CuriositiesJAN 14, 2022

People Are Sharing Their Public Transportation Horror Stories, And Here’re 30 Of The Creepiest Ones

176

Whether it’s dealing with total jerks or snapping a photo of something completely bizarre, life is never boring on public transport. In fact, people are often pretty thankful that it takes them from point A to point B. For all its benefits, though, there are some definite downsides—it really tends to bring out the worst in people.

Sometimes, passengers can be rude and weird, other times they are downright scary or even aggressive. People who encountered such commuters shared their creepiest stories with fellow members of the r/AskReddit community. Just to warn you, they might send a shiver down your spine.

Bored Panda has collected some of the most unsettling answers to share with you, so check them out below. If you’re up for it, let us know what you think about all these stories in the comment section.

#1

People Are Sharing Their Public Transportation Horror Stories, And Here’re 30 Of The Creepiest Ones

A woman went between cars on the subway while it was moving. She had tons of bags, smelled like urine, and was yelling the second she entered the car. As the train comes to a stop she turns toward me, spits in my face and gets off the train.

Also, one night I was coming home late. A man got on the train. There was only one other person on the train besides this guy and myself. He sits across from me and leans forward. He then proceeds with the typical speech "Ey girl you got a boyfriend?"

For some reason I decided to engage him in this conversation rather than ignore him (he had crazy eyes and I didn't want to piss him off). His comments became increasingly inappropriate i.e. naming specific sexual acts he would do to me. Then he says, "Girl what you got between them legs. You gonna show me?" I had no idea what to say and was starting to become afraid. Thankfully the other person on the train decided to stand up for me and told him to back off. He told the guy to watch his manners when he spoke to a lady. Then he came and stood by my side until the creepy guy got off the train. I couldn't believe this kid stood up for me though... he was dressed like the typical 18 year old gangsta. He didn't even hit on me once the guy got off he just said, "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. There's no reason you should have to deal with that." He told me to be safe and got of at the next stop. That experience definitely proved to me that you shouldn't judge people on something as trivial as their clothing.

vintagekanu, Arthur Humeau

Report

407points

#2

I was riding a city bus home from school reading the chapter about pointers in a C++ textbook and an old smelly homeless guy sits right next to me and starts explaining how pointers work. I had asked several people to explain it to me earlier that day but damn that hobo gave the best explanation.

yubbzikins, Clem Onojeghuo

Report

402points

If you believe that the creepiest places on this planet are graveyards, abandoned hotels, and deep dark forests, think again. Some of the most horrible experiences can happen at the nearest bus stop or while taking a train downtown.

Even if today our daily commutes have decreased (thanks to the wonders of working from home), everyone has at least one nasty experience to share. The OP kicked off the thread by telling a story about how they and their girlfriend waited for the bus in the rain.

“Some creepy guy with a huge grin on his face started to make his way toward us from just a few feet away,” they wrote. “I assumed he was just going to ask for some spare change. What he ended up doing was making his way under our umbrella with the intention to share it with us until the bus arrived.” Experiencing such an invasion of your personal space can leave anyone feeling anxious and scared.

#3

took the bus from Ottumwa Ia, to Iowa City... total time on the bus was 11 hours.

I road the entire trip in the back of the bus, at one point i woke from a nap, nobody was on the bus. No driver, no passengers, no left over luggage except mine. Bus was parked in a gas station parking lot, gas station was closed and obviously been closed for years.... imagine an old time gas station at crossroads in the middle of nowhere iowa.

Spent around 15 minutes.. seemed like hours wondering what the fu**?

eventually a car showed up and the new driver jumped on the bus and said "hey, sorry overslept".

was my twilight zone moment.

Derelyk, Nelly Antoniadou

Report

322points

#4

I got on a mostly empty bus and sat down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone get up, cross the aisle, and sit down in the seat behind me. Thought that was weird, but put it out of my mind.

The bus starts moving. A few minutes later, I feel something brush my side. Look down. The dude who'd moved to sit behind me had reached around my seat to touch me.

I turned around and gave him a WTF look. He sat back and muttered a quick apology. I shrugged it off as something odd, resumed staring out the window.

Few minutes later, it happens again.

I turn around and say loudly, "Keep your hands to yourself." Then I get up and move to a seat in the frontmost row.

The bus stops to take on more passengers. Someone sits next to me. I do not look up to see who it is.

Then I feel a hand on my knee. I look over, and it is the creeper.

So I shout, "KEEP YOUR F**KING HANDS TO YOURSELF!"

He mutters, "I ain't doing anything! It was an accident!

A woman nearby has seen and heard the whole thing. She gets up and starts yelling at the guy. He starts yelling back. Bus driver notices and informs the dude that he'll be getting off at the next stop. Creeper is still shouting at that other lady. She lets him know that she'll be getting off to kick his ass.

