A new survey suggests we’re easily annoyed by commuters on London’s underground. We asked the public to tell us their biggest travelling irritant

What is the most annoying thing you can do on public transport?

If you like being liked, best avoid travelling on public transport. According to a new YouGov survey, no matter how you behave on the London Underground, at some point you’re likely to annoy someone.

Of a list of 20 irritating tube behaviours, 90% of Londoners say that entering a carriage without giving passengers a chance to get off is annoying, 74% hate it when people put bags on seats, 71% find smelly food a nuisance and 56% dislike it when people take too long at the ticket barrier. With talking loudly, wearing a backpack, manspreading and, of course, failing to move down inside the carriage all listed as possible travel faux pas, it is tricky to get through rush hour without rubbing someone up the wrong way. And which Londoner hasn’t squeezed themselves on to a packed tube in an attempt to get home just a little earlier?

With this in mind, we asked the public what really grinds their gears when travelling on public transport.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Julius Francis. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Edward George. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Julius Francis, 45, Cologne, Germany, post office worker



“Buses are the worst. People are shouting at each other and there is loud music. People are better behaved in Germany than London: they don’t really speak – and if you speak loudly on public transport, everyone turns around and looks at you.”

Edward George, 77, London, retired



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chris Tucker. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

“Trains are the most annoying. It’s the people pushing. Years ago, it was peaceful, with everybody respecting each other. If they saw an elderly person on the bus or train, they let them sit. Now people don’t care, they shove everybody and want to get on first.”

Chris Tucker, 52, Edinburgh, business analyst



“Most annoying is people standing outside the bus doors when they get off. They move a few paces, dump their luggage and no one else can get out. People with rucksacks are annoying, too, backing into you and turning around all the time with no awareness of other people. Be aware of what’s around you!”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jane Stedman. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sandra Katsoulakis. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Jane Stedman, 30, Manchester, college teacher



“I hate it when women brush their hair. I really don’t mind them doing makeup, but brushing hair really gets on my nerves. I try not to look. Just now someone did it next to me. It was long hair, too long to be brushing on the train!”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Billy Hays. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Sandra Katsoulakis, 54, Leeds, retired



“Buses are the most annoying. I don’t use them very often; people tend to have lots of bags and push into you. I think letting everybody hear your music is annoying, too. Please, just use headphones!”

Billy Hays, 21, Bury St Edmunds, student



“Speaking on the phone on morning trains is the most annoying. Everyone’s sleepy and trying to get to work – you don’t want to hear people on the phone. This morning, a man was having some kind of row – I was trying to read my book. Everyone was just looking at each other.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Siying Quah. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Swar Muhammed. Photograph: Antonio Olmos

Siying Quah, 20, Cambridge, student



“People eating smelly food on buses is really annoying: burgers, sandwiches, drinks. What if the drink accidentally spills? I always take the earliest bus because there are fewer people.”

Swar Muhammed, 40, London, special-needs professional



“The London Underground is the most annoying, especially at rush hour. But it’s unavoidable, I can’t not use it. People don’t move down the platform and they stop at the bottom of escalators. A few months ago, it was really hot and all I could smell was other people’s odours – that was a bad moment. ”