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Etiquette expert Zarife Hardy says playing phone audio on public transport is hugely rude and offers polite ways to ask someone to be quiet, while noting fines exist in Victoria and proposed penalties in the UK.
Playing phone audio out loud on public transport is hugely rude, says etiquette expert Zarife Hardy. She is the founder of the Australian School of Etiquette, a company that mainly works with businesses to foster good manners.
Hardy says people are now treating public spaces like their own lounge rooms. She defines etiquette as a set of standards and rules that we should follow in society, in life, and in business. These rules, she says, make our days nicer and our relationships better. It is a code of behaviour that allows us to happily share public spaces.
Etiquette experts warn manners declining
But manners are declining as we live faster lives hooked up to personal devices, she believes. We have turned into a society of It is all about me, Hardy says. We have got to come back to It is about everybody, she adds. The question is what induces people to turn on a phone speaker on a train, bus or tram.
Fellow passengers then hear one side of a tedious conversation, or both sides, or noisy videos. You can fume about rudeness, or you can do something about it, Hardy says. But she warns that etiquette should not be insisted upon at the expense of personal safety. If the offender is intoxicated or aggressive, just move seats, she says.
If you are going to say something, be polite. Do not say, Hey, that is too loud. Turn it down. Instead, try, Look, I am really sorry, but that is a little bit loud.
Public transport phone call rules vary
Would you mind turning it down, Hardy advises. If you are actually travelling in a quiet carriage, it is fine to politely point that out. Concentrate on the behaviour you would like to change, not on attacking the person. In Victoria, travellers on public transport are free to make or receive phone calls, as long as they are using headphones.
Non-compliance could mean a $261 fine. No similar restrictions exist in NSW, although there are regulations that warn against disrupting the comfort of others.
Global push emerges for harsher penalties
Meanwhile, a push for harsher penalties is becoming global. Last year, in the UK, the Liberal Democrats proposed a fine of up to £1000, about $1880, for headphone dodgers. Hardy says it would be a sad indictment if we needed the heavy hand of the law to force us to consider the comfort of our fellow passengers.
It is a sad thing in society now that we see signs in shopping centres that read, Please be nice to the staff, she says. Like, how much has changed in our personal interactions with others in public life that we need those now, she asks.
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brisbanetimes:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Zarife Hardy Phone Speaker Rudeness Quiet Carriage Rules Headphone Fines
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