The driver makes him get off at the next stop. The woman follows. I like to think she beat his a**. She looked like she could have.

TL;DR: Creeper kept touching me on the bus, was kicked off, may have gotten the s**t kicked out of him by a woman who followed him for that purpose.

ninetypoundglutton, Yannis Papanastasopoulos

Report

280points

One study revealed that when people sit close to other passengers on public transport, they experience negative reactions. With the help of 139 urban passenger train commuters during rush hour, researchers found that the density of the train car was insignificant for multiple indicators of stress, such as self-report, salivary cortisol, and performance aftereffects.

However, “the immediate seating density proximate to the passenger significantly affected all three indices.” It seems that how many people are on the train car with you does not play that important of a role. It’s the individual spacing that leads to an invasion of your personal space that makes you feel uncomfortable and stressed out.

#5

I was waiting for the bus late at night, when a guy with a trenchcoat approached me, and whispered "Psst - Hey... want some meat?"
I immediately thought he was going to flash me, but before I could react, he opened his trenchcoat to reveal... meat. Actual meat, in styrofoam packages, in his trenchcoat pockets! Ground meat, chicken.. all kinds of meat.

Didn't even know what to say. I mumbled something about being a vegetarian and ran to a nearby convenience store.

...I actually think it may have been LESS creepy if he flashed me.

likli, Alexandra Iva

Report

257points

#6

I was waiting for the bus to take me home at around like 9pm and these 2 teen boys probably around 16-17 (im 19yrs old) came over to the bus stop and started saying s**t like "hey sexy" "you want to go to my place later" I told them to shut up and they did.

But they followed me onto the bus, I sat in the middle and the 2 teens go on the bus one in front seat of me and one sitting behind me. The one infront of me turned around and grabbed my boob and I just yelled and the one behind me was playing with my hair. Bus driver stops the bus, but before the bus driver got up, an old guy (probably like 60+) got up and flashed a holstered gun and told the kids to get the f**k off the bus before he blows em away. The kids just took off running, never saw em again.

Police came and the old guy had a permit or something to legally carry a gun with him

TL:DR 2 teens tried to r*pe me, old dude with a pistol saves me

deathly_flower, Mos Sukjaroenkraisri

Report

226points

But imagine if the person completely erasing the line of your elbow room is not only annoying but also violent. Whether it’s a bus or a train, you may find yourself in an enclosed space, feeling trapped and isolated. However, there are some tips to have in mind when you have an argument with another passenger and want to defuse it.

Zach Stone, a behaviorist and a violence prevention professional, created the CAIRO method as a quick tool to teach the basics of conflict control. According to him, these industry best practices can “dramatically increase your odds of having a successful encounter in the street, depot, on the bus or trolley, or in your home.”

#7

The very first time I rode the bus I was sitting in the back and this crazy old man sat next to me. He was intoxicated and said "Hey man, i'm sorry man" I said "For what?" "I k*lled your people man..back in 'nam. With these hands man..these F**KING HANDS." I'm asian and I was pretty freaked out. He kept saying he was sorry and then when he got to his stop he said "TELL YOUR PEOPLE I'M SORRY." Then he stood outside the bus and saluted me.

Modernize, manhhai

Report

216points

#8

This was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, and I still get a little nervous walking places alone at night.

I was alone in Paris when I was 17, and after much searching I had finally found the metro station. It was late at night, I don't speak French and the ticket machine did not have a language option. My anxiety was running high until a group of men (maybe mid-late twenties) came up to me and offered to help me buy my ticket. They bought my ticket, and I didn't think much of it until they followed me onto the train. One of them asked me if he could take a picture with me, and sleepily I agreed, again not thinking much of it.

I get off the train to transfer and am walking to the next one when suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see the guy who had just taken a picture of me. He pursed his lips and tapped them, but before I could do anything he grabbed my face and started kissing me. He was forcing his tongue into my mouth and I was too stunned to do anything about it. I didn't want him to try anything worse than what he was doing, but I tried to hit him when he grabbed my boobs. He tried to take me on the next train with him, and I went on, but I jumped back onto the platform at the last second as the doors were closing. I went back to my hostel stunned and silent, unable to think about anything else.

TL;DR: Creeper followed me on the subway in Paris and started making out with me and grabbed my boobs and tried to kidnap me.

megthegreatone, Florian Olivo

Report

178points

Feeling cornered, humiliated or ignored are some of the most common reasons why people become aggressive. This tool works because it was “crafted to reduce the emotions and thought processes that lead to violence.”

First, you have to remain calm. When passengers are challenged, they often raise their voice level: “In response, we may be tempted to try to meet them where they are at, out of instinct.” However, this could lead to a serious escalation. That’s why a neutral tone of voice “is very effective for establishing the tonal parameters (boundaries) of the conversation.”

