong government.”
There were six “do-nots” listed on it, namely no littering, no eating and drinking, no peeing or defecating, no smoking, no spitting and… no nose picking.
The notice even featured hand-drawn illustrations to emphasise the point. It urged passengers: “Keep the bus clean and hygienic, be the best tourist you can be, and everyone will give you a ‘Like’.”
But the most striking part was the fine: passengers found violating any of the rules could face a fine of HK$3,000 (S$514) per offence.
The original poster (OP) was very tickled by the no-nose-picking rule, writing: “Buses in Hong Kong don’t even allow you to pick your nose.”
She also revealed that she and her fellow travellers had chartered the bus for a hiking trip, and though she had been to Hong Kong many times, this was her “first time noticing the abstract drawing.”
Amusing as that last rule might be, one wonders what prompted the bus driver to include such a regulation.
Did the driver have a particularly traumatic experience with boogers left on the seats? Perhaps he’d once had to clean up after a passenger’s unsightly habit?
Netizens were equally amused by the sign.
One speculated: “Perhaps someone had picked their nose and wiped it on the back of the seat in front of them. Some drivers have to clean their own buses, so maybe that’s why he’s more nit-picky with the rules.”
Others suggested the driver had put up the warning as a precaution as he had encountered his fair share of “unrefined” passengers over the years.
One netizen offered a more practical solution: “You can pick your nose if you want, just clean up after yourself and dispose of it properly when you alight.”
Regardless of whether there’s a fine involved, shouldn’t such practices already be part of our unspoken social etiquette?