Why do some passengers not get how annoying it is to play music and videos out loud?

[jammmmmsssssss]

My new phone ( Nothing Phone brand) came with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. I don't know how common they are as a supplied accessory but perhaps they should be mandatory.

I just bought some usb c headphones for my phone and laptop

 

[Fiyero]

On Wednesday evening I couldn't (easily) get home due to a person struck by train blocking most things out of Waterloo. I cut my losses and booked a hotel in Croydon so got the southern service there from Clapham Junction, approaching midnight.

Someone was insistent on playing his music loud, even with all the people around telling him to stop. Apparently he had good taste! Whatever his taste loud tinny versions were not appreciated! I thought it was going to get violent at one point!

 

[Beebman]

LBC Radio presenter Ben Kentish has just posted the following on X:

https://x.com/BenKentish/status/1867984437667111153

What’s this new horror of not just having loud phone conversations on trains but having them on speaker phone? Absolutely no regard for anyone else!

 

[birchesgreen]

Some football fans were heading north on my train today (long journey too), very loud and obnoxious (pretty drunk by 10am natch), shouting the C-word regularly and playing rap loud.

Later on I did enjoy seeing that their team lost.

 

[trainophile]

Some football fans were heading north on my train today (long journey too), very loud and obnoxious (pretty drunk by 10am natch), shouting the C-word regularly and playing rap loud.

Later on I did enjoy seeing that their team lost.

That's the other thing, bad language. My train from New Street to Lime Street yesterday had in my coach some "gents" who must have bypassed the adjectives class in school as they only knew one, and it begins with F. Top volume every two minutes. Apart from the offensiveness it gets boring after a while.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

Some football fans were heading north on my train today (long journey too), very loud and obnoxious (pretty drunk by 10am natch), shouting the C-word regularly and playing rap loud.

Later on I did enjoy seeing that their team lost.

Loud group of women playing rap ‘music’ on speakerphone this morning, discussing the best route to Tower Hill station, on my train from Potters Bar to Moorgate.
The brains of the bunch said to change at Finsbury Park, get the tube to Victoria, then the tube to their destination.
Was going to advise them to stay on until Moorgate, then one change & three stops to Tower Hill.
As soon as they started playing that stuff, I suddenly forgot to tell them….

 

[side effect]

I've noticed the last few days on the Elizabeth line girls singing to the music their listening to. Very arrogant . Lucky I got earplugs.

 

[Purple Train]

I've noticed the last few days on the Elizabeth line girls singing to the music their listening to. Very arrogant . Lucky I got earplugs.

I haven't had that yet. I did once, however, see a fairly large choir of six- or seven-year-old schoolchildren get on at West Drayton, heading for a singing competition at St Paul's, and doing a bit of practice along the way. That's one instance of singing on public transport that I most definitely can tolerate!

That's the other thing, bad language. My train from New Street to Lime Street yesterday had in my coach some "gents" who must have bypassed the adjectives class in school as they only knew one, and it begins with F. Top volume every two minutes. Apart from the offensiveness it gets boring after a while.

Yes, quite. I have noticed a general uptick in that sort ASB recently in my area of the world. Lots of vaping, swearing, feet on seats, etc. - weirdly, however, the music seems to have gone down. I've no idea why.

 

[Deepgreen]

Anti-social behaviour will continue to rise as the perpetrators gain more and more legal protection from their victims' possible actions.

 

[BazingaTribe]

Why, when Bluetooth is so commonly used these days?

In my case, keeping them charged separate to the phone is a nuisance. I just go without these days rather than annoy other people, but that's why it's annoying.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In my case, keeping them charged separate to the phone is a nuisance.

How? I have a multi way USB charger by my bed and plug in phone, iPad and earphones every night. You don't actually need to charge AirPods that often though.

 

[BazingaTribe]

How? I have a multi way USB charger by my bed and plug in phone, iPad and earphones every night. You don't actually need to charge AirPods that often though.

A number of things related to me not being as good at keeping all my devices charged regularly, that's why. A pair of wired earphones can be kept in my handbag; charging earphones meant taking them out of the bag and remembering to pick them up again etc. I can barely do that with my work phone (we don't generally use the actual phone a lot, so even after a year of being in a role where I am a lot busier, I still can't get myself into the habit of keeping it charged) let alone a handful of other extra devices.

