Forum Topic

my pet hates when travelling on public transport

Ok, here's my list:Passengers blocking the seats with suitcases. Seats are for people and not for suitcases. This is particularly targeted at people travelling to Heathrow. Should a passenger who is travelling to the airport with a suitcase 'force' a non-flying passenger to stand?Eating hot and smelly food (Dominoes Pizza, KFC, McDonalds etc) on buses and trains. Absolutely yuk! It stinks. Say no more!Putting feet on seats. Disrespectful and unhygienic, coupled with bus and train seat covers are expensive to replace. No more are there signs on the Lizzie Line asking passengers not to put their feet on seats. Anyone know why? This type of anti-social behaviour is particularly irritating when I see passengers who would customarily take their shoes off when they walk into their flat/houses put their feet on seats. If you take your shoes off when at home, why put your shoes on a seat when on a bus or train?! Anyone know why?Using your phone on loudspeaker to play music or to have a conversation. Annoying as hell. Do  other passengers really want to listen to your taste in music or to hear what your doctor has just told what is medically wrong with you?! Use headphones or not talk with your phone on loudspeaker. Smoking or vaping. Knowingly illegal so why do people do it?Have you got others you can add to this list?  

Ben Owen ● 5d23 Comments

Yes, Keith, I never said it was the majority but it is frequent enough for me to think about what annoys me! On a train now with a woman watching a video with the loudspeaker on so she can hear the sound. It's because the sound is distorted that it really makes it noisy.

Ben Owen ● 2h

I think it is a small minortiy of people who are seat huggers with bags etc. and will move their bags when politely asked.I don't think we need to make more f this than it is,which some on here are doing.

Keith Iddon ● 13h

It's the lack of thoughtfulness for others, Declan, which most annoys me! I get it that getting on to an empty train at Heathrow you would not be inclined to think about blocking seats, because there is room for everyone to sit.It is when the train becomes crowded and people are still not offering to make room for standing passengers is when it crosses the line into antisocial behaviour. It doesn't happen so much when the trains are leaving Central London for Heathrow - and there is a good reason for it!

Ben Owen ● 13h

You are right about the RER. I used to commute to an office in Montrouge via Charles De Gaulle airport, often with a decent sized suitcase. An absolute breeze at the time as the luggage racks were designed to accommodate passengers and their cases. I understand that theft of cases from the racks has become somewhat of a problem  with Eastern Euopean crooks but it certainly was not when I was making that journey at least once a month.

N V Brooks ● 1d

While I do agree with some of the points, the bit about people with bags, suitcases travelling from Heathrow is a bit unfair, given we are on the only two lines running form Heathrow to Central London, we will always be impacted by tourists and locals going to and from the airport, what I find more annoying is why these trains are not more adapted to this kind of travel, TFL had a perfect chance with the Elizabeth line Line trains to add areas for suitcases, and now with the new Piccadilly line trains the same, but in both cases have not, I used many airport to city transport around the world and most places have come up with some kind of solution to this issue, Line 2 in Shanghai has suitcase storage as has the Maglev trains, HK the same, even the RER train is Paris is better suited for this

Declan Devine ● 1d

Stephen Norris ( under Mrs T ) saidThey (cars), are the only door to door system you have.Have your own company, your own temperature control, your own music.You don’t have to put up with dreadful human beings, sitting beside you

Peter Yale ● 2d

Though widely associated with Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, it is likely a misattribution; researchers believe this sentiment was actually coined by Loelia Ponsonby, Duchess of Westminster roughly 50 years earlier.Quite right too, given the choice I would certainly not travel now by bus. A few decades ago, certainly; but now with the great unwashed, no chance.

N V Brooks ● 3d

>being quoted as saying: "If a man finds himself a passenger on a bus having attained the age of 26, he can count himself a failure in life!"I'm not sure being quoted as saying something is the same as actually saying it.

Paul James ● 3d

I remember Mrs Thatcher was never keen on the idea of buses, being quoted as saying: "If a man finds himself a passenger on a bus having attained the age of 26, he can count himself a failure in life!"

Peter Evans ● 3d

Agree with everything said in th OP It really all boils down to a lack of respect and consideration which is the default position for society now.When you are on public transport you are “forced” to be up close and personal with some absolute low life’s and also the most selfish of people from all walks of life. Got to balance that out with the fact that the majority of people are decent it’s just we don’t find it very British to object, cause a fuss or confront, plus, of course, these days you run a high risk of someone pulling a knife on you especially on the TfL network.

Colin Goodman ● 3d

I was on an E3 recently which stank of stale urine. I can cope with the other stuff.

Susan Kelly ● 4d

Hardly the crimes of the century though. Seems like Ben has too much time on his hands

Simon Hayes ● 4d

I don't think there's anything weird about Ben's objection to anti social behaviour.If I'm on a bus and someone has their bag on a seat and theres no other seats available, they move it.

David Burke ● 4d

Ben, you are just weird. You seem to be the one with the issues, and a lot of them. You could get help for that.I’m amazed you can hear anything when your head is stuck so firmly up your rear end.I use public transport quite a lot and accept whoever else is on there. If they want to do antisocial things then so what? Unless it’s directly harming you, which it isn’t, then just get on with it. Everyone else does.

Simon Hayes ● 4d

I don't know what twisted logic goes on in that mind of yours,and don't really care but it's you who gets the hump with people on public transport.How dare they have shopping or luggage with them when you are on the bus? You really do have a very poor attitude toward your fellow citizens.I use buses or trains 4 or 5 times a week,and have absolutely no problem when doing so.Anyway,I thought you cycled everywhere.Be careful not to be hit by a bus getting its own back on you.

Keith Iddon ● 4d

Sounds very much like that you and Simon do not like people when using public transport. Selfish, just selfish and thoughtless. BBC News - Transport for London (TfL) asks mobile users to wear headphones - BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce83p1ej8j7o?app-referrer=deep-link

Ben Owen ● 4d

The op just demonstrates a very selfish,self centred and childish view on life from the poster.Has Nursey taken away your dummy for being a naughty,moany little git?

Keith Iddon ● 4d

No, but apparently it’s the only transport option TfL believes in.It’s funny how a minority of people always ruin everything, isn’t it?

Simon Hayes ● 4d

Public transport isn't "abhorrent" in fact it is excellent it's just about a  small minority of people as the op.said and why bring cycling into it but then you always do regardless of the subject in question.

David Burke ● 4d

I wonder if you and Ben challenge these people doing the antisocial things?What you’ve stumbled across by accident is human nature. It’s how people are and unless you plan to turn everyone into robots it’s not going to change. You could of course campaign for better education of young people but it won’t make a difference to anyone from outside the UK system who thinks and acts differently.Maybe you should campaign for stricter enforcement of the rules by staff, although you will be told that there isn’t any way of putting enough guards or enforcement officers on the network.The things that TfL could do, such as improving accessibility at all its stations, has been painfully slow. As we know with Ealing Broadway, those fit and able bodied cyclists get preference to anyone who needs to park there to drop off a disabled passenger.Maybe if public transport is so abhorrent to you sensitive souls you should stick to cycling. After all it’s better for you!

Simon Hayes ● 4d

As a regular user of public transport agree with all of that Ben.

David Burke ● 4d

Lack of disabled access is my main gripe. Buses are not too bad but tube access is an absolute joke. Only one platform at North Ealing and Greenford are fully accessible. Khan has been heading up TfL for almost a decade and has simply failed to deliver.

N V Brooks ● 4d

You just dislike people, Ben. Well done on highlighting your prejudices.

Simon Hayes ● 4d