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People Are Sharing The Most Bizarre Things They’ve Seen On Public Transport (45 Tweets)
Prior to the pandemic, an estimated 34 million times each weekday, people boarded public transportation. In 2019 alone, Americans took 9.9 billion trips on public transportation, according to the APTA. The numbers speak for themselves, making commuting a quintessential part of our pre-Covid lives.
But what makes being crammed into a tiny space with more strangers that you could count a one-of-a-kind experience is the sense of the unexpected. The colors, smells, glances, murmurs, the sounds of clearing one’s throat, it has it all. The good, the bad, and the weird.
So, when James Felton, a comedy writer with 278.5K followers on Twitter, asked people “What’s the weirdest thing you saw on your commute?” it just seemed natural that everyone would have a lot to share in that department.
Let’s see what happens behind the sweaty doors of our urban rapid systems where the things you see stay with you for all time.
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Bored Panda reached out to James Felton, the man behind this Twitter thread, comedy writer, and the author of the book “52 Times Britain was a Bellend.” James’s question “What’s the weirdest thing you saw on your commute?” got 9k likes, but with James’s 278.5K-strong Twitter audience, this is not something out of the ordinary.
When asked how James got the idea to ask his followers about the weirdest things that happened to them while commuting, he recounted an incident which got him thinking if it was only him feeling weirded out on the train.
“I was just thinking about how weird it was that I used to commute every day, happily sat in the luggage rack like a bag, when I remembered that a guy brought out a potato from his briefcase (no foil, just loose) and began crunching away like it was a fine pear, and wondered if anybody had similar tales.”
The comedy writer believes that many people found the question so relatable since “I’m pretty sure everyone who commutes has a story like this (or far weirder), it’s just what happens when you cram half of humanity into a tin two times a day, five days a week.”
Public transport being a perfect place for the weird and the weirder things of the world to occur is no secret to anyone. The question “Why are there always weird people on the bus?” was recently posed on Quora, where people shared their insights on the matter.
According to Rob Davis, retired bus supervisor, it may come down to the fact that public transport bears a “concentration of those whose situation keeps them from owning a car,” which suggests that people from all walks of life come together under this one big moving roof.
I can just visualize the entire compartment listening with horrified fascination - Don't really want to know, but cant bear to stop listening & get off at their stops. XD
On the other hand, there’s a lot of stigma on people who travel in the US by public transport. It’s not a secret that some commuters are labeled “weirdos” because of their distinctive looks, odd behaviors etc. However, as long as nobody does any harm and abides by the public rules, no one, especially those who’re most vulnerable, deserves to be looked down upon.
No matter how hard I try, I will never achieve that level of eccentricity.
But commuting as we knew it before is likely to change after the pandemic is over. Many people are now opting for healthier and safer alternatives like bikes. In fact, the decrease in public transport has made the air quality around the world way better, and with bikes staying as a popular commute alternative, the chances are, the cleaner air will partly remain this way.
This kind of reminds me when me and a friend visited London, took the train on sunday night to go for dinner, around 6.30pm. The guy next to us, full suit and briefcase, pulled out a tiny notebook, draw an airplane and then put the notebook back in the briefcase. Thought that was a little odd but didn't think about it more until the next evening. We were going back to Sweden and was in the check-in at the airport, when the lady behind the desk said we weren't booked on that flight (the flight was leaving 6.30pm). Couldn't understand why, so frantically browsing our ticket just to find out WE BOOKED OURSELVES ON THE EXACT same time but the DAY BEFORE!!! THE TIME THE GUY ON THE METRO DRAW AN AIRPLANE OUT OF NOWHERE!!!! For some reason we'd booked our hotel for the correct amount of days, but messed up the flightbooking. Still gives me the shivers...
Commuting has also been affected by the newly established work from home model. As the previous stigma against it has disappeared during the pandemic, it’s now expected that many remote workers will intend to work from home even after the pandemic is over.
This will immensely impact public transportation, and according to Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University, we are going to see major shifts. “It’s going to have broader implications for urban planning and for residential and commercial design as well,” she commented.
How can you get mad at Terry Pratchett? Oh, wait... He wasn't an MP, was he?
Perhaps he thought Good Omens was blasphemous or something. That's what I liked the most about it.
ALL his books are "blasphemous"... And I giggle my ass off even when I'm reading one for the 5th time.
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I was in a closed carriage with 6 or 8 other people on a train in Belgium back in the 80's (long story ..) and was reading a Tom Sharpe book (think it was 'Riotous Assembly) I laughed so much that I was borderline hysterical ; it was quite infectious and before long most of the people were giggling along .... trying to explain what set me off to a bunch of Flemish speaking Belgians was a bit challenging .... happy days.