I do have air pods but didn't have any other Apple products so the fight was always to get the right charger.

More broadly though, I was answering TUC's general question as to why someone might not bother with Bluetooth earbuds from my own perspective. I'm sure there are plenty of people who do manage, but I was only giving him some insight into why someone (who isn't you) might not bother with Bluetooth.

 

[miami]

My wireless headphones stay in my bag and need charging once a month, I guess if I took the train every day that would be more, but they last 20-30 hours which is likely a once-a-week thing.

Indeed my old wired headphones needed charging more frequently for their noise-cancelling element.

 

[side effect]

Tbf I expect this sort of thing and worse to happen on my daily commute on the Elizabeth line and with movement of carriage so easy I don't let it bother me.
However someone's bag occupying a seat is annoying so much I wished I had a water pistol that I could squirm a stink bomb solution on.

Although I'm all mouth and just sulk.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

Bags on seats are not something I tolerate if the train is full and standing. A polite request such as ‘May I sit there, please’ usually results in the bag being moved.
‘Has your bag paid for a ticket?’ is the second comment I use, if required.
The really obstinate get free removal of the bag, and it’s acquaintance with the floor.

 

[Fiyero]

Bags on seats are not something I tolerate if the train is full and standing. A polite request such as ‘May I sit there, please’ usually results in the bag being moved.
‘Has your bag paid for a ticket?’ is the second comment I use, if required.
The really obstinate get free removal of the bag, and it’s acquaintance with the floor.

My train yesterday was the worse I have seen. People were choosing to stand rather than make a scene, but it seemed 1/4 of the seats had a bag (big or small) on! Quite quiet noise wise though!!

 

[BazingaTribe]

Bags on seats are not something I tolerate if the train is full and standing. A polite request such as ‘May I sit there, please’ usually results in the bag being moved.
‘Has your bag paid for a ticket?’ is the second comment I use, if required.
The really obstinate get free removal of the bag, and it’s acquaintance with the floor

I do use the seat beside me for bags etc but I'd always move it if necessary. I certainly try to do it proactively if I see more people getting on. But I totally agree -- it's the people who are idiots about it that annoy me the most. What goes around comes around -- if you take the [proverbial], you can't exactly complain when someone messes you around.

 

[trainophile]

Another bugbear of mine is people who put a wheeled case on a seat, which is just as unhygienic as feet on seats.

 

[Meerkat]

I do use the seat beside me for bags etc but I'd always move it if necessary. I certainly try to do it proactively if I see more people getting on. But I totally agree -- it's the people who are idiots about it that annoy me the most. What goes around comes around -- if you take the [proverbial], you can't exactly complain when someone messes you around.

If you don’t look anti-social enough to put people off and want to keep the seat free then looking a bit too keen to let someone sit there can work

Another bugbear of mine is people who put a wheeled case on a seat, which is just as unhygienic as feet on seats.

Or a blooming dog!

 

[BazingaTribe]

If you don’t look anti-social enough to put people off and want to keep the seat free then looking a bit too keen to let someone sit there can work

Or a blooming dog!

Haha! (In a sincere way.)

I don't mind dogs on the train but agree with the general hygiene issues. That said, small cute well-behaved doggies are welcome to sit on my lap. The two most gorgeous Pomeranians sat on the floor at someone's feet recently on a XC train and I would have gladly played host to them.

 

[side effect]

Another bugbear of mine is people who put a wheeled case on a seat, which is just as unhygienic as feet on seats.

Yes, I usually put my rucksack on my lap or floor.

Haha! (In a sincere way.)

I don't mind dogs on the train but agree with the general hygiene issues. That said, small cute well-behaved doggies are welcome to sit on my lap. The two most gorgeous Pomeranians sat on the floor at someone's feet recently on a XC train and I would have gladly played host to them.

Dogs are no problem for me as they are better behaved.
What about user eat motorbikes. In London on the lizzie line you expect to see more of this but I'm never on long enough.
Would probably never travel long distance again other than sleeper

 

[andrew749]

What about user eat motorbikes. In London on the lizzie line you expect to see more of this but I'm never on long enough.

Various delivery bikes and e-bikes on the Elizabeth line in the mornings - usually between Goodmayes and Whitechapel or Farringdon.

