I'm on 1K58 to Manchester today and the first class host has decided not to serve anyone west of Huddersfield and instead has some very audible sounds coming from her phone. I just put my noise cancelling headphones on and put the volume up, so it isn't going to affect me, but I am not the only person in this area...
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Why do some passengers not get how annoying it is to play music and videos out loud?
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RailUK Forums
ExRes
Established Member
With the amount of twitter and facebook use there is I'm highly surprised nobody has commented about her behaviour to the TOC
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I would absolutely report a member of traincrew breaching any Byelaw - certainly this one!
STINT47
Member
As it's a member of staff on duty I would be challenging her and depending on her reply possible making a complaint to her employer.
If staff set this sort of example what chance do we have of getting the public to show consideration?
Unfortunately I’m increasingly noticing some of our on train staff doing the same. I think more and more people just see it as acceptable, sadly, and nothing out of the ordinary. It seems totally wrong for train crew to be doing it, although I’m not sure it’s specifically prohibited. Perhaps that’s something that needs to change.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
If it is to someone's annoyance then it's a Byelaw breach. Staff aren't exempt from breaching Byelaws.
I would 100% report it if I witnessed a member of traincrew in uniform doing it whether on duty or not - that's completely unacceptable. That's taking the old "Coach K messroom" thing to extremes.
CaptainHaddock
Established Member
- Joined
- 10 Feb 2011
- Messages
- 2,381
Aren't TOCs to some degree part of the problem with their incessant, intrusive and annoying announcements? Without wishing to turn this into another announcements thread, I can understand why some people might think that if the TOCs themselves insist on making unnecessary noise throughout the journey they may as well do the same thing themselves?
Which Scandinavian countries are socialist?Must be why America is the global utopia of civilised and well mannered behaviour, and why Scandinavian countries are such awful places to live.
Those announcements are usually required from an accessibility and inclusivity basis. Usually the automated announcements aren’t too grating and I always ensure I’ve got someone with a nice announcement voice making the announcement and not someone who sounds like a market stall seller or a fish wife. It’s the high pitch tinny noise that gets on people’s nerves. If the announcements are annoying then what better excuse not to add any more unnecessary noise to the mix.
pokemonsuper9
Established Member
If I tried to stream audio or video on my data, I'd burn through my 4GB/Month really quickly, and most train WiFi isn't anywhere near good enough to stream (as the only person on a ScotRail train's WiFi I could just barely load the forums).
According to my computer, I've either sent or recieved 213GB over my Internet connection in the last month, with half of that being Firefox (probably mostly YouTube).
Although I don't watch/listen to anything on my phone while travelling, usually mostly look out the window and check traksy/rtt for passing trains and these forums.
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Skimpot flyer
Established Member
- Joined
- 16 Nov 2012
- Messages
- 1,745
I really feel it is up to us as passengers to say something. If you do, you’ll often find support from others. It just needs one person to start the ‘I’m Spartacus’ conversation.
I started a similar thread last year about this kind of behaviour. I speak up. I’m not the biggest chap but I really don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour.
www.railforums.co.uk
I started a similar thread last year about this kind of behaviour. I speak up. I’m not the biggest chap but I really don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour.
Antisocial behaviour on trains
Yesterday, I boarded a lightly-loaded Gatwick Express service at London Victoria, about 10 minutes before departure. I sat in an airline-style seat and looked forward to the journey. A few minutes later, a man settled into the airline style seat (of a pair) in front of me, arranged all his stuff...
www.railforums.co.uk
The downloading video uses much more of your data allowance than downloading audio. Downloading audio uses much more data than WWW pages with images. Text pages like forums use hardly any data in comparison.
There is a table with the data required for a Youtube video at various resolutions at
How much data does YouTube actually use?
Do you know how much data YouTube uses? If not, we'll show you how much in every resolution from 144p to 8K and more.
www.androidauthority.com
With your 4GB allowance you could have an hour of 1080p video. You could download ~55 hours of 160Kbps audio (the typical bitrate for Spotify).
TheTallOne
Member
On the train today and someone was watching (I assume) TikToks.
