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Public transport isn’t America’s strong suit. According to the Pew Research Center, only 11% of Americans relied on the bus, train, or subway to get around. In Europe, the numbers are very different. In 2024, four in five Europeans living in major cities use public transport daily.

But buses, trains, and subways come with their own etiquette. Unfortunately, some people are not aware of it or choose to ignore it willfully. Such folks think it’s okay to leave their trash behind, put their feet in other people’s faces, or take up extra seats when the vehicle is clearly crowded.

We’ve compiled the most infuriating passengers that netizens have captured on their commutes and present them to you here. Go ahead and shame away, Pandas!

#1 Get These Shrimp Off This Train

Image credits: kidd_fisto

#2 On My Morning Commute To Work

Image credits: Tottmeist3r

#3 Someone Left These Used Cotton Swabs On This Train Window

Image credits: dinomine3000

We only mentioned the Western world so far, but public transportation is in quite a high demand in other parts of the world, too. In 2015, the International Association of Public Transport released a comprehensive study about public transport in the 21st century.

According to their data, China had the largest number of total journeys, Europe (the 27 countries included in the study) ranked second, and Japan came in third. In China, an average resident would take about 84.5 journeys a year, and an average European would use public transport 57.3 times a year.

#4 Someone Put Bubble Gum In The Phone Charger

Image credits: DumbusMaxim0

#5 This Guy On A Overnight Bus With Max Brightness And No Headphones

Image credits: str8uprippin

#6 Someone Blocking The Aisle So They Can Have Their Own Section

Image credits: cat37man

As far as cities go, Hong Kong is often praised for having one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world. And the locals know it: in a recent survey by Time Out, 98% of those living in Hong Kong rated the city’s public transportation system positively.

The respondents listed 10 different lines, air-conditioned buses, minibuses, and even double-decker trams as the main reasons why. Other Asian cities didn’t fall that much behind Hong Kong. Shanghai and Beijing were voted second and third place, respectively, by their locals.

#7 People Who Sit Like This On A Crowded Train

Image credits: DesertVol

#8 Woman Puts Dog On Subway Seat Intended For The Elderly

Image credits: CastorTerror

#9 Group Of Kids Spent The Train Ride Blasting Music Then Left All Of This

Image credits: ToxxicGlitter

Many public transport companies around the world are not profitable – that’s just the nature of it. Yet in Hong Kong, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation operates on the “rail plus property” model. It has residential and commercial properties above its stations, from which they collect rent or sale fees and therefore are able to turn a profit.

#10 Seats Taken By Bikes On Crowded Train. The Owners Of The Bikes Saw People Standing On The Train And Wouldn’t Move Them

Image credits: LittlePotatoRhymes

#11 Dude Takes His Massive Mastiff On The Bus And Fails To Control The Dog. Dog Is Barking Every 10 Seconds. Bonus Points For The Dudes A*s Hanging Out

Image credits: ends1995

#12 The Lady Next To Me Leans Her Bag On Me After I Ask Her To Move It To Take The Last Available Seat

Image credits: reddit.com

Public transport ticket prices in Hong Kong aren’t that high either. If you only need to go a few stops, the cheapest fare is only 50 cents in U.S. dollars. If you need to get to the other side of the city, the fare will be more expensive, but it’s still around 7.5 USD. In 2019, the tickets alone covered 170% of the system’s operating costs. Last year, MTR’s profit was around two billion dollars.

#13 Family Couldn’t Find A Funeral Car, So They Took The Coffin On A Public Bus Instead. A Truly Unique Final Ride. Cuba 2025

Image credits: OrdinaryBrilliant717

#14 Someone Took Their Tooth Out On The Bus And Left It There

Image credits: Admirable_Flight_257

#15 Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn

Just saw this creep on the R train by Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn taking pictures of every woman that sat across from him. I think he was sending the pics to people overseas cuz he would open another app right after he took the pic. Saw him do it like 3-4x. Told him to stop taking pics of people as I got off the train.

Image credits: Merrickbully718

Experts say that the “rail plus property” model works wonderfully for Hong Kong, but would be hard to implement in cities with old railway systems such as London or New York. “The metro in Hong Kong is much younger than those in London and New York,” Karol Zemek, editor of Metro Report International, told The Guardian.

“A lot of problems, especially in New York at the moment, come from ageing infrastructure. Parts of the London and New York networks are among the oldest examples of metros in the world.”

#16 Why Are Loud Video/Speaker Phone Calls Now A Spectator Sport In Public?

Image credits: BenPool81

#17 Full Train And People Asking Him To Move But He Was Too “Tired” To Give Them The Seats

Image credits: NichtScar

#18 Sat Near Two Women Who Let Their Toddler Throw Food Around In Public Transport

Image credits: tomic24

Did you know some cities even have free public transport? That includes the city of Hasselt in Belgium, Dunkirk and Montpellier in France, Belgrade in Serbia, and Estonia’s capital, Tallinn. In a bid to reduce carbon emissions and rising fuel costs, two European countries went ticket-free, too: Luxembourg in 2022 and Malta in 2020.

