SINGAPORE: A disgruntled commuter recently took to social media to vent his frustration about what he described as the worsening behaviour of some “aunties and uncles” on public transport. He said it seems that basic courtesy has gone out the window, with some older commuters now feeling entitled enough to shove others and cut queues when boarding buses and trains.

Posting on Reddit’s Singapore Raw forum, he recounted how he personally witnessed such behaviour while waiting to board bus service 166.

According to him, everything was going smoothly at first. The man directly in front was standing patiently at the bus entrance, waiting his turn, while the passenger ahead took a little longer than usual to tap his card. It was just a minor pause, nothing that should have caused any disruption.

However, that small delay seemed to set off an impatient auntie standing behind him.

“Out of nowhere, the auntie behind me starts shoving and suddenly shouts at me: ‘Why are you just standing here?’ Then she makes this loud, annoyed ‘tsk’ sound, pushes past me, and even shoves the poor guy in front straight into the bus.”

The commuter said the most frustrating part was that the bus wasn’t even crowded. It was a fairly empty double-decker with plenty of seats on both levels, so there was absolutely no reason for anyone to rush or push. 

“There’s plenty of seats…so like… what’s the point?” he said, before adding, “Why the rush? Everyone’s going to get a seat. Is this just me being extra annoyed, or do you all also encounter these impatient aunties/uncles who shove and cut queues even when it makes no difference? What’s the rationale here?”

“Uncle/Aunties are the true gangsters in Singapore”

Many Singaporeans in the comments agreed, saying they also find this kind of behaviour extremely annoying.

One shared, “I can assure you there are many such miserable people in SG, most probably having made bad life or financial decisions and blaming the whole world for it, except their own stupidity and incompetence. Once in a while, you’ll encounter one of them, but I’m used to it already. There’s no point in arguing or getting angry. Let them deal with their own mess ...