In public transit, you get on, keep to yourself, and eventually arrive where you’re going. However, between passengers blasting videos without headphones, taking up entire rows, and treating the aisle like their personal living room, some commutes can turn into an unexpected test of patience.
These exact situations, along with plenty of other irritating and downright baffling encounters, were recently shared by people who had just wanted to get from one place to another in peace. Their stories prove that sometimes the hardest part of a daily commute isn’t the traffic or delays, but the fellow passengers along the way.
#1 Get These Shrimp, Off This Train!
Image source: kidd_fisto
#2 Someone Blocking The Aisle So They Can Have Their Own Section
Image source: cat37man
#3 Dude Takes His Massive Mastiff On The Bus And Fails To Control The Dog. Dog Is Barking Every 10 Seconds. Bonus Points For The Dudes Butt Hanging Out
Image source: ends1995
Public transit can be stressful for reasons that go well beyond simply having to get from one place to another. Very Big Brain explains that crowded vehicles can combine several everyday stressors at once, including limited personal space, unpredictable delays, constant noise, strong smells, uncomfortable temperatures, and the need to remain aware of the people around you.
In a packed bus or train, passengers may have to continuously adjust their bodies, watch where others are moving, and avoid bumping into strangers. When all of this happens during a commute that is already tiring or time-consuming, even relatively minor disruptions from another passenger can become much harder to tolerate.
#4 Shaving On The Subway
Image source: DrFetusRN
#5 Having A Nice And Calm Train Trip
Image source: AlphaNowis
#6 Full Train And People Asking Him To Move But He Was Too *tired* To Give Them The Seats
Image source: NichtScar
The environment can also create a constant demand for attention. A commuter may be trying to relax or simply get through the journey while simultaneously processing conversations, music, phone notifications, movement, and the actions of dozens of strangers. Longer commutes can add another layer of frustration because they take time away from rest and leisure.
This helps explain why behaviors such as blocking an aisle, occupying several seats, playing something loudly, or creating an unpleasant smell can feel particularly aggravating: they add another source of stimulation to an environment where passengers may already have very little room or quiet time.
#7 Family Couldn’t Find A Funeral Car, So They Took The Coffin On A Public Bus Instead. A Truly Unique Final Ride. Cuba 2025
Image source: OrdinaryBrilliant717
#8 On My Morning Commute To Work
Image source: Tottmeist3r
#9 Why Are Loud Video/Speaker Phone Calls Now A Spectator Sport In Public?
Image source: BenPool81
That sense of frustration can become stronger when passengers feel they have no control over what is happening. Psychreg discusses how unpredictability can make an otherwise ordinary inconvenience more stressful. A delay, route change, or uncertain waiting time is harder to deal with when there is no clear indication of when the problem will end.
The same can apply to an irritating passenger. If someone is making noise, blocking a doorway, or behaving inconsiderately, there may be no easy way for the people around them to change the situation. They cannot simply leave the vehicle, control the route, or guarantee that the behavior will stop.
#10 People Who Sit Like This On A Crowded Train
Image source: DesertVol
#11 Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn
Just saw this creep on the R train by Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn taking pictures of every woman that sat across from him. I think he was sending the pics to people overseas cuz he would open another app right after he took the pic. Saw him do it like 3-4x. Told him to stop taking pics of people as I got off the train.
Image source: Merrickbully718
#12 Group Of Kids Spent The Train Ride Blasting Music Then Left All Of This
Image source: ToxxicGlitter
Uncertainty can also make a relatively short inconvenience seem longer. Knowing that a bus will arrive in five minutes gives passengers a clear endpoint, whereas waiting without information can encourage repeated checking of the time and worrying about how much longer the situation will continue.
The frustration can therefore extend beyond the original inconvenience. Someone who has already spent a long time waiting for a delayed train may have considerably less patience left when another passenger takes up extra space or refuses to move away from the doors. What looks like a tiny annoyance on its own can become the final addition to an already frustrating commute.