#19 This Seemed Trashy

Image credits: schokac

#20 Somewhere In Chicago

Image credits: Lepke2011

#21 Having A Nice And Calm Train Trip

Image credits: AlphaNowis

Interestingly, while only residents can ride Malta’s public transport for free, in Luxembourg, it is free for tourists and commuters alike. That’s because a whopping 45% of workers commute to Luxembourg from neighboring countries. Most cities which have implemented free public transport also grant it only to residents, including Tallinn and Belgrade.

#22 On The Subway This Morning

Image credits: ronnyronronron

#23 Because Disposable Cups Are For Amateurs

Image credits: _no_na_me_

#24 A Kingly Slumber

Image credits: Several_Bank5722

Americans, on the other hand, are known as heavily car-dependent people. However, most still see the benefits that public transit has. In one survey, the respondents identified congestion relief and accessibility to vulnerable residents as benefits for their community. At the same time, few were willing to support increased spending on transit or raising any specific tax to increase funding.

#25 2 Women In The Bus Were Loudly Discussing Why My Arms Look Like This. Neither Were Right

Loudly discussing on a full bus if its self harm or eczema scars. Also made a comment about how i need to wear long sleeves, and I shouldn’t be painting my nails because it just draws more attention. I don’t think the scars are that bad.

Image credits: Pale-North

#26 People Who Put Their Feet Up On Seats In Public Transport

Image credits: sandypandy311

#27 Don’t Be That Tourist In Japan

Image credits: MrMittens666

Many Americans also think that using public transport isn’t as smooth as just hopping in your own car and driving wherever you like. These are some issues residents have named in a recent study:

Wait times;
Unreliable schedules;
Limited accessibility;
Expensive fares.

#28 Idiots Like This As The Train Is Pulling Into The Station

Image credits: kryptonitejam

#29 On A Bus In Westminster, London Yesterday. Smells As Good As It Looks

Image credits: HotTurnip199

#30 Love This On The Way To Toilet On The Train

Image credits: jimlad3

What’s the public transport system like where you live, Pandas? Do you see many people breaking etiquette while riding a bus, tram, or subway? Let us know in the comments! And if you’d like to see even more absurd pics of commuters doing infuriating things, check out our previous article about it right here!

#31 Nothing Would Give Me More Pleasure Than Body Checking This Jerk Standing In The Doorway Is The Subway While People Are Getting On And Off The Train

Image credits: Unique_Reading_6765

#32 Shaving On The Subway

Image credits: DrFetusRN

#33 Im A Bus Driver. Someone Left Their Food On The Seat

Image credits: tetraquintans

#34 Someone Had Their Grippers Out On The Bus This Morning

Image credits: tiptiptoppy

#35 Just Got On A Train And Found An Abandoned Pot Noodle

Image credits: ChloeHammer

#36 On A Train From Leicester To Birmingham And Someone Has Just Opened A Tupperware Full Of Prawns Before 10am

Image credits: jptoc

#37 A Person On The Train Just Stuck Her Suitcase Next To Me And Then Sat Down Elsewhere

Image credits: Bendyb3n

#38 Lady On The Bus Spilled Spicy Mayo Everywhere. Only I Received The Brunt Of It

Image credits: Merlin_Art

#39 Someone Left A Dirty Diaper On The Bus Bench

Image credits: bubisthebestdog

#40 Some People Just Left All This Trash Here At A Bus Stop

Image credits: Darth_Oculus

#41 14-Year-Old Did This On Our School Trip Bus And I Had To Be The One Cleaning It Up (Since I Was The Last One Going Out Of The Bus), Since He Just Ran Off

Image credits: Pikachu_Gawd

#42 Met My First Male Karen. Complained About Us Talking, But Was On Conference Meetings At 4:55am On The Train

Image credits: Affectionate_Olive53

#43 Whole Bus Is Empty And This Person Sits Right Next To Me? I Don’t Like Taking Photos Of Strangers, So They Are The Black Bookbag To My Right

Image credits: IbukiWasTaken

#44 Old Lady Reclined Her Seat Fully In A Bus. I Am 5ft Tall And The Seat Is Still Close To My Knees

Image credits: Ok-Honeydew-6100

#45 Uneducated People Sat On This Bus

Image credits: iliveforthe-memes

#46 This Dude Is Just Blasting Music On His Stupid JBL Clip On The Bus

I would ask him to stop but he’s pretty big and this is a bad area and I don’t wanna gamble on something going down so I’m complaining to you guys like a coward.

Image credits: Historical_Fill_9882

#47 Okay But Why

Image credits: Illustrious-Feed2239

#48 Just Watched A Pre-Teen Kid Rip Open 20+ Packs Of Pokémon Cards, Pocket Like 4 Of Them, And Throw The Rest On The Ground At A Bus Station

Image credits: Cornelious96

#49 People Who Leave A Train Like This:

Image credits: HMSBannard

#50 The Train Isn’t A Trash Can

Image credits: RazorSharpMCYT

#51 Treating Public Transit Like It’s Your Living Room

Image credits: howtheflowersfelt

#52 Today In NYC

Image credits: Relevant_Slide_7234

#53 In The Top Five Biggest Chump Moves On The Train

Image credits: imnotpaulyd_ipromise

#54 Someone Spit Multiple Times On The Back Of This Bus. Absolutely Disgusting