If you’ve taken London Transit Commission buses lately, you’ve probably noticed it: the constant soundtrack of other people’s lives bleeding through your commute. From blaring FaceTime calls to TikTok videos at full volume, London bus riders are getting increasingly frustrated with inconsiderate fellow passengers.
The complaints are piling up from locals who say they’re tired of being unwilling audiences to phone conversations, social media scrolling, and music without headphones. One frustrated commuter recently vented online about the daily annoyance of “having to deal with such inconsiderate people” who seem oblivious to basic public transit etiquette.
“No one wants to hear your phone call or music or whatever social media video you’re watching,” they wrote, echoing what many London transit users are thinking but rarely say out loud.
The problem seems particularly pronounced with FaceTime calls, where passengers not only have to listen to one-sided conversations but often find themselves accidentally appearing in the background of someone else’s video call. Some riders have gotten creative with their responses – one local admits to making faces at the camera when they spot themselves in someone’s FaceTime session.
Others describe the awkwardness of being positioned directly behind someone having a video chat, essentially becoming an unwilling participant in intimate conversations between strangers and their friends or family members.
The noise issues extend beyond phone calls. Passengers report constant exposure to TikTok videos, music, text message alerts, and the persistent “ticking and dings” of people texting throughout their rides. What’s particularly grating for many is that this behaviour seems most common during morning commutes, when people are already dealing with the stress of getting to work or school.
Some transit users are calling for London to adopt rules similar to those in Japan, where phone conversations and loud music are discouraged on public transportation. The idea of “publicly shaming” inconsiderate behaviour is gaining traction among frustrated commuters who feel like basic courtesy has disappeared from public spaces.
The complaints aren’t limited to noise issues either. Riders also report problems with people refusing to move to the back of buses, blocking aisles while scrolling through their phones, and generally treating public transit like their personal living room.
One particularly memorable character mentioned in local discussions is a woman who repeatedly yells “do not talk to me!” before launching into speeches about following Christ and needing to travel across oceans – creating her own cycle of disruptive behaviour that passengers have learned to recognize and avoid.
The frustration extends to bus drivers, who passengers believe must also be annoyed by the constant noise but are likely instructed not to confront passengers for safety reasons. Some riders wish drivers would speak up about disruptive behaviour, especially on quieter routes where loud conversations or media consumption is particularly noticeable.
What’s striking about these complaints is how universal they seem to be. Multiple people describe nearly identical experiences – the person in front of them on FaceTime, the constant social media videos, the early morning phone calls that wake up half the bus. It suggests this isn’t just a few bad actors but a broader shift in what people consider acceptable public behaviour.
The solutions people suggest range from direct confrontation (“just tell them to cut that shit out”) to more passive-aggressive approaches like inserting themselves into speakerphone conversations. Some riders have started carrying earbuds as essential transit equipment, though that shouldn’t be necessary to enjoy a peaceful commute.
The underlying issue seems to be that many people have forgotten – or never learned – that public spaces require a different level of consideration than private ones. The bus isn’t your living room, and your fellow passengers didn’t sign up to be part of your personal entertainment or communication experience.
For now, London transit users are left to navigate these daily annoyances on their own, with the occasional discussion on Reddit serving as their main outlet for venting about public transit behaviour that’s become increasingly inconsiderate.