Antisocial behaviour on buses: Have we given up?

[bramling]

A not exactly small chunk of it comes from lazy parents who would rather play their kids Peppa Pig on a tablet and scroll their own phone than engage with them about the journey. This is going to breed a generation of absolutely awfully behaved adults, unfortunately. If you're not even willing to engage with your kids when travelling because your own phone is your priority, perhaps don't become a parent? Once you do, your kids are your everything.

The problem is it isn’t just kids that do it. Theres just as many adults who go round playing stuff out loud on their devices.

It’s so rare nowadays to see anyone actually looking out of the windows on trains, which is quite sad really.

 

[sabanda]

Had a mother and her son (14 ish) come into first class on a Waterloo-Weymouth train recently. After their tickets were checked, he proceeded to pull out a Bluetooth speaker and start blasting out a playlist which must have been deliberately put together to include the most obnoxious music ever composed. The mother tried in vain to get him to stop, pointing out that people were trying to work - his reply was that "they should move to the quiet carriage then". Luckily the guard had more success.

 

[Tetragon213]

Playing music loud on a bus is a very regular occurrence on a Birmingham bus. There are 2 going as i type this.

I can concur. It's especially grating when I'm trying to catch up on a bit of sleep en-route, and can hear that crap through my headphones.

Though on my route, the sound du jour is AI-slop videos stealing from AI-slop reddit non-stories.

 

[Hyebone]

Well, Classic is actually quite a good thing for calming down situations - many McDonald's restaurants use this in the evenings to reduce anti social behaviour. Maybe the buses should pipe this over the speakers?

Nothing like a bit of Mozart to calm me down in Rotherham Interchange... Does nowt!

I'd suggest sitting next to them and playing some Aqua or Vengaboys

Now that I can get behind. I'll add the likes of Steps and Girls Aloud for a laugh.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Nothing like a bit of Mozart to calm me down in Rotherham Interchange... Does nowt!

My local one in Leicester has had it for a number of years but looks like more have also done it recently with a recent article from the BBC. I did note whilst Googling that it's also common place in McDonalds all over the world too.

Classical music helps cut Chesterfield McDonald's trouble

Police say playing the likes of Mozart and Bach had a role in helping cut calls to the control room.

www.bbc.co.uk

But apparently other companies have done similar, so it must have some effect!

London Underground (Transport for London): 2003–2007 test run playing classical music in select tube stations, officials reported significant drops: robberies fell by 33%, vandalism dropped by 37%, and verbal assaults on staff decreased by 25%.

Northern Rail: The rail operator reported that piping classical music (inspired by Handel, Beethoven, and Mozart) across 48 locations in Northern England led to a decrease in large groups loitering and improved customer safety perceptions.

 

[Hyebone]

I did note whilst Googling that it's also common place in McDonalds all over the world too.

Shoutout to my local! Antisocial behaviour is awful in the town centre. Me and my fellow nerds play Pokemon GO in town on a weekday evening, we see it all.

All I can say is at least the Surron riders aren't getting on buses!

 

[Jimini]

But apparently other companies have done similar, so it must have some effect!

London Underground (Transport for London): 2003–2007 test run playing classical music in select tube stations, officials reported significant drops: robberies fell by 33%, vandalism dropped by 37%, and verbal assaults on staff decreased by 25%.

Pretty sure it was first trialled at West Croydon bus station back in the early 2000s. Remember noticing the difference on my old daily commute through that neck of the woods! 2002 maybe?

 

[Cdd89]

I've had it suggested that one way to get them to pack it in is to sit next to them and put Classic FM on full volume, then agree to turn yours off if they turn theirs off. I'm too well behaved for that though

When I used to drive, I used to blast Radio 3 when stopped next to people blasting rap/drum n bass/techno music with the windows down.

It was often foiled by the fact that Radio 3 spends most of its time broadcasting silence.

 

[BuhSnarf]

When I used to drive, I used to blast Radio 3 when stopped next to people blasting rap/drum n bass/techno music with the windows down.

It was often foiled by the fact that Radio 3 spends most of its time broadcasting silence.

Woah, let's not sully techno along with drum and bass and rap.

 

[John Luxton]

Drivers these days are probably much more careful - but in the old days were probably much more proactive.

I distinctly remember an incident in summer 1978.

I had taken the now long defunct Jennings coach service from Bude to Okehampton. This was a coach which ran just ahead of the Bude to Exeter service as it turned around at Okehampton and ran back as a school service.

After my mother and I boarded at Bude a scruffy young chap came on board and bought a ticket to Halwill Junction.

By the time we were near Halwil there was just my mother and I plus the young chap on the vehicle.

He started sounding as though he was about to be sick and then was. T

he Jennings service being the old rail replacement used to turn of the main road and go into the the forecourt of the disused station as that was the official stop. When we pulled up the youth was again being sick. The driver who must have been late 50s early 60s got out of his seat, grabbed him dragged him down the aisle and then literally booted him off the top step and told him leaving him sprawling on the ground until he got himself together and staggered off.

The driver then apologised to my mother and told us he suspected the miscreant had been "on something" and he wasn't having it on his coach.

He then fetched a mop and bucket from out of the luggage compartment, went to a local shop and to fill it and came back and cleaned the mess before we carried it.

It was one of those jaw dropping moments my mother and I couldn't believe what we had just seen - but we were impressed and thought that is the way to deal with problems,

Now I dare say today any driver doing this would have been arrested and charged with assault.

But perhaps it is a reflection of how standards overall in society have slipped in the past 50 years?

