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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Londoners on the tube are not...

114 replies

blaeberry · 21/10/2015 23:41

Living up to their stereotype. We are visiting London with our three primary aged kids travelling round by tube. Every tube train we have been on so far (over a dozen) we have had people offering us their seats, saying 'hello', helping us with directions, standing back to let my kids sit down. It might be obvious we are visitors but other than that there is nothing special about us. I thought Londoners on the tube were meant to be a grumpy lot but turns out they are nearly all very friendly.

OP posts:

EmpressKnowsWhereHerTowelIs · 22/10/2015 08:40

I'd assume someone wasn't a Londoner if they didn't know the rules.

It definitely works both ways. I went to Brighton recently, cash fares, only one door at the front of the bus - had to consciously think about what to do instead of being on autopilot.

welshHairs · 22/10/2015 08:46

Aww this thread is making me well up. I was born and spent most of my life in London despite the name.

Don't live there now but have been back a few times with dd, and I must say despite my utter fear at getting on a tube with her in rush hour, it wasn't so bad. I tried to avoid it but twice I've not been able to. Both times I had help lifting the buggy up and down stairs and help me on and off trains.

Back in my commuter days, I came close to fainting a few times and actually did once and again people were lovely. And this was in rush hour too.

I'm welling up now. I won't spoil it by bringing up the time a man kicked the back of my feet during rush hour as I'd apparently pushed in front of him at some point; nor the woman who physically pushed me out of the way in a race to a seat when I had a 'baby on board' badge on that she had definitely seen.

maybebabybee · 22/10/2015 08:50

Agree that we Londoners are only grumps if you're being irritating or rude and TBH I make no apologies for it either - we're teaching you

welshHairs · 22/10/2015 08:54

I never understand people who stand on the wrong side of the escalator, in rush hour particularly. How can they not be aware of everyone else using it correctly and the people behind them loudly tutting and sighing?!

lorelei9 · 22/10/2015 09:00

I'm a Londoner and I'm mystified by the stereotype, I think we're a delightful friendly bunch and sometimes there's too much banter on the tube or bus!!

maybebabybee · 22/10/2015 09:03

I know! I always think their thought process must go something like 'Hmmmm. Literally every other person is standing on this side. I know what - I'll stand on the other side!'

Cue The Rage.

EmpressKnowsWhereHerTowelIs · 22/10/2015 09:10

No tutting or sighing here, Welsh, if I'm directly behind them I just ask them to either move or walk.

There was one annoying occasion when a mum with a buggy was blocking most of the escalator - bit of a gap left but not enough for anyone to safely get through. That's sometimes unavoidable so ok. But her toddler was standing just behind her shouting "You can't come past us!" And that was bloody rude. I wanted to tell her to get him to shout "Sorry everybody!" instead but she looked like she had enough to deal with. though.

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 22/10/2015 09:12

I lived there for years and visit often and never find people to be as rude as folks claim.

Once just off the train at KingsX I spotted a really elderly couple with mahooooosive cases as big as they were, looking very daunted by the small flight of steps into the ticket concourse....I was just giving dh a nudge when a swarm of teen boys engulfed the couple and somehow just shimmied the oldies and their luggage up the stairs, amongst a big waft of "you look like my gran" "give us your hand" "watch your stick..." It was amazing!!

TriJo · 22/10/2015 09:21

We've never had a problem getting seats for my in-laws (in their early 70s) on public transport, people are generally quite considerate where older people are concerned. We wouldn't inflict a rush hour train on them though - it's bad enough when I have to do it!

The escalator thing becomes absolutely ingrained on your brain, I caught myself tutting at somebody in Dublin Airport before for standing on the left...

ppeatfruit · 22/10/2015 09:21

The problem with thanking bus drivers is with a lot of them you wonder what you're thanking them for. They drive like they're driving a racing car (as if we're all strapped in) without any thought for the passengers at all. Hard on the accelerator and then hard on the brakes its bloody dangerous. I wonder if they're trained to drive the public properly.

An old person fell over in a bus I was on and after trying to get her up the other passengers were shouting at the driver to stop or at least slow down it was awful. He didn't say or do anything.

MackerelOfFact · 22/10/2015 09:37

I totally agree that Londoners are only rude to you if you're being inconsiderate yourself. If you abide by the rules and just get on with it, everyone is nice as pie!

I concur that huge groups of European teenagers are the absolute worst tourists though. They move slowly in packs of 30-40, congregating in front of ticket barriers, blocking pavements, taking up entire traffic islands between crossings and not moving up to let others get out the way of oncoming traffic, not moving down carriages, taking up the entire top deck of the bus and taking 10 minutes to get on/off, etc etc. And they always seem utterly disinterested!

