r/london • u/wandering-stardust00 • 1d ago
Step out of the tube and get back on!! Please!
Londoners - I just cannot grasp why people do not step out of the tube momentarily to let people off?
Just came off of a crowded tube this morning and when I had to get off two people just stood in the middle blocking the way. Those needing to exit struggled to get out and the people in the doorway ended up getting shoved - no one benefits in this situation!
If you’re in the doorway please step out of the tube to the side to let people out, and then get back on. Or at minimum step to the side in the doorway. Or someone please explain why they don’t!?
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u/vonscharpling2 1d ago
I've seen people not get back on after doing this.
You very likely will get back on, and, as you say, there are downsides for the person not moving as well like getting shoved, but that might be the 'why'
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u/SXLightning 1d ago
I see people get off to one side but the other side start pushing on and then they can't get back on.
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u/rocketscientology 1d ago
I’ve not made it back on after doing this. Got basically flattened by a stampede of people boarding who then all just stared at me blankly when I tried to re-board.
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u/willy_weisswurst 1d ago
Spot on. Unfortunately not everyone is on the same wavelength and most of the time on the tube it's "me, me, me!".
I do it because it's common courtesy...common sense and to make life easier for fellow commuters. But I have had folks just completely ignore the point of my manoeuvre and board the train before me, thus leaving me unable to get back on, staring back at me with a blank look as if I was some sort of naive idiot. It's absolutely irritating.
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u/Accurate_Prompt_8800 1d ago
Yep agreed. It’s not happened to me but seen it happen to plenty of people and I guess once it has been the case once, you’re not too likely to want to be ‘selfless’ again unfortunately!
The fault mainly lies with the selfish people who didn’t think to let the ones who got off to let others out back on again…
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u/itchyballzsack3 1d ago
Is it not obvious? People step off and people getting on push on through leaving that person stuck on the platform waiting for the next train, I've seen it happen hundreds of times. Personally I do get off as I'm a biggish bloke but I've seen plenty of smaller woman be pushed to one side.
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u/polkadot_eyes 23h ago
Yup, that happened to me multiple times, and I’ve seen it happen to others. I don’t take the tube very often anymore but I’m always nervous about being in that situation again because it sucks
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u/drtchockk 1d ago
HUNDREDS!? really?
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u/Alarmed_Lunch3215 23h ago
If you catch the tube to and from work even 3 x a week and see it often - over a period of five years and on average have seen it happen 10% of the time - hundreds is accurate.
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u/drtchockk 23h ago
"see it often" is doing a lot of leg work there
I commuted daily for 10 years and never saw it once.
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u/Alarmed_Lunch3215 23h ago
Depends on tube line, time of commute, typical carriage (do you as a commute strive for efficiency aligned to exit or do you board where it will be quiet) many factors! As a central line commute pre Elizabeth line at key stations I saw it very often!
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u/MoaningTablespoon 1d ago
And risking not being able to get back in, sorry, buddy, but I also have places to be. I can squeeze inside/move inside a bit, tho.
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u/csoare1234 1d ago
I do this every time and people on the platform don't understand they need to let me go back in as well.
So most people just won't risk losing their spots
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u/MissionFig5582 1d ago
Not the same deal but just wanted to vent: I was getting off the overground at Canada Water last week at about 9am, and essentially had to fight my way off past people trying to push their way on to the train without waiting to the side while people got off.
Made me really cross, and I'm usually a pretty relaxed bloke.
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u/Mike_Player_Of_Games 15h ago
This exactly. I’m a fairly big guy, very chill, but also not a door mat. I certainly never felt the need to “exert my presence”. Yeah, then I moved to London. I had to commute on the central line every day. I never once forced my way on a train, even when people behind me would go around and grind up against others to wedge inside the doors. The number of times though that I ended up forcing my way through people to get off was unbelievable. It’s basically like, “oh, it’s too inconvenient for you to shift to the side so I can squeeze by and not miss my stop?” “Ok, I’m going by you anyway so, I guess you picked the hard way.” The indignant looks I got like, “how dare you get off when I didn’t agree to move! How rude.” I remember those instances every time I reflect on working at home now.
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u/FuckleBerryFerry 1d ago
This is annoying a few weeks ago, I remember having to ask three people to move. It was Central Line, they were in a group of three people and on their phones...F&$K, I know you don't have signal.
I remember a few years ago a man blocking another man's exit from the tube in Old Street. The man looked at the other man and purposely didn't move. The man leaving just got angry and shouted ,'MOVE, you Pillock!', the man quickly moved out the way. On his departure turned back, put his foot in the door, opened the tube door and said again 'Pillock, that's what you decided to be today.' Then left. It's the first time I heard that word and after looking it up I could get why he said it.
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u/Spontanudity 12h ago
Get out the way but keep one leg on the train to return to your place before the horde enters and steals it from you
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u/Pallortrillion 1d ago
Common sense across London seems to be at an all time low.