Lovely memory! I did that on the metro in Paris in the late 80s with one of Matt Groenig's Hell books I'd just bought from W.H. Smith. Could not stop laughing--but could not explain or share the humour.
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Terry Pratchett was a fabulous writer. Some one should have kicked that guys butt.
A book critic who does pro bono work? NB I enjoyed Terry Pratchetts series, but I guess it's not for everyone XD
Too many people view Terry Pratchett and similar books as Satanic. They never know what they are thinking, they can never explain, but they will always state God Says .
He just had his own 6 years writing book declined by Pratchett's publisher
Been there done that - once, working as a hotel manager in a v posh hotel that was hosting a society wedding this particular day - lived 30 minutes away and was late, rushed out of the door in my morning suit and Sandals ...... thankfully, someone found a pair of shoes that fitted.
for those of you too lazy to google, gilipollas basically means douchebag/idiot/asshole in Spanish! :)
I was on a bus when the driver got out, picked up a bagful of fallen apples in a field, got back on and said "Sorry about that, my friend has a horse"
Note: this post originally had 85 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.
There was one seat on the subway. The seat by the window was occupied by a smelly bum. I smiled at him when I sat down. Before the last stop, I thanked him for letting me sit next to him and wished him a good day. Next day, on a different subway line, there was one seat next to the same man. He glared at anyone who tried to sit there. I greeted him as if we were friends, then sat down. After a moment,he smiled.
My mom once brought a rocking chair (one of those old fashoined) in the train to me. She doesnt have a car, neither do I and she knew I wanted one. Back in those days older Dutch trains still had a big compartement in the back to store goods, bikes, etc, so she didnt bother anyone with it. Conductor thought it was the best joke ever that someone brough their own seat :-)
This reminds me of an incident when I rode the bus home, packed full of people. A guy stepped on and asked everyone to turn off their mobile devices because he was allergic to radiation or something. Some people did, I said no. He kept asking everyone and it scared me.
Reminds me of a time in my student days when we got stuck on a train for several hours and our entire carriage formed a line and went the entire length of the train and back doing the conga. :D
That sounds amazing! Where I come from, the whole train would just be full of grumpy, silent people...
Load More Replies... things I saw: puking drunk business men (puking in between the seats) on their way back home, guys trying to jerk off next to me, people spitting sunflowerseeds shells, a woman giving her friend an haircut (tram in Amsterdam) a girl with a gigantic inflatable d**k under her arm, and no one looked twice (victoria station, London) a woman that started screaming to me when I took a picture of my boyfriend in the subway in New York (she was at least 10 meters away) Etc etc....
Sounds like my life taking public transit. I thought this s**t only happened to me!
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may i add this haflinger in an austrian train (again!) 88CFFA05-F...4-jpeg.jpg 
A horse is a commuter, of course, of course.
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Really the cutest, but........my geckos letting my grandma's dogs lick em......they're not afraid of the dogs!
I was taking accounting in Seattle along the canal near the Fremont Bridge. A classmate and I went to sit at the edge of the canal on break. While there, she suddenly saw something break the surface of the water. "What was that?" We looked again...then a sealion head broke the surface. This was well inland and the furry guy had to maneuver past a set of locks to get this far. He looked at us and paused as if we were going to throw him fish. When he realized we had none..he continued his journey.
I had a guy sit next to me on the train once, a total stranger. He stared at me really intently for about two stops, then as he got off the train, he said really intensely, "Will you remember me as your boyfriend on every Christmas Day???" Ummm. No.....? 🤨
About 2005, when smoking in trains was still usual in germany, in winter, a boy (about 15), wannabe-gangsta accompanied by two girls of the same age, played hip hop on his mobile phone. In the smoker's coach you could open windows. A middle-aged man goes to him, demands the volume to be reduced ... boy doesn't comply ... guy storms back, angrily, grabs the phone, opens the window, throws it out about a mile away from the station. Gangsta and his two friends left the train there, to go and search the phone in the snow.
I live near Toronto, and the craziest thing I saw was the GO train I was in got flooded. We were stranded for hours, no cellphones, and for a lot of people, no seats. Something like 6 hours later, we had to be rescued by life rafts. Didn't get home until 2 AM!! Thank God I used the bathroom before leaving work.
I used to take a bus down Hollywood Blvd. Actually not as wacky as you might think. Except for the clown incident. I was literally the only passenger on this bus. It stopped and a dude full on dressed as a clown got on. I was sitting in the first seat after the priority seating and this jackhole chooses to sit directly across from me. The entire bus is empty. He could have sat anywhere. But noooooo. I should mention at this time, I had a nearly crippling fear of clowns...so I sat there the rest of the trip, barely breathing and curled up as small as I could make myself. Second most miserable...no, third...third most miserable bus trip ever.
I drive a bus in Toronto. Nothing, and I mean nothing surprises me anymore.
