Annoying Cell Phone Use

The conductor himself became a troublemaker in the car

Watching movies or listening to music loudly without headphones—unfortunately, commuters have to put up with this time and again. In this case, it was the conductor himself (small photo).(Bild: Krone KREATIV/ÖBB / Harald Eisenberger, zVg. Privat)

A commuter is annoyed by a particularly inconsiderate passenger who was loudly watching a movie on his cell phone without headphones early in the morning. But then came the surprise...

Anyone boarding a train at 5:17 a.m. expects to see sleepy faces and early-morning quiet rather than loud movie dialogue. 

Gerhard B. commutes daily from Neunkirchen to Vienna and was therefore all the more surprised when, last Thursday, he suddenly heard loud English voices coming from diagonally across from him. “I looked over and saw a man in gray pants and a white shirt who was eating his breakfast while loudly watching an English movie or TV show on his cell phone—without headphones,” the commuter told the “Krone.”

Shouldn’t a train conductor—even when traveling for personal reasons—set a good example?

Gerhard B., Pendler aus Neunkirchen

Watching movies or listening to music loudly without headphones—unfortunately, commuters have to put up with this time and again. In this case, it was the conductor himself (small photo).(Bild: Krone KREATIV/ÖBB / Harald Eisenberger, zVg. Privat)

B. had already intended to point out to the man what he saw as a lack of consideration. But it didn’t come to that. Because shortly before Wiener Neustadt, the “troublemaker” suddenly stood up and disappeared.

The “troublemaker” was a conductor off duty
But not to leave the train. No! Instead, it came as a huge surprise when this “troublemaker” suddenly reappeared as a conductor and checked Mr. B.’s ticket. “I was so taken aback that I couldn’t say a word,” said Mr. B. He wonders whether a train attendant shouldn’t be setting a good example?

ÖBB promises to further raise employee awareness
The ÖBB states: “We take this feedback seriously and will once again raise awareness among our employees internally,” the statement reads. After all, the goal is to ensure a pleasant journey for all passengers. At the same time, however, considerate behavior among all travelers is also necessary.

For Gerhard B., at any rate, the experience leaves a bitter aftertaste—because the very person you’d normally call for help when there are problems on the train was the one who caused the biggest problem that early morning.