Subways are one of the few places where you never quite know what the next stop will bring. One moment, you’re looking for a seat, the next, you are looking at someone dressed as Optimus Prime.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the weirdest scenes captured on subways and in subway stations. The kind of moments that remind you why commuting is never completely predictable.
Even if you’re running late, there’s no doubt these characters would make you do a double take if you saw them in person.
#1 Normal Morning Until I Took The Subway
Image source: reddit.com
#2 A Coffin In The Subway
Image source: jedavu_
#3 Another Normal Day On The Subway
Image source: skier
There’s just something about public transportation that makes weird encounters way funnier than in other public spaces.
Maybe it’s because the subway cars are packed and moving, so everything is amplified. For example, a person eating a full meal, or someone dressed in a superhero costume can feel like a full-on performance that you get to enjoy for free.
You also have no option but to be stuck with these weird encounters for several stops — you can’t just glance and move on like in a park or on a street.
The subway also brings together all kinds of people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
Because they’re mostly anonymous, people don’t feel like they have to follow the usual social rules, which can lead to all sorts of unexpected behavior.
#4 Hanging Around In The Subway
Image source: horsthorsthorst
#5 Seen On The Subway
Image source: Thehunted870
#6 Christmas Cheer From The Subway
Image source: JackNotName
Artists also treat subways as their own personal stage. You can see buskers and performers of all kinds using train cars and platforms like built‑in audiences — no booking needed, no tickets to sell, just a lot of people in one place.
That’s because subways give instant exposure and a moment of shared attention in a crowd that usually keeps its head down.
#7 Why Does He Need A Ride When He Can Gallop Faster Than Subway
Image source: heimela
#8 Line 1 In Seoul. Nothing To See Here
Image source: sptjasd
#9 This Guy On The Subway Has Life Figured Out
Image source: relaxok
Sometimes, researchers also use subway environments for social experiments.
One of the most famous is The Great Subway Station Violin Experiment of 2007. World‑class violinist Joshua Bell went busking inside a Washington, DC metro during the morning rush hour, and played Bach on a $3.5 million instrument.
But only a handful of commuters slowed down to listen, which proved that context shapes what we notice and value.
It also shows that subways are fast-paced places — people usually just focus on getting where they’re going, barely noticing anything else, because there’s always so much happening around them.
#10 Only In A NYC Subway… Priceless Reaction
Image source: foodsherpa
There are also moments that go beyond performance and into the truly surreal — like someone calmly chopping onions on a wooden cutting board while the train lurches forward.
The act was intended to test social boundaries and engage with the public in unexpected ways.
That specific image, originally filmed as a performance art piece, has become a viral meme illustrating how strange subway life is.
#11 Just Another Day On The Subway
Image source: szekeres81
#12 Sure, You Might Think You’re Goth, But Unless You Dejectedly Ride The Subway With Your Raven
You may as well hang up your black velvet frock coat and hit the beach.
Image source: GallowBoob
#13 Typical NYC Subway Ride
Image source: Crazycole2001
In a more creative behavioral experiment on the Milan Metro, a man dressed as Batman actually made people on the subway act nicer.
Researchers wanted to see what would happen if they threw a little chaos into the usual morning commute.
They had someone dress up as the caped crusader and ride the metro, while a woman pretending to be pregnant stood nearby. At least 67% of passengers offered her a seat when Batman was around, compared to only 38% when he wasn’t.
The study called this the “Batman effect”: small, unexpected events can make people act more thoughtfully and notice others, even if they don’t consciously register what triggered it.
#14 Thanks For Riding The DC Metro
Image source: KALLAIHUB
#15 Corona Has Nothing On This Man, Tbilisi Metro
Image source: Uketesia
#16 A Friend Of Mine Took The Metro For The First Time And Saw This. She Is Currently Looking For A Car
Image source: OMGFIREsale
The subway is also being treated as the new runway by some people.
Recently, during New York Fashion Week, many fashionistas from around the world had to slum it on the underground trains to get from show to show.
Wearing fancy and over-the-top designs, many were surprisingly not fearful of mixing grit in with their glam.
“It’s much faster and really convenient. There’s so much traffic in New York, and to commute somewhere by Uber, it’s going to take forever,” fashion content creator Kristina Dem says.
And for most New Yorkers, heading underground in couture is nothing new.