A few years ago, my boyfriend and I were driving home at 7 am. Saw a dude on roller blades, radio in hand, tight leggings and tank top just blading-dancing down the side of the road. Looked like something straight out of the Simpsons. I just turned to my boyfriend and asked if that was real or if I was just that sleep-deprived.
Recently on MARTA (Atlanta public transit) some bugnut all-a-sudden started ranting how COVID-19 was a hoax, Bill Gates wanted us all injected with microchips, other male bovine feces like that. Other commuters looked at each other and spun their fingers next to their heads. He was so f*****g obnoxious I had to move to another car in order to read. I wanted to drag that knot-head to Grady Hospital and shove him into the ICU so he could do his face-farting there to the doctors and nurses amid all the COVID patients. They'd shut him up in short order!
A 18 -20 year old discussing that she is pregnant again which sucks because she wants to do cocain and baby daddy is in prison -again. Druggies discussion who does whom and that it best while high as a kite.... on the way to a methadon clinic (do you call it that in english?).
Had a group of drunk people get on the bus, one guy was wearing (women's?) underwear as a face mask...
I used to do re-enacting and us Tudors used to use the Tube quite a lot to get to events, which is sad for our fellow passengers as we really smell of wood smoke. Also, we can sometimes forget to stash away our 6 inch belt knives as they just live hanging on our belts. Swords are less of an issue as they have to be blunted.
Back in the 80's, I rode on my university equestrian team & sometimes had to use the train to meet my ride to the barn. I was an art punk, had "big hair" and a concert tee shirt...so Up top, I looked like I was just returning from the clubs. But below, wore traditional riding breeches/boots, and often was carrying my immaculately cleaned English saddle. Two opposite cultures in one. I'm sure it was entertaining for the other commuters LOL
A man on the train got on, sat down on the ground right in front of the doors and pulled out a new loaf of bread, new jar of PB and a new jar of jam. Then pulled out a sharp knife from his pocket and proceeded to make himself endless PB & J sandwiches right on the floor, eating one after another. He didn't move out of the way for people getting on or off, (not that they really could get off or on with him there any way).
The funniest thing I ever witnessed on the Underground was my dad getting puked on by a very drunk guy (it was St Patrick’s Day though). Then more cracking up from me watching my mum trying to wipe him down with a tiny hanky. He got off at the next stop muttering something about giving my mum a ring to arrange a place to meet in a couple of hours.
When my friends and I were on a train after our school trip, a drunk guy came up to us and asked if any of us were Italian.
I was riding the Broadway Limited from Philadelphia to Chicago, mid 80's. I was in the dinning car talking with the guy sharing my booth when we both noticed the woman across the aisle. She was very carefully packing the complete table settings into a tote bag (service for 4) .Then she got up and left. I just couldn't believe it. I don't know if she got away with it or not. But that set of dishes would be worth something today.
So is this still going on during COVID? Why are these people on packed trains?
There was one seat on the subway. The seat by the window was occupied by a smelly bum. I smiled at him when I sat down. Before the last stop, I thanked him for letting me sit next to him and wished him a good day. Next day, on a different subway line, there was one seat next to the same man. He glared at anyone who tried to sit there. I greeted him as if we were friends, then sat down. After a moment,he smiled.
My mom once brought a rocking chair (one of those old fashoined) in the train to me. She doesnt have a car, neither do I and she knew I wanted one. Back in those days older Dutch trains still had a big compartement in the back to store goods, bikes, etc, so she didnt bother anyone with it. Conductor thought it was the best joke ever that someone brough their own seat :-)
This reminds me of an incident when I rode the bus home, packed full of people. A guy stepped on and asked everyone to turn off their mobile devices because he was allergic to radiation or something. Some people did, I said no. He kept asking everyone and it scared me.
Reminds me of a time in my student days when we got stuck on a train for several hours and our entire carriage formed a line and went the entire length of the train and back doing the conga. :D
That sounds amazing! Where I come from, the whole train would just be full of grumpy, silent people...
Load More Replies... things I saw: puking drunk business men (puking in between the seats) on their way back home, guys trying to jerk off next to me, people spitting sunflowerseeds shells, a woman giving her friend an haircut (tram in Amsterdam) a girl with a gigantic inflatable d**k under her arm, and no one looked twice (victoria station, London) a woman that started screaming to me when I took a picture of my boyfriend in the subway in New York (she was at least 10 meters away) Etc etc....
Sounds like my life taking public transit. I thought this s**t only happened to me!
Load More Replies... may i add this haflinger in an austrian train (again!) 88CFFA05-F...4-jpeg.jpg
A horse is a commuter, of course, of course.
Load More Replies... Really the cutest, but........my geckos letting my grandma's dogs lick em......they're not afraid of the dogs!