Was it the pandemic? Are people just getting thicker?
Massive backpacks on their back, not moving down the carriage, not waiting for people to get off, blocking the doors etc.
As a species I just think we’re not that intelligent.
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u/Coop_on_a_loop 23h ago
Possibly. My pet peeve is people standing in the way and then boarding whilst I’m getting off the tube. Just let people off first!
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u/BannedFromHydroxy 13h ago
Was it the pandemic? Are people just getting thicker?
The way I see it, these are just convenient excuses for many.
In reality, we are now firmly in the 'age of Me', and the repercussions are catching up with us.
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u/Ok-Train5382 12h ago
Just smash past them. At that point I consider them useless obstacles so just barge through
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u/MissionPrimary7163 6h ago
it’s cos they’re not Londoners they’re entitled home counties twats that refuse to learn tube etiquette.
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u/whyamihere189 20h ago
That's way too much to ask for 90% of the cunts using the tube, and they take your spot the moment you do this.
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u/joereadsstuff 20h ago
I also don't understand the people who hold onto the pole for dear life while the train is stationary.
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u/wandering-stardust00 18h ago
I always just “surf” - firmly planted feet and near a pole when needed
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u/Apprehensive-Fix9122 13h ago
Oh man. This is a national rail story (SWR), but I was on a packed train and I had to get my bike on. I, what felt rather rudely, lifted my bike into the train parallel to the doors in the little space remaining and got in before the they closed. I did this after walking down the entire platform at CLJ to the final doors, so I guess people were okay with me because they didn't complain.
I got out of the train several times, even as the train emptied because there were some stubborn people who didn't move and let me get out of the doorway, but I had no problem with getting off the train. I think the main difference is that some people actually communicated with me to let me know they wanted to get off, instead of edging towards me which looks like nothing on a crowded train.
Point is that I didn't mind, and I had a bike. It wasn't like I was on my phone ignoring people the entire time either - I stood for the entire hour long journey out of London.
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u/bab_tte 1d ago
It's because people are getting ruder and ruder. Had an awful tube experience this morning too
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u/wandering-stardust00 23h ago
Sorry to hear - Tuesdays are rough with commuters getting in to work
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u/bab_tte 23h ago
Thank you. I commute Monday and Tuesday too, but I'm usually on the overground and haven't had any negative experiences. Actually in general haven't had anyone been actively physically aggressive to me on the tube, ever, til now ! But was more caught off guard as commuting from a diff place and on diff line
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u/TomLondra 1d ago
Thank you for using the adverb "momentarily" correctly. This is becoming very rare.
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u/Remarkable-World-129 1d ago
I once saw I guy pleading to get off at Bank at morning rush hour "Please let me off". Fell on deaf ears, with everybody piling on. The doors closed and you could see his frustrated face as the train started to move off. The platform burst into laughter. It was glorious.
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u/WeDoingThisAgainRWe 1d ago
you realise you don't come out of this looking like a good person with the last part of this comment?
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u/wildOldcheesecake 1d ago edited 23h ago
Yeah I totally feel for that guy. I’m only 5 foot and have a hard time getting people to let me off during rush hour. I’ve missed my stop because of people ignoring me in the same way. Everyone wants someone else to move but they themselves don’t want to.
Even worse when they squeeze against me to get on and say excuse me. You can fucking say excuse me all you like but I can’t go further into the train nor can you push against me just because I’m small. Ffs.
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u/jiminthenorth 1d ago
What a shitty thing to happen to that poor man. Even shittier of you calling it glorious.
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u/Alarmed_Lunch3215 1d ago
Well given it was bank, we can safely assume the platform was full of cunts - including you!
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u/Quick_Doubt_5484 1d ago
Why the unprovoked rudeness? People in glass houses
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u/Alarmed_Lunch3215 23h ago
I mean to call it glorious when a man was unable to exit the tube and then had a platform of people cackling at him is a bit cuntish, no?
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u/NathVanDodoEgg 1d ago
That's terrible, I'm usually quite non-confrontational but when people refuse to let me off the train I start pushing and yelling like an insane person.
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u/AMSteiner 22h ago
In my experience, long term locals often do. But you have to remember that only about 20% of the people who live in London are Londoners, and when you throw in tourists and commuters from out of town, the percentage you meet on the tube on a day to day basis is going to drop to well under 10%. About half the people using the tube are either tourists, short term workers only here for a couple of years, neither of who can reasonably be expected to adhere to or understand British preconceptions about politeness and being considerate that would be considered ultra weird elsewhere. Then on top of that, even amongst those who should, there are plenty of people who are too wrapped up in their lives to notice, particularly on the way to work, or just plain armholes.
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u/kevinbaker31 1d ago
There’s been far too many times I’ve done this, and the fuckers on the platform just pushed past me to get on, and then the carriage was too full to get on