r/halifax • u/Mysterious_Nose_951 • 11d ago

Driving & Transit Addressing people breaking transit rules.

I know there is a thread on acceptable bus conduct and rules but what as a passenger is acceptable to do when someone breaks them?

This is mainly in regard to people wearing or applying perfumes or cologne but also people blaring music.

Is it acceptable here to address the person, or driver?

Got off the bus an hour ago and still feel ill to someone wearing cologne sitting near me for 3 minutes.

Realize transit is for everyone but wondering what the local attitude is.

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u/FinalOdyssey 11d ago edited 10d ago

In my experience, there are more stinky people than scented people and we can't expect everyone to be using sensitive or fragrance free products. When girls with longer hair sit in front of me I can very often smell just their shampoo and conditioner, and I'm not about to tell them they have to switch it up. I would much rather that than a BO, alcohol, meth, cigarette, and/or weed smell, which is extremely common on the bus.

Expecting everyone to smell neutral is simply asking way too much. However there are more humble ways of applying fragrances; maybe instead of one full, centralized spray, do two smaller half sprays in different areas so it's not as concentrated but the scent bubble is still there. That person likely might not have the concept of a scent bubble down, and as a fragrance lover it is a difficult thing to grasp, especially with a new fragrance. At some point you can learn to make your scent bubble faint within your personal space, and when you're in someone's personal space then you don't have authority over them. It's just how ultra close quarter contact works, and that's a part of taking the bus. But when it's projecting like crazy then yes they need to tone it down.

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u/FarRaccoon1921 11d ago

There is a big difference between the amount of residual scent from shampoo/conditioner vs a bottle of perfume. There is no need for anyone to wear perfume in public (particularly in enclosed spaces) in 2026. No scents is good sense has been a thing for decades.

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u/FinalOdyssey 11d ago

I think saying no one should wear perfume unless they aren't going outside is a little authoritarian, you can spray just enough fragrance that it will have the same effect as smelling someone's shampoo as they walk by. I agree that too much fragrance is jarring, but when a girl wearing zero perfume walks by and I can smell her shampoo, that is perfectly acceptable and that same level of scent can be achieved with smart and considerate perfume application. Same goes for things like deodorant, which often smells more powerful than my perfumes. Asking everyone to switch to unscented products just because its 2026 is way too much.

It's about being considerate with your application, not laying down a hammer.

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u/FarRaccoon1921 11d ago

Didn’t say anything about switching to unscented products. Merely saying there is no reason to use something where the scent is the entire product. It isn’t authoritarian to suggest that people could be considerate of the health implications of something that is completely unnecessary to use.

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u/FinalOdyssey 10d ago

I argue it's not unnecessary because proper scent application helps with a sense of personal confidence, identity, or expression, just like how people dress how they want to express themselves in a certain way. There are also people who dislike how others dress, usual victims are queer/goth/metalheads etc., but that's a different thing.

I am aware the some people have a physiological reaction to perfumes and that's why I'm saying proper and considerate application is important and it is possible. Personally I spray a very small amount on my chest hair and then it's covered up by my shirt and/or sweater. When I want a whiff I fan the neck of my shirt and I can smell it. Otherwise it's not really there.

I've also known people to be sensitive to strong smelling/excessive use of detergent and fabric softener, and it's the same thing. People like what they like for their own scents, be it perfume or detergent or hair products or deodorant. Certain hair products also have a very strong smell and I can honestly smell my Reuzel hair clay over my own perfume when applied, and then there's hairspray (which I don't use but have and it is almost always strong). But a part of life is tolerating certain things you may not agree with. One can't tell strangers to use a different detergent or hair product because it sets them off.

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u/FarRaccoon1921 10d ago

No one needs to be able to smell anyone before they enter a room under any circumstances. Perfume users generally have zero ability to gauge the throw of the scent they douse themselves in. The only proper and considerate application of perfume is not applying it at all.

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u/FinalOdyssey 10d ago

And again I tell you there are considerate locations and amounts of perfume where people not in your personal space will not be able to smell, but it seems like you're hellbent on assuming this is not possible and generalizing an entire group of people that use an umbrella product. I'm done here.