#13 The Lady Next To Me Leans Her Bag On Me After I Ask Her To Move It To Take The Last Available Seat
Image source: NunchuckVagina
#14 People Who Put Their Feet Up On Seats In Public Transport
Image source: sandypandy311
#15 Met My First Male Karen. Complained About Us Talking, But Was On Conference Meetings At 4:55am On The Train
Image source: Affectionate_Olive53
This is where Psychopeak’s explanation of public transit etiquette becomes particularly relevant. Most of the rules that make shared transportation work are not complicated laws; they are largely unwritten expectations about giving other passengers enough space and allowing everyone to move around easily.
Letting people exit before boarding, keeping bags off neighboring seats, moving away from doors, using headphones, and keeping noise at a reasonable level all help prevent one person’s behavior from creating unnecessary problems for everyone else. Even small acts of consideration can make a crowded vehicle considerably easier for strangers to share.
#16 Idiots Like This As The Train Is Pulling Into The Station
Image source: kryptonitejam
#17 Sat Near Two Women Who Let Their Toddler Throw Food Around In Public Transport
Image source: tomic24
#18 On A Train From Leicester To Birmingham And Someone Has Just Opened A Tupperware Full Of Prawns Before 10am
Image source: jptoc
Those expectations also involve fairness. A passenger who spreads their belongings across several seats or blocks an aisle is using shared space in a way that can restrict everyone around them. Similarly, offering a seat to someone who may need it more or keeping priority seating available reflects the idea that public transportation is a shared environment rather than a private one.
These conventions matter precisely because buses and trains bring together people who do not know one another and may have very different needs. Without some basic cooperation, ordinary movement through a crowded vehicle would become much more difficult.
#19 Lady On The Bus Spilled Spicy Mayo Everywhere. Only I Received The Brunt Of It
Image source: Merlin_Art
#20 Someone Forgot Their Switch At The Train Station News Stand
Image source: chupathingy99
#21 You Arrive 10 Mins Early For Your Train, The Train Gets Cancelled, The Next Train Is 25 Mins Away, And It Arrives 15 Mins Late, And When The Doors Open You See This
Image source: [deleted]
At the same time, not every inconsiderate passenger necessarily realizes how their behavior is being experienced by everyone else. Ahead points to the gap between a person’s intentions and the effect their actions have on other people. Someone absorbed in their phone may not notice how loud their video is, while a passenger concentrating on a conversation may not realize that they are speaking over everyone else.
Crowded environments can also encourage people to focus on whatever they are doing rather than constantly checking whether they are following every social expectation around them. Since interactions with fellow passengers are usually brief and anonymous, there may also be little immediate feedback telling someone that their behavior is bothering others.
#22 She Tried To Hold The Doors With Her Dinner In Her Hands. She Missed The Train, But Her Dinner Didn’t
Image source: old_gold_mountain
#23 Watching AI Videos On Full Blast On The Bus
Image source: TevisLA
#24 The Way These People Sleep In Bus, Gives A Goddamn Heart Attack
Image source: godfather_wanderlust
People do not necessarily learn the same rules of public behavior. Expectations about acceptable noise, personal space, phone use, food, or where to stand can differ between cities and cultures, and people also pick up habits from the communities around them. Someone who regularly sees other passengers watching videos without headphones may eventually regard it as perfectly ordinary, while another commuter may consider it extremely rude.
That does not make every behavior equally considerate, but it helps explain why some people can appear completely unaware that they are disrupting those around them. On a crowded commute, where stress, limited space, and low control are already working against passengers’ patience, those differences in everyday etiquette can turn an ordinary journey into a particularly irritating one.
#25 Wholesome Creatures
Image source: nyak_nyak_
#26 Just A Regular Day On The Subway
Image source: raccooneater47
#27 Always One
Image source: sperlunkmewidth
Public transit may be one of the easiest ways to get around, but sharing a bus, train, or subway with dozens of strangers can come with its own set of challenges. Most passengers are simply trying to get where they need to go, yet a few questionable choices can turn an ordinary commute into a memorable one.
And while some commuter annoyances are easy to laugh about afterward, everyone seems to have one behavior that instantly gets on their nerves. The good news is that the ride eventually ends, even if it sometimes feels much longer than it should.
What’s the most annoying thing another passenger has ever done during your commute? Share your stories in the comments!
