Token advice

So it’s come to this: The MBTA is using doughnuts to make nice.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is America’s oldest subway system, and reports selling 792,600 one-way rides each day to commuters, students, tourists, and others.

Problem is, using the system to get anywhere can be a bear, which is why the MBTA has launched a campaign using ads and brochures — and $2 vouchers for Dunkin’ Donuts, handed out last week to riders caught in random acts of kindness — to encourage everyone to be more considerate of one another.

Riders often lament fare increases, chronic delays, inaudible PA systems, and station closings that result in time-consuming detours. The service’s last outbound trains leave Park Street Station at 12:30 a.m., 90 minutes before most bars close, and the stench of the Downtown Crossing platform can easily makes a gas station men’s room seem inviting by comparison.

Still, for all of the T’s faults, there is a school of thought that says the city’s subway system is what you make of it. And, according to many frustrated commuters and outspoken bloggers who spoke with City Weekly, when it comes to commuting in Boston, the T’s riders are often their own worst enemy.

‘‘Almost all of my gripes about using the T have to do with how inconsiderate people are,’’ said engineer Robert Caron, 35, who spends more than two hours traveling on the commuter rail and Orange Line each day.

Compiled here is a look at the state of T etiquette in Boston, as well as what transportation officials are doing to ensure that Bostonians, often perceived as uncivil in whatever context, ride the T without stepping — sometimes literally — on other riders’ toes.

Most common complaints

What is irksome to one commuter may not matter to another. For example, while smoking was a common gripe among those interviewed by City Weekly, some riders said smoking was no problem so long as it is done on an outdoor platform away from other riders. ‘‘Usually they are on a main thoroughfare,’’ said Boston office worker Anthony Pelletier, where, he noted, you are breathing in more fumes from cars than cigarettes.

But there is near-universal sentiment on other breaches of etiquette. (Which of course raises the question: If everyone hates these behaviors, why do they continue? But that’s another discussion.) Some of the more frequent grievances: When riders do not offer their seats to the elderly, injured, or pregnant. ‘‘I was riding the Orange Line home from work one night, on a really crowded car, and there was a young guy sitting down with his briefcase taking up the seat next to him,’’ says Jen Stewart, 41, of Melrose. ‘‘There were a couple of elderly people standing who should’ve been offered the seat that he was taking up with his briefcase, but even though several people actually said something, he ignored one and all. Several stops later, his girlfriend got on the T and he moved the briefcase so she could sit down — he’d been saving a seat on the T for her. I suppose that sounds ‘romantic’ to some people, but it was the absolute height of inconsideration, especially as they got off at the next stop.’’

When riders do not wait for departing passengers to leave the train before entering. While getting out of someone’s way seems like common sense, riders insist this happens all the time. As Boston’s Pelletier, 51, puts it, ‘‘There are some days when it is just easier to wait for the next train instead of getting into a wrestling match with people who come running onto the platform and start shoving their way to the front, in front of people who, like the cattle we are, are patiently waiting in a sort of straggling order to get on the train.’’

Loud music blasting from headphones: Portable music players such as iPods can be a great form of escapism on the T — perhaps too much so. At least that’s what critics say, who allege the miscreants who turn their iPods up to 11 (is a ‘‘Spinal Tap’’ reference too obscure?) are not only obnoxiously loud but oblivious to their surroundings, and therefore more likely to commit other rude acts.

Smoking in prohibited places: Despite signs everywhere, even outside T property, many commuters indulge their nicotine fixes, even on indoor platforms.

Wearing a pack on your back during peak riding times: When patrons, usually students, leave their bags on, they often press against other passengers without the culprit even noticing.

Talking on cellphones: Some argue this is only a problem if a caller is speaking loudly or endlessly; others say cellphones should be turned on ‘‘silent,’’ and put away.

Never saying ‘‘sorry’’: Robert Caron, a 35-year-old engineer, reports of one such encounter of the unapologetic kind: He was sitting on a crowded (‘‘as usual’’) Haverhill-bound train when a guy standing next to him ‘‘decided to stand essentially between my feet, and drop his bag on my foot.’’ Over the next 10 minutes, says Caron, the standee stepped on or kicked him three more times. ‘‘Finally I said ‘Hey, would you mind not kicking my foot?’ to which he replied sarcastically, ‘Yeah, I’ll do my best,’ and tried to give me the stare-down. . . . Maybe I’m just being oversensitive, but what the hell is wrong with people that they can’t say ‘Oh, I’m sorry’ after stepping on you? Is that really too much to ask?’’

Swearing in front of children: Similarly, is it too much to ask adults to watch their language when children are riding nearby? Sometimes, apparently so. Michael Godlewski, 23, a law student from Somerville, says he overheard two men cursing up a storm on a recent T ride, apparently oblivious to the presence of a child nearby. When two riders asked them to cool it, they did just the opposite, and it almost came to a fight. “It was just a big mess. I wish people would talk more,’’ says Godlewski. ‘‘I think the T has this awkward social dynamic, and everyone assumes the worst of each other. . . . They just sit there and hope they don’t get mugged.’’

Who’s to blame?

While some commuters insist there is plenty of blame to go around when it comes to illmannered conduct, others say members of certain groups are consistently the most egregious culprits: College students: Every fall, more than 100,000 seekers of higher learning take to the T with their iPods, book bags, and, say their critics, a complete lack of courtesy. Common transgressions: wearing backpacks on crowded trains, loud use of portable music players and cellphones, general T inexperience, and occasional drunken belligerence.

Sporting event attendees: ‘‘The only groups I’ve encountered who are consistently unbearable on the T are people going to sporting events,’’ says Orange Line rider Jennifer Stewart, 41. ‘‘And no matter what sporting event it is, the fans who are wearing the most team-oriented gear will almost always be the ones who are loud, unpleasant, often inebriated, and prone to trying to provoke other riders.’’

The T & its employees: It’s a good thing the MBTA is working on its courtesy skills. Many commuters feel its employees, simply by example, are complicit in the general lack of etiquette on the T. On April 3, disabled passengers represented by Greater Boston Legal Services reached a settlement with the MBTA over accessibility issues, and one of the complaints was discourteous drivers and other T employees. While the MBTA was cooperative, Danny Manning Sr., one of the attorneys on the case, says discourteous behavior toward disabled passengers is ‘‘an ongoing problem.’’ Karen Schneiderman, who uses a wheelchair and serves as an advocacy worker for the Boston Center for Independent Living, says when she rides the T, she often has to rely on fellow passengers because MBTA employees are unwilling or unable to help her. ‘‘I find the passengers to be more helpful than the employees,’’ she says. ‘‘They have been more positive than negative.’’

Tourists: It’s great for the city to have them come, and they deserve some slack, but they stand at the top of steps staring at maps, park motionless on the left side of the escalator, and generally move so S-L-O-W-L-Y.