 

[side effect]

Yes there was one yesterday directly behind the driver and he was continually holding it whilst sitting in his seat. Then coming back towards Shenfield some elderly folk with a giant Christmas .

Myself, I worry about taking extra bags.

 

[TimSpencer]

I've not read all the posts on this thread but to me, it's clear that part of the problem is this; While the TOCs are bombarding us with tannoy spam they are sending a clear message that it's quite OK to annoy the hell out of train passengers with noise pollution.
What's source for the goose is source for the gander.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jan 2025 ==

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[Elon Bust]

Hello, all. I am new to this forum and I'm glad to see this thread has a lot of attention.

This is an issue that both saddens and annoys me.

I am 34, therefore old enough to remember what it was like to travel on a train with no smartphones at all. I'm old enough to remember when all we had to worry about was something listening to an iPod so loudly we could hear the general music noise. Imagine, back then, if someone suggested there would be a time in the future where people were playing music from devices with no headphones at all. It would have seemed unimaginable.

I believe there was a brief window of opportunity when this behaviour could have been stamped out, and that's passed now.

As previous posters have touched on, I believe the lockdowns had a part to play. Once we were encouraged to stay apart from people, I noticed a new trend emerge: people realised they could get away with a greater level of bad behaviour in public than before. Driving got more casual. Strangers became much less likely to converse. I just wonder if, in some way, this allowed people to get away with more because they were less likely to be confronted.

Ironically, I believe the different phases of the Covid era created a sense that nobody was sure about the rules. And if people are unsure about the rules, that means there are none.

I used to love long train journeys. I used to enjoy going to gigs in far away parts of the country so I could treat myself to a nice, long train journey and read a book while I watch the towns, villages and fields go by. Now, I truly feel a sense of dread every time I step onto any railway carriage. This is what people's behaviour has done to me.

I recently emailed Greater Anglia about this but I haven't had a reply. I think this sort of thing is worth doing even if you don't get a reply. At the very least, rail operators need to know people don't like this.

 

[azOOOOOma]

I’ve now completely stopped asking individuals to stop playing music/videos on loudspeaker as at least three times lately it ended up with aggression from the passenger and I’m not going to risk my safety. I’m only 5’3!

I still ask people not to do it on announcements and to consider others but it doesn’t seem to matter. Even in the quieter coach.

Laura x

 

[Leaguer]

I’ve now completely stopped asking individuals to stop playing music/videos on loudspeaker as at least three times lately it ended up with aggression from the passenger and I’m not going to risk my safety. I’m only 5’3!

I still ask people not to do it on announcements and to consider others but it doesn’t seem to matter. Even in the quieter coach.

Laura x

It is understandable that you have stopped but only by challenging people in the right way will this ever change. I have literally just spoken to a bus driver about not moving as 3 women and I challenged 3 teenagers who were vaping on the bus. These 3 women were very vocal and excellent. They stopped what they were doing and eventually got off the bus.

 

[Peter0124]

"This train is going nowhere until you put some headphones in or get off"

If only this was actually practical on the railways, whereas its more doable if you're a bus driver.

 

[BazingaTribe]

I’ve now completely stopped asking individuals to stop playing music/videos on loudspeaker as at least three times lately it ended up with aggression from the passenger and I’m not going to risk my safety. I’m only 5’3!

I still ask people not to do it on announcements and to consider others but it doesn’t seem to matter. Even in the quieter coach.

Laura x

I only had to look up disapprovingly when the lady beside me started up with TikTok and no headphones on Christmas Eve. I felt a bit like Diana Trent from Waiting For God (I even have the walking stick to hand to shake at people) but it was worth it as she closed it down sharpish.

I'm not usually that grumpy but Christmas Eve travel is just awful in so many ways -- although ultimately worth it -- that I'm not going to let anyone make it worse.

 

[Krokodil]

It is understandable that you have stopped but only by challenging people in the right way will this ever change. I have literally just spoken to a bus driver about not moving as 3 women and I challenged 3 teenagers who were vaping on the bus. These 3 women were very vocal and excellent. They stopped what they were doing and eventually got off the bus.

If you like you can try it with some of my delightful passengers. Ask some of the bozos around here to stick headphones in and they act as if you've insulted their sainted mother. Effing and blinding at you in front of their kids. They're not fit to be fathers.