I was taking accounting in Seattle along the canal near the Fremont Bridge. A classmate and I went to sit at the edge of the canal on break. While there, she suddenly saw something break the surface of the water. "What was that?" We looked again...then a sealion head broke the surface. This was well inland and the furry guy had to maneuver past a set of locks to get this far. He looked at us and paused as if we were going to throw him fish. When he realized we had none..he continued his journey.
I had a guy sit next to me on the train once, a total stranger. He stared at me really intently for about two stops, then as he got off the train, he said really intensely, "Will you remember me as your boyfriend on every Christmas Day???" Ummm. No.....? 🤨
About 2005, when smoking in trains was still usual in germany, in winter, a boy (about 15), wannabe-gangsta accompanied by two girls of the same age, played hip hop on his mobile phone. In the smoker's coach you could open windows. A middle-aged man goes to him, demands the volume to be reduced ... boy doesn't comply ... guy storms back, angrily, grabs the phone, opens the window, throws it out about a mile away from the station. Gangsta and his two friends left the train there, to go and search the phone in the snow.
I live near Toronto, and the craziest thing I saw was the GO train I was in got flooded. We were stranded for hours, no cellphones, and for a lot of people, no seats. Something like 6 hours later, we had to be rescued by life rafts. Didn't get home until 2 AM!! Thank God I used the bathroom before leaving work.
I used to take a bus down Hollywood Blvd. Actually not as wacky as you might think. Except for the clown incident. I was literally the only passenger on this bus. It stopped and a dude full on dressed as a clown got on. I was sitting in the first seat after the priority seating and this jackhole chooses to sit directly across from me. The entire bus is empty. He could have sat anywhere. But noooooo. I should mention at this time, I had a nearly crippling fear of clowns...so I sat there the rest of the trip, barely breathing and curled up as small as I could make myself. Second most miserable...no, third...third most miserable bus trip ever.
I drive a bus in Toronto. Nothing, and I mean nothing surprises me anymore.
A few years ago, my boyfriend and I were driving home at 7 am. Saw a dude on roller blades, radio in hand, tight leggings and tank top just blading-dancing down the side of the road. Looked like something straight out of the Simpsons. I just turned to my boyfriend and asked if that was real or if I was just that sleep-deprived.
Recently on MARTA (Atlanta public transit) some bugnut all-a-sudden started ranting how COVID-19 was a hoax, Bill Gates wanted us all injected with microchips, other male bovine feces like that. Other commuters looked at each other and spun their fingers next to their heads. He was so f*****g obnoxious I had to move to another car in order to read. I wanted to drag that knot-head to Grady Hospital and shove him into the ICU so he could do his face-farting there to the doctors and nurses amid all the COVID patients. They'd shut him up in short order!
A 18 -20 year old discussing that she is pregnant again which sucks because she wants to do cocain and baby daddy is in prison -again. Druggies discussion who does whom and that it best while high as a kite.... on the way to a methadon clinic (do you call it that in english?).
Had a group of drunk people get on the bus, one guy was wearing (women's?) underwear as a face mask...
I used to do re-enacting and us Tudors used to use the Tube quite a lot to get to events, which is sad for our fellow passengers as we really smell of wood smoke. Also, we can sometimes forget to stash away our 6 inch belt knives as they just live hanging on our belts. Swords are less of an issue as they have to be blunted.
Back in the 80's, I rode on my university equestrian team & sometimes had to use the train to meet my ride to the barn. I was an art punk, had "big hair" and a concert tee shirt...so Up top, I looked like I was just returning from the clubs. But below, wore traditional riding breeches/boots, and often was carrying my immaculately cleaned English saddle. Two opposite cultures in one. I'm sure it was entertaining for the other commuters LOL
A man on the train got on, sat down on the ground right in front of the doors and pulled out a new loaf of bread, new jar of PB and a new jar of jam. Then pulled out a sharp knife from his pocket and proceeded to make himself endless PB & J sandwiches right on the floor, eating one after another. He didn't move out of the way for people getting on or off, (not that they really could get off or on with him there any way).
The funniest thing I ever witnessed on the Underground was my dad getting puked on by a very drunk guy (it was St Patrick’s Day though). Then more cracking up from me watching my mum trying to wipe him down with a tiny hanky. He got off at the next stop muttering something about giving my mum a ring to arrange a place to meet in a couple of hours.
When my friends and I were on a train after our school trip, a drunk guy came up to us and asked if any of us were Italian.
I was riding the Broadway Limited from Philadelphia to Chicago, mid 80's. I was in the dinning car talking with the guy sharing my booth when we both noticed the woman across the aisle. She was very carefully packing the complete table settings into a tote bag (service for 4) .Then she got up and left. I just couldn't believe it. I don't know if she got away with it or not. But that set of dishes would be worth something today.
So is this still going on during COVID? Why are these people on packed trains?