Was what the driver did any worse than when PCs gave errant youth a clip around the ears?

 

[Deerfold]

Drivers these days are probably much more careful - but in the old days were probably much more proactive.

I distinctly remember an incident in summer 1978.

I had taken the now long defunct Jennings coach service from Bude to Okehampton. This was a coach which ran just ahead of the Bude to Exeter service as it turned around at Okehampton and ran back as a school service.

After my mother and I boarded at Bude a scruffy young chap came on board and bought a ticket to Halwill Junction.

By the time we were near Halwil there was just my mother and I plus the young chap on the vehicle.

He started sounding as though he was about to be sick and then was. T

he Jennings service being the old rail replacement used to turn of the main road and go into the the forecourt of the disused station as that was the official stop. When we pulled up the youth was again being sick. The driver who must have been late 50s early 60s got out of his seat, grabbed him dragged him down the aisle and then literally booted him off the top step and told him leaving him sprawling on the ground until he got himself together and staggered off.

The driver then apologised to my mother and told us he suspected the miscreant had been "on something" and he wasn't having it on his coach.

He then fetched a mop and bucket from out of the luggage compartment, went to a local shop and to fill it and came back and cleaned the mess before we carried it.

It was one of those jaw dropping moments my mother and I couldn't believe what we had just seen - but we were impressed and thought that is the way to deal with problems,

Now I dare say today any driver doing this would have been arrested and charged with assault.

But perhaps it is a reflection of how standards overall in society have slipped in the past 50 years?

Was what the driver did any worse than when PCs gave errant youth a clip around the ears?

Of course, how this story sounds may change if the bus driver was wrong and the person being sick had actually got a serious illness.

 

[BuhSnarf]

But perhaps it is a reflection of how standards overall in society have slipped in the past 50 years?

Was what the driver did any worse than when PCs gave errant youth a clip around the ears?

I'm not sure that it's a slip in standards that means someone can physically chuck someone from the bus. Say the guy was actually unwell or even just travel sick?

The driver suspected he was on drugs and maybe he as right, but there's plenty of other less illegal things that can make someone appear to have the same symptoms.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not sure that it's a slip in standards that means someone can physically chuck someone from the bus. Say the guy was actually unwell or even just travel sick?

The driver suspected he was on drugs and maybe he as right, but there's plenty of other less illegal things that can make someone appear to have the same symptoms.

Perhaps he knew the guy and knew he was on drugs.

This sort of thing still occurs to this day to some extent. Merseyrail have form for refusing people travel at the Liverpool city centre stations due to "being drunk" when they in fact have a coordination disability and are stone cold sober.

 

[John Luxton]

Perhaps he knew the guy and knew he was on drugs.

This sort of thing still occurs to this day to some extent. Merseyrail have form for refusing people travel at the Liverpool city centre stations due to "being drunk" when they in fact have a coordination disability and are stone cold sober.

I think this more likely the case on rural routes with infrequent services drivers probably get to know their passengers. I recall there was a certain aroma around the culprit.

Yes there have been a number of instances reported in the local press where the security staff have intercepted disabled people. What I don't understand is why they don't carry the same kit as the police do - breathalizers and drug wipes that would avoid any misunderstandings on Merseyrail.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes there have been a number of instances reported in the local press where the security staff have intercepted disabled people. What I don't understand is why they don't carry the same kit as the police do - breathalizers and drug wipes that would avoid any misunderstandings on Merseyrail.

Because unlike police they have neither the legal basis nor the training to be testing people for drugs and alcohol. They just need to be a bit less incompetent, though given that some of them work for Carlisle Security that is a bit of a stretch.

Alcohol is usually pretty obvious - people who are heavily drunk smell of it.

 

[John Luxton]

Because unlike police they have neither the legal basis nor the training to be testing people for drugs and alcohol. They just need to be a bit less incompetent, though given that some of them work for Carlisle Security that is a bit of a stretch.

Alcohol is usually pretty obvious - people who are heavily drunk smell of it.

But is seems a fairly simple means of testing particularly for drink as breath test machines are freely available. They would not have to be accurate to the same level as a roadside test as one is only trying to prove if the person is drunk or not and whether they should be allowed to travel.

 

[alex397]

It’s so rare nowadays to see anyone actually looking out of the windows on trains, which is quite sad really.

I agree it is sad that more people don’t have an interest in their surroundings. Though a lot of footage I’ve seen from the interior of trains pre-smartphone have most passengers with their head stuck in a newspaper.
The saddest moment was being on the Sarajevo-Mostar train and a couple of Australian students in front of me pulled down the blind so they could have a nap. My seat behind shared the window, so I pushed it back up again. It’s not as if it’s one of Europe’s most scenic train journeys or anything..

The mother tried in vain to get him to stop, pointing out that people were trying to work - his reply was that "they should move to the quiet carriage then". Luckily the guard had more success.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a quiet carriage in the UK that is quiet. I have in Germany though.

 

[BuhSnarf]

But is seems a fairly simple means of testing particularly for drink as breath test machines are freely available. They would not have to be accurate to the same level as a roadside test as one is only trying to prove if the person is drunk or not and whether they should be allowed to travel.

But they do not have the legal powers to compel someone to take the test, so it's a bit of a moot point?

 

[John Luxton]

But they do not have the legal powers to compel someone to take the test, so it's a bit of a moot point?

The compulsion would be - do you want to use the train or in this case bus? Agree to the test and it is negative then yes you can and it would avoid those with medical coordination problems from being wrongly discriminated against by security who might presume they are drunk.