“I love taking the subway and showing off my pieces. It’s kinda like Comic-Con for me,” says PR consultant Nick Portello.
#17 Another Reason Not To Ride The Subway
Image source: appel
#18 2026, And We’re Off
Image source: subwaycreatures
#19 Korean People Call Him As Supreme Space Commander
Image source: decrobyron
It’s not just professional fashionistas, but plenty of influencers are taking over subways around the world.
On TikTok, searching ‘subway fit’ brings up hundreds of thousands of posts, with people showing off their outfits while waiting for or riding the train.
In London, ‘Tube Girl,’ whose real name is Sabrina Bahsoon, went viral for filming herself on the train with close-ups and fast, dizzying camera angles. She has over 800,000 followers on TikTok.
Tina Zhang, a New York-based creator, posts videos of her everyday outfits on TikTok as well. She says the subway videos are resonating with people because people feel empowered by it.
“I think that the ones that are specific to New York are very interesting because you can kind of see how the way that people live their lives and the way that they dress is very much catered towards the city they live in. I think that’s why the subway is like such an interesting breeding ground,” says Zhang.
#20 So Today I Was Heading Into Times Square And Saw This In The Subway
Image source: ramza789
#21 The Things You See On The NYC Subway
Image source: whatev3691
#22 This Guy In My Subway Sat In His Boat And Played Any Song You Wanted
Image source: loulou13
Thankfully, impromptu performances or people dressed in weird outfits don’t seem to bother people as much on the subways.
What bothers them more is hearing someone talk loudly, seeing someone eat a full meal on board, clipping fingernails or even cleaning their teeth mid‑ride.
According to a survey, about 50% of people said listening to somebody talk on their cellphone is the most annoying behavior on public transportation, followed by people who won’t give up their seats for handicapped or senior citizen passengers.
Many commuters said erratic or odd behaviour is a reason they’d ride less often.
#23 Subway Dogs Are The Best
Image source: kevinowdziej
#24 I’d Look Ridiculous, But This Subway Bathrobe Guy Is Fly
Image source: BertJPDXBKLN
Part of the fascination with weird subway encounters is also how they break the pattern of the everyday.
People expect subways to be boring and when someone carries a coffin through a station or plays Squid Game in the middle of the platform, it’s surreal compared to the usual rhythm of the commute.
#25 Houston, We Have A Problem
Image source: subwaycreatures
#26 Todd Of 47-50 Rockefeller Center Smoking In Privacy
Image source: Consistent-Pen-757
#27 NYC Subway Bedroom Set
Image source: Sea-Character9528
#28 Squid Game In Progress At Subway In Thailand
Image source: greenyellowreddit
#29 Oldin, Ancient God Of The Subway
Image source: reddit.com
#30 Strangely… No One Would Sit By This Poor Man (NYC Subway)
Image source: spartangreen88
#31 Friend Saw This Dude On The Subway In NY
Image source: Shawnee0x
#32 Optimus Prime On NYC Subway
Image source: MOBLIYOSHI
#33 Just Waiting For The Metro
Image source: kcmobrewer
#34 Ice Cream
Image source: TA_TO
#35 Welp. Welcome To NYC
Image source: reddit.com
#36 Never A Dull Moment On The TTC
Image source: speedpowerxx
#37 What Even Is That
Image source: profetional-memer
#38 So The Crusades Began On Line 1
Image source: timeguard81
#39 Subway
Image source: subwaycreatures
#40 Subway
Image source: subwaycreatures
#41 The One Time That I Tried The Japanese Subway
Image source: strawhatmenace
#42 Anime NYC 2025
Image source: subwaycreatures
#43 Why Do People Do This On The Subway?
Image source: Blastpower091
#44 The Schizophrenic Ramblings At 34th St Are Always Comforting To Me
Image source: subwaycreatures
#45 That’s One Mad Hatter (Prague)
Image source: Piggie42
#46 Subway
Image source: reddit.com
#47 The Things You See On The NYC Subway System
Image source: pimpboss
#48 This Man I Spotted In The Paris Metro Wielding A Pickaxe
Image source: Gjab
#49 Meanwhile On The Mexico City Subway
Image source: Ayayoska
#50 When You Work But Need To Take The Tube Home
Image source: KPABA
#51 My Friend Saw The Original Hipster On The Tube This Morning
Image source: legarth
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