If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber . Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE.

I recently wrote about the sheer audacity of people on planes after a return flight from Bali left me well and truly baffled.

A quick whip through my group chats proved that there are, in fact, many in-flight botherers roaming around.

From the classic armrest hoggers, seat kickers and those with an apparent moral opposition to headphones to some more serious offenders.

In case you missed it, you can read about them here.

But it turns out these questionable antics aren't reserved for those with a boarding ticket and a dream.

People are displaying varying degrees of sheer audacity on all types of public transport.

Earlier, I posited we all may need to take an altitude etiquette course. Perhaps instead, we simply need a refresher in basic manners — from the skies to our daily commutes.

Listen to all the petty hills the Mamamia team would die on. Post continues below.

0 0

All the petty hills we would die on | Mamamia Out Loud

I, personally, count my lucky stars that my work day starts early, so I can skip the peak hour public transport traffic each day, but even I've witnessed the occasional display of questionable behaviour.

I've seen the expected: the feet on seats and the loud phone call takers.

And the not-so-expected: A group of teenagers whipping out their best gymnastic moves on the overhead handles in the accessible seating area.

My fellow commuters have their own stories to share… and to be honest, I don't know how to feel about them.

The personal groomers.

"I've seen people cut their nails, toenails and pluck their eyebrows."

The slurper.

"I once sat next to a lady who had a ziplock bag full of dumplings, and she proceeded to slurp them up out of the bag into her mouth one by one (I was pregnant at the time so it was making me really queasy)."

The cold and flu warrior.

"The woman behind me this morning was literally coughing into the back of my neck, it was disgusting."

Please mind the bike.

One friend told me that she had to climb over this obstacle last week just to get off the train. 

"Please mind the bike between the train and the platform."

The Hangover Part IV.

"I once saw a deeply hungover woman open up a small pouch she had on her (like a makeup bag), throw up into it, zip it up, leave it under her seat, and get off the bus."

The 'biological hazard'.

"This one's gross, but about a month ago, I was on a tram and weirdly no one was sitting up the front of it and the driver wouldn't let anyone on via the front door.

Then when we got to a proper stop he made everyone get off and it was because a passenger had pooed on the floor and it was a biological hazard. 

"The driver said the passenger just did their business and then casually got off at a previous stop so no one noticed at first."

The manspread.

"Just all the manspreaders — special shout out to the manspreaders who continue to manspread after I pointedly *cough* stare at them and make a point of not moving over."

The entertainer.

"I once sat in a carriage where a woman sang loudly to her toddler, the entire 30 minutes, read the toddler books out loud with character voices — I mean, I'm a parent, I get you need to entertain them, but it was soooo annoying. It was really over the top."

The entertainer's protégé.

"[I saw] a man teaching his son to whistle a tune on a packed train.

It was in England so obviously no one said anything despite the barely-contained fury from everyone in the carriage. It was like travelling with a load of nuclear reactors."

The shoe denier.

"I was on a very empty train when a shoeless man came up to me and couldn't believe I was wearing shoes and was telling me all the reasons why they're bad for our feet and it was a trap. 

"He offered to take mine off for me and sell them. I really hate when people try to take my shoes off me."

The party-starter. 

"A drunk man was beside himself that there was no music playing on the bus and insisted we all take off our headphones and listen to the same music because he needed to dance the night away (it was 10am).

"He kept calling the bus driver a DJ, so I think he thought he was in a club, which would then be totally fair for him to request a song."

It's brutal out here. The daily commute is no walk in the park (unless it literally is, in which case please spare a thought for those of us squished on a peak-hour train).

Feature image: Getty.