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Original poster

shocking behavior on a National Express bus this week...

165 replies

WritingHome · 14/10/2017 13:06

I traveled on a National Express coach from Stanstead to Norfolk this week.

The coach apparently stopped at Heathrow and Gatwick before arriving at Stanstead at 8.30am. It was pretty much empty apart from a couple of passengers who were already on there when I got on, including two young girls (late teens / early 20's by their appearance). They were clearly on their way home from somewhere like Magaluf and were wearing clubbing gear (tiny tiny denim hotpants and skimpy tops and sandals. It was a cold wet, drizzly morning in the UK. One of them was wrapped in beach towels and they were both asleep and looking worse for the wear.

I took a seak on the other side of the aisle and slightly in front of then but if I looked across the bus to look out the far window they were in my line of vision iykwim.

The three hour journey began and about an hour into it, one of them woke up and started moaning. Then she was coughing and then I heard what I thought was the sounds of someone puking (!!)

I glanced around and she was using one of the clear plastic airline liquids bags and was retching into it. She stopped and went back to sleep.

They woke sporadically and complained to each other about how they would never drink again and they were fairly roughly spoken - lots of cursing etc. The sick one continued to puke throughout the journey which was pretty off-putting and disgusting.

The worst thing of all was that they got off at Thetford and she LEFT three bags of puke thrown on the floor of the bus and various tissues suffed into the back of the seat pocket. Absolutely grim. I did not see this until the were already off the bus or I would have said something to them. Why could they not have just taken it off the bus and dumped into a bin??

They were young and and older woman (possibly mother of one of them) met them at the stop. If they were my daughters I would have been so ashamed of them!

I was getting off at the next stop and as I was leaving I told the driver in case he just picked the bags up with his hands not knowing what was in them. He looked horrified too.

Afterwards I was cross at myself for not saying something earlier but what could I have said? Stop puking? Hardly likely to have worked and tbh I was pretty shocked it was even happening...

What would you have done?

OP posts:
wrenika · 14/10/2017 13:59

Sounds pretty gross. I wouldn't be impressed...they're hardly giving a sterling impression of Brits, but then what's to be expected of boozed up youngsters coming back from holidays.

lljkk · 14/10/2017 13:59

The hungover women were pigs.
People do a lot of piggish behaviour on public transport.
It's a shame, but I don't think you can stop most of it.

rogueantimatter · 14/10/2017 13:59

Yes jay95 and we can curse frequently in public too. Apparently, this is 'normal' behaviour.

Ercoldiningchair · 14/10/2017 13:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LanaKanesLeftNippleTassle · 14/10/2017 14:01

Oooh yeah.
Pile of junk food and some loo brushes to wave around. Wink

Can you imagine the MN threads??

TakeMe2Insanity · 14/10/2017 14:01

People vomit for various reasons. One thing is fact, you cannot make a person stop vomiting. The fact they did into a bag is better than on the floor. The bit where they were in the wrong was not to have taken it with them.

As for the women who collected them being ashamed, they didn't know what they had been up to on the bus.

Peanutbuttercheese · 14/10/2017 14:02

I'm British but have overseas roots, what you don't understand at all op is the attitude to alcohol in the U.K. It's very different to many other countries. People will joke about their drinking stories forever and a day. The Romans were horrified at the drinking habits of the British thousands of years ago.

If you are American here's an insight, I had a free bar at my wedding. Two of our friends got so drunk they were sick. These were professional folk in their early thirties, one was an absolute wreck. When I went to an American wedding with a free bar only one person got a little tipsy and the poor woman had just lost her job a couple of days before.

They can wear what they like but I don't like the vomiting on the bus or the swearing. I can have a bit of a swear myself but when out and about who knows if some small children are about so I agree it's crap.

brasty · 14/10/2017 14:02

LaneKanes Yes loo brushes is a good idea. And I wont even take a shower that morning either!

brasty · 14/10/2017 14:04

PeanutButterCheese Which is always why I say prohibition did work in some way. The alcohol consumption of Americans after prohibition was way lower than before.

