Here's why some bus and train seats are decorated

The real reason some bus and train seats have dots or patterns on them is to hide any dirt or mess — for example, bodily fluids or food and drink spills — that passengers leave behind.

Copyright: Dwayne Hards.

The decorations on bus and train seats are there to distract passengers so that they don't notice their fellow passengers' stains, dirt, or spills. It's nice to know that we may be sitting in someone's urine or food/drink without even noticing it.

Public transportation is a great way of getting around, but it's also a highly unhygienic environment to hang around in for too long.