OMG, Move OVER!!!

It's pretty clear to regular riders that the Metro or bus and personal space don't go hand -in -hand. Few things are more awkward than getting sandwiched in between two people on the sideways bench, or stretching for the handrail while trying not to introduce the person sitting below you to your derriere. Even sitting side-by-side facing forward isn't quite comfortable - the barrier of the armrest found in a movie theater or airplane is absent, and well, it takes a lot energy to try to keep legs from touching legs.

So one would think it's a natural human reaction to take advantage of extra space on a bus when you are lucky enough to come across it - like say an early morning trip that starts off full but empties out before reaching the final destination. You start off sitting next to someone, another empty pair of seats open up, and the expected thing to do is that the person on the aisle seat moves over, making everyone more relaxed and less acutely aware of the Katy Perry song blasting from their earbuds.

But lately, and maybe it's just me, there seems to be a campaign to not take advantage of the extra space. No, my seat partners, be they younger or older, male or female, seem content to sit within 3 inches of me on an otherwise empty bus for more than half the trip. We don't talk or otherwise acknowledge each other - don't they realize I'm pinned against the window here and am silently begging them to move over? Is it appropriate to say something like "Would you mind moving to one of the other seats?" To me, it feels slightly offensive and it should be unnecessary, but if I doze off and startle awake when the driver hits the brakes, they're not going to be happy when my snap back to consciousness means that I'm shocked to find they're still sitting RIGHT NEXT TO ME WHEN THE REST OF THE BUS IS EMPTY and OMG MOVE OVER!!! Ok, maybe that's overreacting a little, but seriously - do I smell that nice?

And it's weird - I don't seem to have this problem riding the Metro, just the bus - what gives?