Did anybody hear about this?

[LoyalTubist]

I agree. That's why taking big expensive stuff on public transit is a bad idea.

I have taken my "good" tuba on every mode of transportation imaginable. The only time I was ever told not to take it on a public conveyance was on a Continental Trailways bus (defunct company). I was given a refund for the ticket I paid for the tuba and allowed to put it in the cargo bay myself. But I have taken it on city buses, commercial airplanes, trains (both intercity and commuter, as well as on the subway), and anything else I've ridden. When you have to get around without a car, you do what you have to do. Here in Vietnam, I pay a man to ride me on a motorcycle. I don't care to learn how to ride one myself. It's very cheap.

[Mojo workin']

So my question, being a young tuba player, what the hell?

Yes, that is exactly what our inner cities are becoming. The whole incident spawned from a lazy or group of lazy cowardly Cretans who felt that they were entitled to something, not having the ability to control their selfish violent impulses. So innocent music student, wanting to take advantage of the rich "culture" that a big city offers, is assaulted by the urchins that are a fact of life in most any part of the non-financial districts of the American city.

Come major in music!

[LoyalTubist]

One thing I should say about public transportation: The conductor, driver, and other staff personnel may have ideas about where to put your tuba. I remember on the train between Chicago and Memphis, I had to put my tuba in the coupling area between cars. It was no problem. If you won't do what they say and what they say is reasonable, you won't have a problem. Maybe the kid should have just bought a ticket for the tuba--even if it was on the subway (which I never had to do!)

[fpoon]

One thing I should say about public transportation: The conductor, driver, and other staff personnel may have ideas about where to put your tuba. I remember on the train between Chicago and Memphis, I had to put my tuba in the coupling area between cars. It was no problem. If you won't do what they say and what they say is reasonable, you won't have a problem. Maybe the kid should have just bought a ticket for the tuba--even if it was on the subway (which I never had to do!)

A train between Chicago to Memphis doesn't sound like public transit to me - sounds more like Amtrak. The "staff" on most city trains such as this one consists of one dude - the driver. He can't really help out passengers because by the time you've got his attention, your probably at the next stop.

I've taken sousaphone on MARTA (atlanta mass transit) to Tubachristmas and had a lot of fun with that, but I had no worries cause they were the school's horns and not mine (we all think like that when we're younger, don't we?). Would I ever take my nice horn in which I have several thousand invested in on mass transit? Only if I had NO other choice.

[LoyalTubist]

I used to ride the old Southern California RTD (what was then the Los Angeles city bus) as a teenager. I am an experienced commuter. I know that Amtrak is intercity and not commuter transportation. I was using that as an example as to what might have happened with that guy in Chicago.

When I started riding a city bus to college, the driver would tell me to sit in various places on the vehicle far from everyone. It seemed annoying at first, but I figured he was right. Later I found out he was a tuba player himself!