To have a phone conversation on the bus?

[LauderSyme]

I travelled to work by bus today and thought I'd use the time to call my grandmother on my mobile. I work full time and am a single parent so finding the time to chat on the phone can be tricky. We talked for 20 mins or so, mainly about my dc. As I was getting off, an elderly couple confronted me quite nastily to tell me how rude I was and how disgusting it was of me to "force the whole top deck to listen to my conversation" and that I should "think twice before getting that thing out". I know other people's public conversations can be really annoying but I didn't raise my voice or swear or speak inappropriately. I think they were the rude ones! WIBU or were they?

bollocks

Why?

Was there an inflation in the price of manners that I missed?

Price? Inflation?
Talking in a public space isn't bad manners.

Okay I'll tell you.

I live central Brighton.
Come here and get on our buses then talk about annoyance and manners.

Just not in whitehawk you'd likely need a and e

Thank you very much for your spirited defence Shark

Come here and get on our buses then talk about annoyance and manners.

I think you missed the point, Shark, I don't really talk on busses.

Nice try.

I said ... get on a busy Brighton bus. Then wonder about manners.

All buses here day or night are loud and busy.

Come summer, you can't get a seat for student from other places who come to wonder in loud amazement at our lovely city.

If you tried to moan about talking on out me buses you'd end up coming unstuck

No one would have a clue what you were talking about.

Gincident hit the nail on the head. And. OP has already said she WBU yet the thread rages on...

Totally rude to make the bus listen to your conversation. It's time to get out of your bubble and have some respect for other people. Please understand that there are other people who may not want to listen to your voice for the duration of their bus journey. Next time speak to your gran in private.

So nobody ever talks on the bus
Earwigging is rude, hope you pointed it out to them.
You can't go to public spaces and object to other people also being there and talking (the horror!)
Some people are ridiculous.

Don't see anything wrong with it provided you aren't talking too loudly or swearing. I got "told off" by a miserable old man for talking on the phone in public. I told him he was the rude one for imposing his moral standards on me and that I bet he wouldn't have said a word to a man. Women are was targets. He scurried away.
You didn't do anything wrong OP. Reckon too that if you were of a more "unsavoury nature", male or effing and blinding they wouldnt have dared say a word. Like I said, people get brave when there is an easy target.

*women are EASY targets not was

If you tried to moan about talking on out me buses you'd end up coming unstuck
No one would have a clue what you were talking about

TBH, I haven't a clue what you are talking about in your first sentence right there ^ Translation please?

ChickenMe

I'm a woman and I have challenged men who have annoyed me, speaking loudly into their mobile phones whilst at the next restaurant table. Most irritating.

No, usual of course it is not rude to talk in public. No-one has said that. Come on - facetiousness does not become you, you're better than that!

"the absence of avoidable noise"

What utter nonsense. People do not expect "the absence of avoidable noise" on the bus, otherwise nobody would speak at all unless it was an emergency.

The epitome of bad manners is pointing out other people's breaches of etiquette, therefore the scoldy holier than thou couple were unforgivably rude.

Indeed. There is almost nothing that it is rude to think

Used to get the bus regularly, and dreaded one particular person on it who regaled the whole bus, at top volume, via mobile, with every single, boring aspect of her day.
Someone having a conversation at normal / low volume wouldn't bother me. I usually listen to the radio quietly, via earphones, and tune out from the bus noise.

Oh you get it Evan.

Translate? My first language isn't English

God I hate this, YABU. My absolute favourite thing is listening to someone's inane conversation for an eternity only for them to end the call saying, 'Oh my bus is here I'm just jumping off, see you in a minute.' Could your boring conversation not have bloody waited??!!

Op, ywbu.

And don't get me started on having to sit next to people with headphones and their tinny sounds because the wearer thinks I want to listen to their music.

If you want to isolate yourself from society, please do it at a respectable volume so I can continue to read.

I am yet again shocked by a Mumsnet thread!! People really think that using a MOBILE (clues in the name people!) phone out on public to have a perfectly normal conversation (i.e. not shouting!) is unreasonable!?!?! I am with you OP I barely get any time to call someone and would definitely do it if I was going to be sat down on a bus for 20 mins. How is it any different from having a chat with someone you were sitting with! Or are we all supposed to sit in silence? Sorry that the couple you mentioned thought it was less rude to have a go at you in the way you describe. I think their behaviour was terrible, yours perfectly fine!

Reminds me of the man who didn't like me being in the right-hand lane of a road (I was about to turn right btw!) and to express his "disgust" at my "poor driving", opened his door while driving and proceeded to point at the road out of his open door! I would have been cross if I I hadn't been laughing so much at his stupidity!

Christ, life is too short to get upset over other people talking in public. If it's not dangerous or offensive, just chill the fuck out.