It’s not just the noise levels, but the way things are spoken, annoying voices and annoying phrases too.
It’s not just the noise levels, but the way things are spoken, annoying voices and annoying phrases too.
Norway and Sweden have a healthy mix of socialism and capitalism, which is far better than the UK trying to be a clone of America with its very insular self-centered mentality and lack of collective responsibility. I use the term "socialism" here to include countries which lean that way, not purely those who adopt the most extremist version of it. Judging a group or policy by the most extreme examples is a tiresome fallacy.
No they are not, the problem is selfish and thoughtless people, the worst of which have a dangerous attitude issue. This is reinforced by the lack of consequences for being selfish, thoughtless and aggressive when challenged, hence we have widespread poor behaviour, it is not just on trains. i suspect the reason why we have things like road rage, supermarket rage etc is because when people suffer negative externalities of someone else's poor behaviour and it is virtually guaranteed no authority will confront them on it, some will choose to sort their problems out themselves, a bit like what they do in gangland culture. I don't think I want to live in a society like that where might is right, but if the public completely lose faith in authority, that is what could happen in a subset of the population at least.
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The most ridiculous experience I had was on an Avanti train out of Euston caused by a woman with her toddler (and an excessive amount of luggage). She spoke loudly and with a privileged (Islington?) accent and had decided that the best way to entertain her toddler was to bring along a tambourine and maracas so that the child and her could make a racket while she sang nursery rhymes. The child wasn't particularly interested in the show - I think it was mostly for her benefit to demonstrate to the other passengers what an enlightened mother she was.
STINT47
Member
I think you mean what a self entitled mither she was
Modern smartphones with USB-C ports can be connected to ordinary wired headphones or earbuds using a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, which don't cost a lot (even the Apple one is only ~£10). That way you can keep the wired phone/buds whose audio quality you are happy with, rather than having to settle for a poor-quality bluetooth alternative.
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jammmmmsssssss
Member
Come on there aren't that many announcements. They're useful anyway
"If you do, you’ll often find support from others."I really feel it is up to us as passengers to say something. If you do, you’ll often find support from others. It just needs one person to start the ‘I’m Spartacus’ conversation.
I started a similar thread last year about this kind of behaviour. I speak up. I’m not the biggest chap but I really don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour.
Antisocial behaviour on trains
Yesterday, I boarded a lightly-loaded Gatwick Express service at London Victoria, about 10 minutes before departure. I sat in an airline-style seat and looked forward to the journey. A few minutes later, a man settled into the airline style seat (of a pair) in front of me, arranged all his stuff...
I doubt it. That's the biggest problem.
Although earbuds and earphones have always been cheap, the one thing that has changed is that mobile phone producers don't include earphones in with the device any more. The last two phones I've had have literally just been the device and a USB-C cable.
I wonder if this is a contributing factor?
For what's it's worth, the people playing music loud on public teansport need sending to an island with no means of escape.
I wonder if this is a contributing factor?
For what's it's worth, the people playing music loud on public teansport need sending to an island with no means of escape.
I did ask someone to knock it off the other week. Middle aged woman playing very loud bangla music and clips of some Indian TV show. I just turned to her and politely but firmly asked if she could possibly consider turning it down/off as the rest of us really don't want to be forced to listen to it.
She got some headphones out!
There was someone else annoying with a kid and iPad playing the same cartoon song over and over again, but I knew they were getting off in a few minutes so focused on the bugger nuisance.
She got some headphones out!
There was someone else annoying with a kid and iPad playing the same cartoon song over and over again, but I knew they were getting off in a few minutes so focused on the bugger nuisance.
trainophile
Established Member
It's a pity iPods/MP3 players went out of fashion. A music device separate from your phone that only works with earphones. Of course they are only any good for music you've downloaded yourself, so wouldn't help with the inane TikTok fans.
I have a 16GB iPod Nano (7th gen), smaller than a train ticket, with my iTunes library on it, I can recommend them for compactness and listening quality, also saves your phone battery. Still available at places like CEX.
I have a 16GB iPod Nano (7th gen), smaller than a train ticket, with my iTunes library on it, I can recommend them for compactness and listening quality, also saves your phone battery. Still available at places like CEX.