Leamington99 · 14/10/2017 14:04

You sound like you don’t get out much and this was the highlight of your week. Spent your journey watching them under the guise of looking out the window...

It’s vile that she vomitted then left the bags on the coach. Absolutely - the rest of your post is petty imo. At the same time the public in general is vile, it’s to be expected of public transport surely?

She threw up after having a nap partially through the journey- the travel triggered her. I’m sure she would chose NOT to throw up?

Would it have made a difference to you if she was a man, pregnant, wearing a jacket, a child? If she was that bad you should have called an ambulance or told the driver to see if he could arrange help? Or asked them how they’re getting home and if their mum could meet them earlier?

Chestervase1 · 14/10/2017 14:08

Well I don’t care what they were wearing but she sounds like a right manky little mare and I can’t believe everyone thinks it’s ok for some poor cleaner to deal with her bags of vomit!

Landed · 14/10/2017 14:09

It is to be hoped the bus company locate them and send them the cleaning bill just as taxi drivers do. Totally inconsiderate. No thought for any other passengers on the bus or getting on after them and also not for the employee cleaning up after them.

hippyhippyshake · 14/10/2017 14:11

I think she should be applauded for keeping it contained in the bags. A true lady. ‘Shocking’ behaviour would have been not giving a ff and spraying it all over you, the coach, her friend etc

brasty · 14/10/2017 14:12

Okay got my friends around. We are ready for our coach trip.

AccidentalyRunToWindsor · 14/10/2017 14:13

@Chestervase1 I think it's quite unanimous that people think the girls should have taken the puke bags with them.

But the op's pearl clutching at the outfits and the fact they had been to magaluf is what's rubbed people up the wrong way.

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 14/10/2017 14:15

Puking in a plastic bag and leaving it on the bus is grim and disgusting.

Being roughly spoken, young and wearing hot pants is not grim and disgusting.

No one is saying that they aren't bothered by the girls leaving a bag of sick behind. People are saying that they aren't bothered by young people being on a bus, wearing hot pants, being roughly spoken or going to 'somewhere like Magaluff' on holiday.

brasty · 14/10/2017 14:15

Promise though if any of us puke on the coach, we will take our sick bags with us.

sayyouwill · 14/10/2017 14:18

You do get people with hangovers on trains as well. I travel on the train from Heathrow to London fairly often.

Yes but trains have toilets.
I know some coaches do technically but I wouldn't really class it as a toilet. More like a wet hole behind a door.

Slartybartfast · 14/10/2017 14:19

grim, public transport. how horrible.
makes you worry about flying on an aeroplane.
i am surprised the bus driver didnt notice

MrsKoala · 14/10/2017 14:20

The worst thing of all was that they got off at Thetford

Yup - that's grim.

brasty · 14/10/2017 14:20

Yes true, the real benefit of a train though, is you can go into another carriage. But was really replying to comments indicating that because coaches are cheaper, you will get people puking on them. You can get it on any form of transport.

sayyouwill · 14/10/2017 14:21

Fwiw I think it's beyond grim. They should have got the later bus when they'd stopped vomiting. I dread to think what the poor buggers on the plane were subjected to.

Not all bus tickets are transferable. Maybe they couldn't have afforded to get a later bus or maybe they didn't have anywhere to go to wait for said bus. Maybe they just wanted to get home.

brasty · 14/10/2017 14:21

I got told by someone who flew on an easyjet flight that they do not clean up sick. So someone might have to actually sit in a seat with someone else's sick. Totally grim.

Nocabbageinmyeye · 14/10/2017 14:22

You should have reported them to the jolly hostess selling crisps and tea, she would have provided them with drinks and theatrical winks, that would have sorted them right out

AccidentalyRunToWindsor · 14/10/2017 14:24

@Nocabbageinmyeye maybe they couldn't afford the sky high fee?