Exactly four types of people use Australian public transport. They are as follows:
- Dead-tired students who would sincerely like everyone to be quiet, and for the bus / train / tram / ferry to stop rocking so they can catch a cheeky afternoon nap;
- Slightly bewildered folks taking a new line for the first time and obsessively counting the stop numbers lest they end up in Woop Woop;
- Old mate blasting So Fresh Hits of Autumn 2002 out of his busted phone speaker;
- Politicians on questionable PR excursions.
All four seem to exist in MP Christopher Pyne’s latest social media post, which shows the Minister for Defence Industry giddily riding an Adelaide tram.
(Well, we can’t tell if someone is blaring music from the photo alone, but we can safely assume.)
Travelling on a tram 🚃 in Adelaide today in between meetings! #auspol #saparli pic.twitter.com/w5Fi7jzKQ9
— Christopher Pyne (@cpyne) February 1, 2018
Pyne, whose regular social media presence does not contain cheerful images of public transportation, is facing some interesting questions: why does he seem so intensely chuffed? Why does this scenario seem plucked from the realm of cartoons? And why hasn’t he shuffled over to the window seat?
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) February 1, 2018
— Dirga (@diekarasu) February 1, 2018
Christopher Pyne goes Larson-esque pic.twitter.com/Pht7Vxxd35
— MonsterDome ooh/ee/ooh/ah-ah/ting/tang/walla-walla (@Monster_Dome) February 1, 2018
I just want someone to laugh at my jokes the way Christopher Pyne laughs on public transport. https://t.co/itJJhhSYh1
— Jen Dudley-Nicholson (@jendudley) February 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/KemlinKid/status/958883178256584704
Others still have noted his almost child-like glee at embarking on a voyage between Glenelg Beach and Thebarton, which is only nice if you’re heading to the beach or a gig – not some kind of governmentally-relevant meeting.
I love how Christopher Pyne’s happy face always makes him look like he’s off to his first day at school. https://t.co/qt0zBaa1M4
— Jess McGuire (@jessmcguire) February 1, 2018
On the tram like a big boy pic.twitter.com/Pf2kWsuKvF
— Mathew O’Shaughnessy (@ShaughnessyMat) February 1, 2018
when you get to ride the tram on your own like a big boy and you’re thinking about all the boiled sweeties your pocket money can buy pic.twitter.com/AZTKbU1v2X
— timb (@burgerdrome) February 1, 2018
Hell, the shot even caught the attention of Labor MP Tony Burke, who took a swipe at Pyne for seeming to treat the tram ride like a once-in-a-lifetime romp.
So I noticed this tweet from @cpyne when I was between Kingsgrove and Beverly Hills Stations. I never realised public transport was a novelty. pic.twitter.com/UHC0RPNdSv
— Tony Burke (@Tony_Burke) February 1, 2018
It is strange to see Pyne enjoying the tram so much – we know his preference of long, metal, people-carrying tube is the nuclear submarine – but maybe this is just what politics is these days: MPs trying to flaunt their experiences with the common folk.
