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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.
#7
TheGirlWithTheZen 4 years ago
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.
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#15
Tracy Costa 4 years ago
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.
#18
TheGirlFromTheNorth 4 years ago
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...
Just saying 4 years ago
I was hurrying through King's Cross/St Pancras station one day when I passed homeless guy who said 'pretty lady at wrong station'. When I got to what I thought was my platform I found out I was supposed to be at Euston. (Note, I was a lot prettier back in the day!)
Load More Replies...
#19
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.
#23
Hugh Cookson 4 years ago
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.
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#27
#38
Wistre Vist 4 years ago
for those of you too lazy to google, gilipollas basically means douchebag/idiot/asshole in Spanish! :)
#44
Julia Atkinson 4 years ago
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"
#46
Doggo Froggo 4 years ago
Poor, poor man. I think he could do with a six- pack of un- see juice!
#47
Joe Reaves 4 years ago
Wonder if that was the groom (in the condom)? Maybe it was a 'joke' about why he was having to get married.
#51
#57
Jayne Kyra 4 years ago
Maybe they just did not have any other way to transport them and the jug was practical, but THE FOOT!
#64
Doggo Froggo 4 years ago
I am so glad I didn't witness that..... but I still think I need some un-see juice!
#66
ispeak catanese 4 years ago
He was praying for her safety with petals that have been blessed. My mom does that to our pictures.
#67
Katherine Boag 4 years ago
Some people are very sensitive to scents, and have a lot of trouble in crowded areas.
#68
#70
Julia Atkinson 4 years ago
I would probably accept a Jaffa Cake even if it was offered aggressively
#71
#73
Bethan Coleman 4 years ago
I've done the same. It was quite comfortable once I took my coat off and used it as a cushion.
#74
Mary Rose Kent 4 years ago
That’s nothing...I once bought a dresser at a sidewalk sale and brought it home on a bus by entering via the back door (I had my MUNI card—I’m not a fare cheat).
#75
LesAnimaux 4 years ago
"A stranger talked to me" - is that really the *weirdest* thing that happened to you?
#77
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Oh dear god no. I've read some crazy stuff but didn't feel grossed out til now. I just don't like feet, at all.
#82
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
It was fun watching Guiliani's brain starting to melt because of the enormous amount of lies and idiotic conspiracy theories it had to produce.
#83
Andrew Gibb 4 years ago
they usually try and make you drink in Scotland, so you did well not to be cajoled to join into joining them.
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What do you think ?
Uncommon Boston 4 years ago
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.
Petra Schaap 4 years ago
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 :-)
Emmmmmm 4 years ago
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.
Robert T 4 years ago
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
Mere Cat 4 years ago
That sounds amazing! Where I come from, the whole train would just be full of grumpy, silent people...
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 4 years ago (edited)
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....
Marija Barcan 4 years ago (edited)
Sounds like my life taking public transit. I thought this s**t only happened to me!
Load More Replies...
Alina Rainer 4 years ago
may i add this haflinger in an austrian train (again!) 88CFFA05-F...4-jpeg.jpg 
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
A horse is a commuter, of course, of course.
Load More Replies...
TexasWoman 4 years ago
Really the cutest, but........my geckos letting my grandma's dogs lick em......they're not afraid of the dogs!
Carol Emory 4 years ago
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.
Mrs_ Possum 4 years ago (edited)
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.....? 🤨
DC 4 years ago
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.
Cecilia 4 years ago
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.
Skadi Lifdis 4 years ago
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.
Paul Woods 4 years ago
I drive a bus in Toronto. Nothing, and I mean nothing surprises me anymore.
H G 4 years ago
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.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
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!
sturmwesen 4 years ago
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?).
Katherine Boag 4 years ago
Had a group of drunk people get on the bus, one guy was wearing (women's?) underwear as a face mask...
Just saying 4 years ago
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.
Mz Phit 4 years ago
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
Marija Barcan 4 years ago
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).
Jods 4 years ago
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.
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 4 years ago
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.
NaruTheCollective 4 years ago
So is this still going on during COVID? Why are these people on packed trains?
Uncommon Boston 4 years ago
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.
Petra Schaap 4 years ago
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 :-)
Emmmmmm 4 years ago
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.
Robert T 4 years ago
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
Mere Cat 4 years ago
That sounds amazing! Where I come from, the whole train would just be full of grumpy, silent people...
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 4 years ago (edited)
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....
Marija Barcan 4 years ago (edited)
Sounds like my life taking public transit. I thought this s**t only happened to me!
Load More Replies... Alina Rainer 4 years ago
may i add this haflinger in an austrian train (again!) 88CFFA05-F...4-jpeg.jpg
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
A horse is a commuter, of course, of course.
Load More Replies... TexasWoman 4 years ago
Really the cutest, but........my geckos letting my grandma's dogs lick em......they're not afraid of the dogs!
Carol Emory 4 years ago
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.
Mrs_ Possum 4 years ago (edited)
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.....? 🤨
DC 4 years ago
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.
Cecilia 4 years ago
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.
Skadi Lifdis 4 years ago
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.
Paul Woods 4 years ago
I drive a bus in Toronto. Nothing, and I mean nothing surprises me anymore.
H G 4 years ago
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.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
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!
sturmwesen 4 years ago
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?).
Katherine Boag 4 years ago
Had a group of drunk people get on the bus, one guy was wearing (women's?) underwear as a face mask...
Just saying 4 years ago
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.
Mz Phit 4 years ago
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
Marija Barcan 4 years ago
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).
Jods 4 years ago
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.
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 4 years ago
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.
NaruTheCollective 4 years ago
So is this still going on during COVID? Why are these people on packed trains?
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