Mobile phones used on buses

[mustgetoffmn]

I’ve just lost it. I boarded a bus which was empty upstairs I had a lot of shopping and took the front seat it was a 50 minute journey. A woman got on and took the other free front seat took her phone out lodged it in between her ear and shoulder and settled into a chat. She was speaking continuously. I thought annoying but hopefully she would get off soon or end the call. She didn’t. After half an hour I decided to play some music without phones to drown her out . Passive aggressive but I was pretty wound up by then. She paused and asked me to turn the music off. I replied that her call was antisocial in a public place. It turned into a big row with a man behind calling me a Karen (of course) and telling me she had the right and I should have just moved. In the end I just moved downstairs. He was pretty nasty possibly drunk. Am I being unreasonable and should have just moved? I’m on public transport a lot and the antisocial behaviour is getting to me.

I use buses a lot as I don't drive. I can't say phone conversations bother me too much tbh. I don't consider it to be impolite. I'd say playing music or video out loud is impolite (and there are signs telling you not to do it) but it doesn't actually bother me too much either. It's just part of the bustle of being on public transport. I'm generally on my own and usually silent myself.

I played music for about 5 minutes out of frustration to make a point I obviously would never do this in fact the only time I have. She seemed to not have noticed that she had someone sitting next to her. Her reaction was that she could not understand why she couldn’t settle down into a long phone call next to a stranger and that what she was doing was antisocial. She said she had a right to do this on a bus. Oblivious.

I think a long boring bus journey is the perfect time to make a phone call and have a chat.

As I said, I would have moved, not played my music loud and not complained. It doesn’t mean I have to sit there & put up with it. No need to take it so personally that not everyone wants to be subjected to a loud telephone conversation.

You are just putting up with someone talking. That is a normal thing that happens in public.

You were an idiot Its a bus not a library

Yes, but if there is the option to move then you don’t have to.

YABVU

What's the difference between having a loud conversation and playing music at the same volume level? Absolutely none. Your subjecting everyone around you to your selfishness.

Shame it isn't

At work we go out of the office if our mobile rings. I know it's work but no one else wants to hear your phone conversation.

You can't leave a bus or train to take a call. And the workplace is different to public transport.

True but you can be considerate and make it brief or text

Perhaps it's a generation thing

Do you work in complete silence?

I played music for a matter of minutes to alert her to the nuisance.

My arse.

You were being childish and passive aggressive instead of using adult words, or moving.

Yep, and OP playing music made her become "that person" who is a PITA on buses.

Even one way so you get the hmmm etc?

I hate anyone playing music without headphones I would never do it. Why would I go to the trouble of typing out a Mumsnet post about someone spending their whole journey speaking one way into their phone if I was playing music alongside? What would be the point of posting a completely made up story? It was 5 minutes probably less just to get their attention. They literally told me off whilst still including the person they were talking to. They should have moved they were the one wanting to do something which could disturb those around them. I’m on public transport a lot and this happens a lot and I always move or put up with it. This was a breaking point for me.

Please read my post and my other responses before replying. It’s NOT the same as people having a chat. I didn’t post to invite irrelevant aggressive comments.

They're not silent carriages on trains, they're quiet carriages. There's usually at least one wanker ignoring that though.

Playing music, videos and clips, TV shows, games, etc without headphones in public spaces is inconsiderate and antisocial. As are video calls when you're capturing people walking past. So is walking along looking at your bloody phone (often watching things!) with no consideration for anyone around you - everyone else is expected to navigate around these idiots who are usually in the way when it's busy.

People generally are a lot less considerate of others than they used to be. There's a sense of entitlement from a lot of people to do whatever they ever like whenever they like. Just because they can.

Surely you must realise that OP that playing music is an entirely different sound to talking? We are supposed to talk to one another, music playing is anti-social. You can get people kicked out of homes for excessive music playing you can’t argue someone chats too much.

Such a weird concept to expect total silence in a bus.

YWBVU. Do toy always expect the world to revolve around you?

Public transport isn’t supposed to be peaceful at all it’s purpose is to get you from A to B.

Also you can’t lug heavy shopping to the top of a bus then play the “poor old lady struggling with shopping” card when it suits you

Terrible behaviour

Says the person who plays loud music on a bus.

Did you not think of others around you?

Also - open your gob. If you absolutely hate it use your words. As a 70yo woman you should know better than do passive aggressively deal with a situation

Why would I take the trouble to type out a whole made up story? Please read the post before giving a (very young? Immature) response. I travel a lot on public transport in a large city. I am forced to ignore this behaviour all the time but suddenly flipped. The person who wanted to have a private conversation in a public place should have sat at the back of the empty bus.

I agree with the PP I quite like listening to conversations. Even one way hmmm type ones. I could NEVER be so weird as to why wound up about this. I often think getting SO wound up about the small things in life is indicative of having had very few real problems

Please read my post I don’t ever play loud music in public.