SINGAPORE: A frustrated Singaporean commuter took to Reddit on Friday (Feb 14) to vent about how people on the MRT have become completely glued to their phones, especially during peak hours.
In his post on r/askSingapore, he wrote, “Why are MRT users so oblivious and occasionally inconsiderate? I can’t help but notice that during peak times, almost everybody is scrolling on their phones whilst walking through stations.”
“Other instances include blocking train doors whilst on their phone when it’s quite obvious loads of people want to leave the train. Aren’t people in a hurry to get to work/school?” he asked.
He then shared a personal encounter from earlier that day, where a man straight-up bumped into him and others “because he just wasn’t looking up.”
After glancing at what people were doing on their screens, he realized most weren’t even handling work-related stuff. Instead, they watched TikTok or YouTube or played games.
“Not by any means saying that using your phone on the MRT shouldn’t be allowed; that would be ridiculous. I just want to understand why this has become so normal. It is incredibly annoying,” he complained.
“Phone zombies are everywhere…”
His post sparked a flood of reactions from fellow commuters, many of whom agreed that phone-distracted passengers are a daily irritation.
One commuter recounted an incident at an interchange station where they attempted to board a train, only to find two women standing directly in front of the carriage doors, engrossed in their phones and wearing earphones.
They added, “I stared them down for a second; they didn’t move. I asked nicely, ‘Excuse me,’ but they had earphones on and attention on their phones. The door was gonna close, and I couldn’t waste any more time getting their attention, so I had to shove one of them… I feel my civic-mindedness is degraded, but what should I do?”
Another commenter shared their strategy for dealing with inconsiderate commuters who block train exits. He wrote, “I always steel myself to walk through people trying to get in as I’m getting out. Last week, this happened. The dude was 75% in front of the door, so I just walked straight ahead and gave him a good impact shoulder check.”
A third person pointed out that this issue extends beyond train stations, calling it a widespread phenomenon caused by “phone zombies.”
They said, “Phone zombies are everywhere. Even walking on normal pathways, I see people using their phones while walking slowly. Oblivious how slow they are and sometimes blocking the way of others. They probably think it’s effective to multitask, I guess.”
However, some people felt that others should be more understanding, saying that this kind of behaviour isn’t always intentional. One person explained that people often operate on autopilot, especially in the mornings, following the same routine day after day: waking up, getting ready, commuting to work, completing their tasks, returning home, and repeating the cycle.
“It’s nothing personal,” they noted. “They aren’t thinking about you or anything else. They are just escaping into their phones from their mundane lives.”
In other news, a man shared on social media that he and his partner feel extremely anxious after realizing their savings will soon be completely depleted due to house, renovation, and wedding expenses. In a post on r/askSingapore, he provided more context about their situation, writing:
“We are in our late 20s and are currently waiting for our BTO, which is due in 2027. Our combined income is around $7K+, and we have been saving aggressively as we are both very frugal. However, come 2027, we are likely to use up all our CPF OA and savings for the house, renovation, and wedding.”
Read more: Singaporean couple anxious about going broke after BTO, wedding, and renovation
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)