The New Jersey commuter bus heading to New York City last week rolled to a stop on the side of the highway. The morning holdup was caused by a passenger who was talking on her cellphone. 

“I’ve got all day, ma’am; I’ll wait till you’re done,” the driver announced into his microphone, with the bus idling. 

Nearly 50 passengers heard the warning, which the driver said was aimed at “the woman seated behind me in the third row by the window.” The woman, embarrassed by the sudden attention, hurried to wrap up her phone conversation. 

Not all of the customers aboard the bus agreed with the harsh approach. Kabir Singh said he rides the bus every day to Manhattan, then picks up the subway downstairs at the Port Authority to get to his job as a computer systems analyst in Queens. Describing the bus company’s phone ban as “juvenile,” he said that phone conversations were no more distracting for him than other sounds on the bus. 

“I hear people’s music so loud coming through their headsets, I can practically sing along,” he said. “Families get on the bus and their kids are excited and jump all over the seats and yell and scream but nobody ever says a thing to them.” 

He added: “A lot of people on these buses are in work mode. I am too; three hours of my day are on the bus and train and I often need to use my phone to get things done before and after work.” 

In fact, many people on public transport would not want to be without them. For example, they can ring ahead to let their family know if the train is going to be late. 

And there are always those emergency calls. Scott Starr was waiting for ‘The Call’ when his wife was expecting the couple’s second child a few weeks ago. ”Having the phone with me was important,” he said recently, while riding on the was riding Long Island Rail Road’s main line. ”There wasn’t much I could do from here, but at least I could make some calls if she needed help.”

Three hours of my day are on the bus and train … I often need to use my phone to get things done before and after work

But the railroad is well aware of aggravation the phones can cause. It launched a “Don’t Be Cell-fish” campaign which offers tips for cellphone courtesy. They include: keeping your call short and to the point – fellow customers may be trying to sleep or relax; moving to the vestibule of the train if you must engage in an extended phone conversation; using the silent or vibrating ringer options, refraining from accepting incoming calls when possible; using your phone’s call ID or text messaging features to screen incoming calls; letting your voice mail manage non-urgent calls. 

So the company is not contemplating any ban. Instead it is stressing that some common courtesy is all that’s required. “Just mind your manners,” said Larry Silverman, chairman of the railroad’s Commuters Council.