@wjmaggos @realcaseyrollins @p @Moon you can use a phone on the bus, so that shit is totally possible on a bus.
But it kind of shows the weakness of the bus/church metaphor.
OTOH, you could search out trans lives matter t-shirts or pride pendants and point them out to your friends, you know, subway style. Stealing their phones and wallets would be akin to doxing them, depending on what you did with it.
It's pretty safe to mug people in NY and Chicago.