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Commuters already worked up by the time they reach the office

9th August 2013 Print

The extreme summer weather and delayed trains aren't the only things get commuters hot under the collar, according to research from uSwitch.com. While those keen to escape the boredom of their journey may turn to loud music, it is the biggest peeve for fellow commuters, leaving six in ten (59%) worked up before they arrive at the office. However, while one in the (11%) have asked noisy passengers to turn the volume down, more than a third (34%) have suffered in silence.
 
And it's not just people listening to their own music too loudly that winds commuters up - four in ten (39%) are annoyed by people sharing music and videos with their friends via speakers. A third (33%) think gamers should turn their sound off and 15% are annoyed by people watching violent or explicit programmes on their commute. Even using the commute to catch up on phone calls is a no-no for some - more than a quarter (27%) think phone calls on the train should be kept short and sweet, while 6% think they should be banned completely.
 
But annoying fellow passengers isn't the only problem with using smartphones on the journey to work. Over a quarter of a million commuters (5%) have missed their stop because they were distracted by their phone or tablet, and a further 594,000 (10%) know someone who has done so. In fact, 6% of commuters think that it's not safe to use devices when commuting as people are not aware of what's going on around them.
 
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, says: "Smartphones and tablets are both a blessing and a curse. Streaming music and TV may be a great way to pass the time, but they can be the bane of some commuters' lives. Turning up the volume may be the only way for some to escape the daily grind of the commute, but maxing out the volume so that everyone else can ‘enjoy' it too isn't going to make you many friends.
 
"Keeping the volume down, turning off key sounds and investing in good headphones can help make everyone's more commute a bit better. And make sure you're not so engrossed in your phone that you miss your stop - no-one needs a longer commute that they have too."