Tube Etiquette

It is a very simple rule. An unspoken one but a simple one. If you are taking the tube then before you get on you let people off.

It's not difficult. All you need to do is wait and you don't even need to wait for that long. A minute maximum is all the time you need to give, yet a simple experiment this weekend yielded the consideration that post-pandemic, people have forgotten this rule.

Rather than letting people off as the announcements dictate, they hurry onto the train like bees fleeing to the hive. We saw parents grab their children and more or less throw them off the train. It was ridiculous and yet another unwritten rule that has been lost during the pandemic.

Pre-Pandemic

Before the pandemic the rule was simple and 95% of people followed it. If they did not, then they were soon taught the error of their way as people would respond. They would close in around that individual and in all but words let them know that they were behaving in an unacceptable manner.

Much like the tourist who has a paper ticket and prevents seasoned Londoners from getting through the barrier efficiently. We know. We have our Contactless card ready to swipe, whereas tourists bumble around at the barrier and hold up the queue.

They expect sympathy when all we have to offer is scorn because we are a huge city. We are larger than many European countries and those that have been here for a few years have adapted.

Before the pandemic, we would stop and help people. We would have our tickets ready and let people off first before getting on the train and moving down the carriage.

Now that trend feels as though it has been forgotten about. People shove others out of the way in a survival of the fittest manner that benefits only the individual. It's annoying and something that I hope will be redacted as soon as possible.

January 2023

As I am writing this it is my birthday. I have turned a year older and am closing in on the big 4-0, yet am still young at heart. I remember the golden age of London, where the world was your oyster and you were supported.

Whilst the world is still my oyster, the support no longer feels as though it is there. It is more forced upon people with the older amongst us being vocal, whereas the young get on with it.

The young accept the shove onto the train and simply consider that they need to be quicker. To beat the next person and ensure the space is found. Who cares about the person next to them as long as they are supported to be first?

What Can Be Done?

That is a very good question as it's not like you could ever enforce a rule such as letting people off first. Peer pressure ensures that the oldest and those who are pregnant are considered and that is all. Everything else has been lost.

I would love for the Mayor to enforce it but realistically, the police have much better things to deal with.

I was raised to consider others first. Consider how my actions will affect others and the peeling back of London society to place myself first is unfavourable. It seems ludacris but this appears to be the trend of 2023.

Yes. There are other concerns in the world but this has annoyed me. My wife has mentioned it but its not until I saw it for myself (epitomised by Stratford and a man barging his way in before the doors had even opened). It was mind-boggling and even writing it now is annoying me.

What It Means To Be A Londoner

Maybe we've changed. Maybe the pandemic changed the fabric of society and people are only thinking of themselves but I don't truly believe this. What I believe is that people have stopped questioning things. Yes. They head out and protest against the government but against each other...

For me, being a Londoner is a privilege. I know that I am a week away from being unable to afford living here and that I need to make the most of the situation as the rug could be pulled from under me at any point. I could be taken out, sacked and thrown out of my accommodation. This is the reality of being and whilst I am here I should be grateful.

I let others off first as that is the right thing to do. To think of only myself is rude and whilst I do not want to cast aspersion, this should not be London. We are better than this. We are stronger together and should remember where we have come from.

A Final Thought

It should not be hard for people to consider those around them. For them to look around and wait for others first. The driver will wait. They are paid to wait and even tell people to let people on first. Why? It is the right thing to do and I want to spread the word.

The TUBE WILL NOT LEAVE WITHOUT YOU! Even if it did then there is another train two minutes behind...