#9

I couldn't get into a general chem class at my uni, so I was taking it at a local community college after my courses at uni. The days we had lab, the class ended at 11:45p, which was always the exciting time to ride the train on the way home.

One night, I got on the train and stood in the middle section standing area, as to not disturb the characters on the train. A guy gets on at the next stop and stands across from me. I was reading a book and ignored him, although I noticed he kept eying me. As I looked up to check the next stop, he says "You could fit in my trunk."

I immediately got off the train with the next large group and called my boyfriend to pick me up.

reddit, Jodie Walton

Report

172points

#10

I was waiting for a bus in London at around 11pm one night. I was alone at the bus stop until a man in a hoody, sporting a backpack walked up to the stop. He stood at the opposite end of the bus stop and looked over at me in a sort of creepy way. Not wanting to assume he was crazy, but still being wary from past experiences of nearly being r*ped, I casually pulled out my pepper spray and loaded it. He took off his backpack and pulled a pair of gloves and a rope from it, put the gloves and backpack one and then began wrapping the rope around his left hand. I got really freaked out, so I stepped off the pavement to run across the street. Luckily my bus came at that moment, so I ran like a crazy woman onto it and sat down. While the bus was pulling away I looked out the window at the scary man and he was staring at me intensely, with the rope wrapped around his left hand and his right holding it taut. I called my bf after the experience and he just laughed and said I was lying.
TL:DR I'm fairly sure I escaped the clutches of some sort of strangler in Lewisham.

beesareeatingmybrain, Tim Boote

Report

164points

Next, try to remain assertive. “Having confidence in your ability to keep your personal environment a safe space sounds very different than annoyance over losing control,” Stone explained. “An empowered pitch that is coupled with a calm demeanor can be a very stabilizing force in an altercation” and it shows the other person that you’re not afraid of them, but won’t attack them either.

Also, it’s important to make informed statements to let the violent person know what’s going on. Stone provides a couple of examples: “‘We are moving on now.’ ‘This conversation can be saved for another time.’ … ‘I need you to step back from me.’ ’You are invading my space.’” Sometimes, giving the other passenger enough information will help in de-escalating the situation.

#11

I was riding a not very crowded bus in LA, when a very old woman gets on the bus (80s?). She is wearing a skin tight sequined dress, has crazy white hair, and is carrying some groceries. And she has an eye socket that has been completely gouged out. There is still dried blood, and as she stands next to me (there were open seats) she keeps picking at her eye, and wiping her hand on the grocery bags that were banging into me.

She seemed perfectly fine. Just a lady with a completely gouged out eyeball on the bus.

communitychest, Danie Franco

Report

158points

#12

I fell asleep on a bus and woke up to a very old, scary-looking woman caressing my cheek with a very loving touch as she whispered "I've missed you so much." She thought I was her son who died 30 years ago.

circasurvivor1, Jeremy Wong

Report

152points

Another great tool would be to try to reflect and listen to that person. “Often, people just want to be acknowledged and feel like they were heard. Reflective listening allows you to show someone they were heard and move forward with your lesson plan or discussion,” the behaviorist added.

Finally, you can try to ask open questions and try to get the passenger to express themselves. “This is a great tool to not only make a person feel acknowledged and visible, but it interrupts violent thought patterns. By asking opening questions, you give them the platform to address their feelings and get back in control of themselves.”

#13

I was taking the last bus home from a friend's house at about 1 am. The bus is completely empty except for me and the bus driver until we get to a stop about 15 minutes from my house. A man gets on holding an animal carrying cage, sits directly next to me, and pulls a large, fuzzy rabbit out of the cage. He then sticks the rabbit DOWN THE FRONT OF HIS SWEATPANTS and smiles creepily at me until I get off the bus.

eirrac, Travis Grossen

Report

141points

#14

My first year living in a city I was waiting for a bus late at night when two homeless-looking fellows approached me in the bus shelter. They asked if I had any change. I said told them I didn't (which was true). One of the guys pulled out a knife and said "that's cool we can hit up an ATM". "So this is how I die" I thought as I figured they would be upset when they dragged me down the block and didn't get anything out of it (I had $2.80) in my account. Luckily a group of other people walked into the bus shelter at that moment and the guy quickly put the knife away "ha ha, just kidding man!" and they ran off. Then my bus showed up and I got on. THE END

weareraccoons, Eduardo Soares

Report

140points

It’s important to note that you don’t have to use all of these tactics in this order, “You may use combinations of these actions in succession until you bring the person down to a manageable level.”