I'm always quietly amused when day-trippers decide to travel in or out of London on the Central Line during rush hour making comments about how busy it is. You CHOSE to travel when the commuters are travelling, what the hell did you expect?

TriJo · 22/10/2015 09:52

Groups of teenagers are the absolute worst everywhere - and it's not just the continental ones that are the problem, had the misfortune to get on a tube earlier this week which had 30 private school kids of around 13 on board and they were a bunch of little shits!

maybebabybee · 22/10/2015 10:00

Tri god yes....although the massive tour groups of European teenagers with backpacks are also pretty horrific...

maybebabybee · 22/10/2015 10:01

Oh whoops, posted the exact same thing as mackerel

ifyoulikepinacolada · 22/10/2015 10:12

My particular favourite is when tourists/often groups of people in the city for conferences etc get on the tube during rush hour and then talk, loudly, about how busy it is and how they can't believe people manage to do it every day and how much better things are where they're from. While the rest of the carriage is silent. That's rude and I reserve the right in those instances to tread on their feet and elbow their ribs.

Most Londoners are just caught in their own little bubbles on the commute - but as soon as we're snapped out of it we're happy to be helpful!

cojmum · 22/10/2015 10:38

I agree OP
I recently travelled on the tube with my three children for the first time. I was really anxious about it because of the things you read about how awful the tube is.
It was a lot better than I had expected. People were friendly, and the children got seats even though it was very busy.
I wouldn't dream of trying to travel during commuter time though, I am not that confident yet!

LisbethSalandersLaptop · 22/10/2015 10:42

yeh that whole thing about rude and grumpy Londoners was put about to discredit London by people who couldnt get on there. IMO.

LisbethSalandersLaptop · 22/10/2015 10:48

" I live in London and I thank the bus driver if we get the chance."
How is that even possible?
Besides even if he could see / hear you, he would probably think you had a mental health problem tbh.

WorraLiberty · 22/10/2015 10:49

I was thinking of this thread earlier when I was on the bus.

A lady got on with a side by side double buggy. It was a bit of a squeeze, but lots of people helped her.

She said "thanks" to everyone, and her toddler said, "Thanks. Corr, bloody bus aye?"

She looked mortified and immediately said, "Yes, it's a lovely bus isn't it".

To which the toddler loudly replied, "No. I said, BLOODY BUS!

ppeatfruit · 22/10/2015 11:05

I will say about the tube though that it's been brilliantly done up and cleaned etc. In the old days when i was a young commuter it was not anywhere near so good.

Go on the New York subway and the comparison is breathtaking; the filth was literally hanging off the beams in huge black lumps 3 years ago. It was worse than the tube has ever been. The trains were ok though

welshHairs · 22/10/2015 11:27

Haha Worra! Ahh I miss London!

Absentmindedwoman · 22/10/2015 12:53

I thank bus drivers when not too crowded, and I always travel keeping an eye out for older people or children or anyone struggling with a heavy case or a buggy.

Swings and roundabouts, because there have been several times I have been helped by kind strangers and I think it's good to keep the kindness circulating.

LisbethSalandersLaptop · 22/10/2015 12:56

" I thank bus drivers when not too crowded "

So, instead of leaving by the centre doors, you head for the front, attract the driver's attention, and shout thanks at him? then go back to the centre doors to leave the bus? Really?
I never heard of such nonsense in all my life!
Unless you are talking about those little suburban mini buses like the P5?

PantsOfGold · 22/10/2015 13:06

I loved living in London and really miss it. When I was pregnant I was always offered a seat without fail - and this was without a baby on board badge. Having buggies and kids was never a problem - people always helped and more likely than not had a chat while they were doing it.

The one place I remember not so fondly was Liverpool Street station and the surrounding square mile at rush hour. I lived in Aldgate for a short time and had to walk through this area every day. Full of rude, arrogant people who would push and shove to get by. We moved to Hackney after that and loved it.

Absentmindedwoman · 22/10/2015 13:18

Er no.

I shout it over my shoulder as I hop off.

And I don't give a fuck if they 'think I have a mental health problem'. I really don't.

Plenty of times I have been sprinting for the bus and they have waited for me, and one time I didn't have enough on my Oyster card (didn't realise before going to get the bus) and they let me on. Plenty of times too I have been travelling to a new part of London and not sure of what stop and asked them what's the best place to get off and the bus driver has helped me out.

So I will go on saying thank you as I see fit, and ignoring sour little shites who lack the imagination to realise it doesn't have to be a big fucking deal.

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