#28 Subway Spiderman
Image source: leilliz
#29 Someone Put Bubble Gum In The Phone Charger
Image source: DumbusMaxim0
#30 Seats Taken By Bikes On Crowded Train
Image source: LittlePotatoRhymes
#31 Passenger Lying Across Multiple Seats And A Bike Blocking Space On Public Transport, Illustrating Infuriating Passenger Behavior
Image source: mildlyinfuriating
#32 A Kingly Slumber
Image source: Several_Bank5722
#33 On A Bus In Westminster, London Yesterday. Smells As Good As It Looks
Image source: HotTurnip199
#34 This Seemed Trashy
Image source: schokac
#35 On The Subway This Morning
Image source: ronnyronronron
#36 Some Bastard 14 Year Old Did This On Our School Trip Bus And I Had To Be The One Cleaning It Up (Since I Was The Last One Going Out Of The Bus), Since He Just Ran Off
Image source: Pikachu_Gawd
#37 Somewhere In Chicago
Image source: Lepke2011
#38 Someone Left A Dirty Diaper On The Bus Bench
Image source: bubisthebestdog
#39 Just Got On A Train And Found An Abandoned Pot Noodle
Image source: ChloeHammer
#40 People Who Leave A Train Like This:
Image source: HMSBannard
#41 Woman Puts Dog On Subway Seat. How Can You Be This Self-Absorbed To Not Think Of Anyone Else?
Image source: christianlv
#42 This Guy On A Overnight Bus With Max Brightness And No Headphones
Image source: str8uprippin
#43 My Boyfriend Has Just Started A Long Train Journey
Image source: HerrBreskes
#44 This Pistachio Eating Jerk
Image source: MemeHermetic
#45 Just Sat On The Floor Of A Train For 5 Hours
Image source: Tunisandwich
#46 Trying To Sleep On An Overnight Bus, Dude In Front Of Me Has His Phone On Full Brightness. Dimmed Phone To The Left For Scale
Image source: tpham1206
#47 Don’t You Hate It When You Need To Tap Your Train Ticket But Someone Put A Roasted Chicken On The Scanner?
Image source: bluewavesoverfuj
#48 Teenager Sat Opposite Me On The Train. Here’s How He Left His Seat
Image source: Important-Ad4171
#49 Whole Bus Is Empty And This Person Sits Right Next To Me?
Image source: IbukiWasTaken
#50 Bus Doesn’t Have Enough Leg Room, And I’m 5ft (154cm)
Image source: Strict_Bowl5762
#51 This Is My “Window Seat” On My 2 And A Half Hour Train Journey
Image source: justaboredgamer
#52 This Dude And His Girlfriend Blasting Tiktoks At Full Blast On A 3 Hour Train Ride
Image source: cbn11
#53 Got Fined £75 For Accidentally Getting On The Wrong Train
Image source: [deleted]
#54 Dropped One Of My Wireless Earbuds On The Train Tracks All Of 10 Minutes Into The 3 Hour Trip
Image source: lostinthesauceband
#55 Don’t Be That Tourist In Japan
Image source: MrMittens666
#56 A Great Seat Partner
#57 Songs For This Picture?
Image source: RunecasterlithPa
#58 Meanwhile In New York
Image source: sifarat
#59 Heads Up
#60 Who Says You Can’t Sleep Comfortably On The Subway?
Image source: und3feated
#61 That’s A Really Bad Hangover
Image source: [deleted]
#62 Not Actually Seen On Muni, But Made Me Think. What’s The Nastiest Thing You’ve Seen On Sf Muni? (X-Post From /R/Wtf)
Image source: BoldSauce
#63 This Guy Decided To Setup His Own Hammock On A Train
Image source: echoch
#64 Saw This On The Bus Last Night
Image source: TheCountryJournal
#65 Wheels Of Fortune
#66 Subway: Eat Fresh
#67 Typical Millennial – Always On Their Phone
#68 Does The Mattress Pay A Fare Too?
#69 Woman On Bus Eating Tub Of Mayonnaise
Image source: mahpton
#70 Butterface
Image source: andromoda
#71 Dude Decided To Abandon His Dinner On The Bus Seat Next To Me… Why??
Image source: tamalmilk
#72 Does This Count?
Image source: Commie000
#73 I’m Feeling Lucky 🍀
Image source: ibsanv
#74 An Odd Bird
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