#15

I am a little big boned, and usually have to sit a little off the seat on the NYC bus. One day, on a busy rush hour bus, at the 42nd street stop a woman comes on the bus and sat on my knee. She was late 30's, dressed like she works in a nice office, by all accounts normal, except she sat on my knee. I didn't say anything for two blocks (genuine SAP moment), tried to gather the courage to say something for the next two blocks, then she got up and left. No one said a word, or even looked at us.

reddit, Melanie Brown

Report

138points

#16

Back when I was in high school, I had long hair, and skinny jeans, and really hadn't hit puberty. Basically, I looked like a girl, especially if I was wearing a baggy hoody so you couldn't see my lack of breasts. It was really common for me on my walk from work to the bus stop to be hit on a half dozen times by drunk a*sholes at the nearby bar.

So one night, I'm sitting there, waiting for the bus, when some guy comes up and sits next to me. He says "Hey, you heard of that Nostradomus s**t? Crazy stuff." I ignore him.

Then we get on the bus. About 15 minutes before my stop, we're the last two people. He comes up and sits behind me, leans over my shoulder, and says, "Hey baby, are you alright? You look upset." I didn't want him to realize I was a guy and freak out, so I just kept my answer super short and said "No, just tired." He says "That's too bad, the night's young," then sits back down in his own spot.

About a minute before my bus stop, he gets up and sits in the seat behind me again, looks side to side quickly, then produces a $100 bill from his pocket and puts it next to me, then moves back to his original spot. I look at him incredulously. He motions me to grab it, then does that eye wink, head cock beckoning motion for me to go sit next to him. I got up and left the bus.

Obviously I took the $100.

TLDR; androgynous teenaged me gets propositioned on the bus by creepy drunk guy, makes it out $100 richer.

LimeJuice

Report

136points

#17

There is a guy who rides on the Red Line in Chicago who will ask to look at your shoes. Do not let him do this. He bends down and starts licking them. One of my friends got his shoes licked, then he asked another one who was wearing sandals. This apparently has happened to several people I know.

Laserblaster, Matthew Henry

Report

135points

#18

A drunk bum tried hitting on me, I kindly told himto get out of my personal space. He proceeded to pee his pants, then try to grab me. About 6 full grown adult males were around to see this, no one did anything, so little 5 foot 2 inches me has to throw this guy to the ground. What can I say? I'm a woman beast.

Report

130points

#19

When I started college, I had neither the car nor the money to drive myself from my house to the campus. So I rode the bus. It was a small vehicle with maybe 12 seats total because I live in a fairly rural area and it was a specialty service. Pretty much the same people rode the bus day in and day out.

One guy on the bus started hitting on me every day that we both rode beginning day one. I was 17, and he was somewhere in his late 30s. Informing him of this fact never deterred him. Over time, he became more aggressive and more crude. Numerous times the bus driver interjected and told him to leave me alone.

The final straw came when I got on the bus and he moved to sit in the seat directly behind me. He leaned over the back of the seat and told me that what he had in the jug he was drinking from wasn't actually apple juice like he'd told the driver, but beer. He offered me some along with a few suggestions about partying with him. I declined and changed seats at the next stop. He followed me, again sitting in the seat directly behind mine.

Again he leans forward over the seat, and again he suggests some carnal acts that we could engage in. I tell him very forcefully to leave me alone and that I am going to change seats at the next stop and he shouldn't follow me.

He followed me. As I begin to appeal to the driver, I feel him lean in behind me and bury his face in my hair, taking a huge whiff. I scoot forward in my seat and the driver begins to reprimand the guy for harassing me. At which point the guy reaches forward, says "Damn your hair smells good," and grabs a hunk of my hair which he promptly rips out of my head and stuffs into his pocket.

The bus driver pulled over, called the police, and I never saw him on the bus again.

TL;DR - Creepy 30-something guy perpetually hits on 17-year-old me every day on the bus until he pulls out some of my hair to take home with him and is arrested.

EmilyamI, Paul Siewert

Report

129points

#20

Not as much creepy as it is sad:

Waiting for a bus in North Berwick, Scotland. It was the middle of the day so it was mostly old people, and beside a couple of old ladies it was just me. It was also raining so we were inside the shelter. After a few minutes a man staggers in. He looked to be around 60, and was dressed in a 3 piece grey suit. He was also drunk and you could smell the beer on him. He wimpered and muttered to himself for a few minutes, then taps me on the shoulder and says 'I don't know how I got this, I'm a strong man.' He repeated it a few times, and I asked him what he got. Apparently he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons and was obviously upset about it. He didn't say much except that he was a 'strong man' and started crying. The bus came and I helped him wobble up the steps and sat him down near the front. He just looked out the window and wept and muttered. I got out before he did, so I don't know where he ended up.

ChoadFarmer

Report

124points

176