Hey Commuters! Be More Considerate!

Deanie Ip (centre) to the rescue in teaching commuters how to behave

Earlier this week the Hong Kong Transport Department released a video featuring veteran actress Deanie Ip and various examples of the inconsiderate things people do while commuting in buses and the MTR.

There's a long list -- 12 of them -- which is why the video is just under three minutes long. The misconduct on the MTR includes eating in the train, hogging a pole, not giving seats to pregnant women or the elderly, rushing into the train carriage, and doing exercises in the carriage.

When it comes to the bus, no-nos are putting feet up on the seat, not wearing headphones while watching videos on smartphones, or is too engrossed with the phone to realize the bus as arrived at their stop, or not holding onto a handrail while the bus is moving.



Ip -- who also uses public transport -- chastises each of the people who are rude or inconsiderate, delivering funny lines. A woman practices kung-fu in the carriage and Ip says, "Wow! Your kung-fu is world class. How about a backflip?"

Meanwhile a young woman savours a macaron on the MTR and it turns out she has an afternoon tea set on her lap. Ip says, "You've gone way too far. Why not hotpot even? Eating or drinking is not allowed on trains."

Perhaps you shouldn't eat afternoon tea on the MTR...

There have been many comments saying the video portrays what commuters experience on the bus and MTR and think it's amusing or pleased these issues are being addressed.

Personally I find it embarrassing that the Transport Department has had to come out with this video to remind people what they should and shouldn't do. Why have people become so inconsiderate?

So far over 435,000 people have watched the video online. I can only hope from now on the number of rude incidents commuters encounter daily will decrease!