PyrahnaRanger
Member
I blame a bit of it on Covid, and a bit on programmes like The Apprentice.
I think TV has normalised using the speakerphone - it was probably (benefit of the doubt) only intended as a device to show both sides of the conversation without having to stick microphones onto the mobile a la Challenge Anneka, but a section of the populace has accepted it as normal.
Covid probably played a part, as people who I spoke to during it always seemed to be on hands free so they could type with both hands in a way they would have used a headset for in the office, or do cooking/cleaning while they spoke to you.
I try and be helpful and join in as many speakerphone conversations as I can when I hear them
Getting headphones to fit small children, and getting small children to wear headphones. Ours hated earbuds, and we couldn’t find over ear ones small enough.
Also, what if you’ve got more than one kid and only one phone/tablet? In the early days, we had three kids and only a phone. We would do our best to keep them entertained and engaged in various colouring books, games, discussions and activities, but when they (or you!) get tired, sometimes the digital babysitter is very handy.
The other issue is that in the olden days, you could get a 3.5mm splitter, which meant two people could share a device - I’m not currently aware that there is anything comparable for Bluetooth except for the Apple version that needs beats or AirPods, which dramatically ups the cost.
Add to this the seeming inability of TOCs to seat families together when booking seats, and it’s not a great mix.
I think TV has normalised using the speakerphone - it was probably (benefit of the doubt) only intended as a device to show both sides of the conversation without having to stick microphones onto the mobile a la Challenge Anneka, but a section of the populace has accepted it as normal.
Covid probably played a part, as people who I spoke to during it always seemed to be on hands free so they could type with both hands in a way they would have used a headset for in the office, or do cooking/cleaning while they spoke to you.
I try and be helpful and join in as many speakerphone conversations as I can when I hear them
There’s your problem… for best results, you need the Gardner engined RE, complete with the clunky non-air handbrake, and the “sproing” sounds as you move up the semi auto box…
There’s a couple of issues here:
Getting headphones to fit small children, and getting small children to wear headphones. Ours hated earbuds, and we couldn’t find over ear ones small enough.
Also, what if you’ve got more than one kid and only one phone/tablet? In the early days, we had three kids and only a phone. We would do our best to keep them entertained and engaged in various colouring books, games, discussions and activities, but when they (or you!) get tired, sometimes the digital babysitter is very handy.
The other issue is that in the olden days, you could get a 3.5mm splitter, which meant two people could share a device - I’m not currently aware that there is anything comparable for Bluetooth except for the Apple version that needs beats or AirPods, which dramatically ups the cost.
Add to this the seeming inability of TOCs to seat families together when booking seats, and it’s not a great mix.
Off topic slightly, but that’s a very small data allowance - I’m getting unlimited minutes and texts, along with 150GB a month for less than a tenner. Although I’m glad landline broadband isn’t paid for by the gig - in the last week we’ve downloaded 200ish GB - but that’s media streaming, VC, internet, games, and all other manner of things that seem to be a part of modern life. It’s all a far cry from when my colleague used to have a BBC model B with two modems setup at work so he could dial in to it and avoid long distance phone charges to Pipex…
Whenever I've done so, nobody else pays any attention
I've come to the conclusion most people are better than me at tuning out noises, or they just stick headphones on.
Whenever someone has tried the "but they can't wear headphones" line my response has always been "then turn the sound off". Parents managed for more than a century to keep their kids distracted on trains without subjecting other passengers to tinny phone speakers.
nanstallon
Member
- Joined
- 18 Dec 2015
- Messages
- 882
Yes, the Anglo Saxons are pigs. Those who can do something about anto-social behaviour can't be bothered, and the loud and ignorant always get their own way. Britain has become a thoroughly nasty country, and when I go abroad to more civilised countries like Italy I always think how nice people are there.
PyrahnaRanger
Member
Yes… to be fair, they have, but that was because we didn’t have them. It’s called progress, I believe, which has led to other things, like trains being allowed to move without a man with a red flag in front of them. Some progress is good, some is less desirable, but we are where we are!