Drivers to quote Gandhi on Tube

[jon0844]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8117567.stm

The words of Gandhi, Einstein, Jean Paul Satre and other great thinkers are to be quoted in service announcements on London's Underground.

Transport for London has commissioned Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller to compile a list of bon mots to be used by Tube drivers.

Among the quotes on offer will be Gandhi's, "there is more to life than increasing at speed".

Deller hopes they will make commuters' journeys a bit more thought provoking.

Cezanne's, "we live in a rainbow of chaos" and Jean-Paul Satre's, "hell is other people" will also be recited by Tube drivers.

Deller's original plan was to abolish all public address announcements for a day.

"It does my head in," he told BBC News. "It's like some psychological warfare on the customer."

But his idea was vetoed by managers, who instead agreed to the plan of replacing some announcements with something more human and engaging.

Sally Shaw, who is running the scheme for Transport for London, says it is part of a wider attempt to improve day-to-day interactions and rely less on automated announcements.

To think that some drivers who have been joking and making their own custom announcements have previously run the risk of being disciplined!!

 

[asylumxl]

Majority of Tube users can and will be listening to their own music.

Waste of time and money.

 

[jon0844]

If they're not, I expect iPod sales to rise very quickly!!

 

[Aussie_Rail]

If they're not, I expect iPod sales to rise very quickly!!

Perhaps its a marketing ploy by the ipod companies? I cant imagine your average blokey train driver quoting Ghandi or other like people, nor would they be too keen on it either.

Perhaps the same idea could be imposed on airlines?

 

[boing_uk]

I mush prefer it when the traincrew or station staff make their own comments;

The ones I have heard on LU have mostly been along the lines of "let people off first" or the best one "would you in the brown trenchcoat PLEASE move your briefcase out the way of the doors because you are making the rest of us late getting home".

There was a ticket inspector on Northern who was a scream with all sorts of comments

"let me see your passports, tickets or anything that looks like one"
"unfortunately we are now arriving at blackpool; please make sure you take all your children and family members with you"
"and i do hope you have had a lovely warm and fluffy journey with northern today"

They often had people laughing at any rate and I think its unfair that there may be a risk of disciplinary action against them.

Theres a certain station I know of where the guy in the office is often saying things to the local yobbos on the station, much to the great amusement of waiting passengers.

"oi. no smoking on the station... yes you.... numpty".
"theres a police station next door you know, so no riding on the station"... the kid was obviously giving abuse through to the cctv cameras so a few more words were spoken by the PA... followed shortly by "whup! he's fell off. nobhead". Suppose you had to hear the full exchange to appreciate the hilarity of the situation.

All the pax on the station and there must've been a good 30-40 of us all on the platform were killing ourselves. One woman had tears in her eyes. Its the highlight of the journey home and I hope the TOC dont take any action against the guy.

 

[David Ath]

it just some thing at least two drivers on the pic want to do, its not for me its liked by some, I think the driver are mainly givening them self more/something to keep them on the ball

 

[SouthEastern-465]

This will make no diffrence to the tube and just make it more irritating than it already is.

Imagine you have to get home for an emergency and your train is delayed and you here some groany voice say "There is more to life than increasing speed" that would make you more annoyed and it will sound very sarcastic.

 

[43021HST]

Its getting rediculous, next they will be getting you to meditate on the trains!

 

[JustinStacey.x]

This is what the modern day world is slowly becoming like; monotonized, strict, far too disciplined and boring.