A beginner's guide to London underground etiquette | Dhillon Hotels

1. A beginner's guide to London underground etiquette London is a beautify city with so many scenic places to visit. The London underground is termed as one of the easiest mode of navigating through the city. Hundreds and thousands of people use the London underground on a daily basis. The London Underground has been termed as one of the simpler form of metro system to work around. This can be considered based on the fact how huge London city is. There are clear lines in different bright colors, simple form of indications with regards to where one can change and the straightforward signs for the stations. Though it sounds simple, it is must to understand the rules and the guides while travelling to this new place. If you are one of those who are planning for a trip to London but have never ridden through the tube earlier, this guide would prove to be helpful so that you avoid breaking any rules. Ensure to stay on the left side everywhere you travel, while walking. Don’t walk in between or in a wrong direction. If you want to stand still while on the escalator, then it should be on the right hand side. On the left side people tend to pass way quickly without having to wait. Be aware about the rush hours at London Underground. It is very busy mostly during certain rush hour timings wherein commuters are moving around in the city for various purposes. The trains as well as the stations would be crowded mostly between 07:00am to 09.30 am and in the evening between 05:00 pm to 07:00 pm. Never come into any commuter’s way. With the kind of hustle bustle which follows more in the morning or evening hours, they would not want to be stranded by any commuter. Similarly avoid talking to any strangers specially during the morning hours when they are busy to rush to office. London is a place where people wear whatever they like to hence you would come across someone wearing some kind of bizarre clothing but avoid staring at them. It would make them feel uncomfortable. However, if you do get caught while starting at someone, then immediately look somewhere else within milliseconds. The last thing one would want is to get a good hearing from that person for staring at them. As similar to eye contact, avoid smiling as well to any of the commuters or strangers. They may take you as someone weird. Ensure to keep your hands and body to yourself. Avoid touching the commuter. This is more of a basic decent manner which every human being should understand. At some places this behavior is treated as very much inappropriate and strict actions are taken. Ensure that you are not standing at the edge of the platform. The same applies in case of fellow passengers. Mind your gap unless the platform is seriously very crowded and you are forced to get close with someone, otherwise there should be a distance between you and the fellow commuters. One of the most important rule to be followed in the London Underground is to allow people to get off before you get in. This can be common in other places but in London underground if one does so then it is an invitation to an angry mob of people.

2. Oyster card is a must if you are travelling through the tube in the London Underground. If you do not have one, then purchase a Visitor Oyster Card which is half the price. Without the oyster card it is advisable to avoid that long queue at the barriers else you would be making people wait up. Get the oyster card out well before you reach your turn. Else it would irritate the others for making them wait in the queue while you are busy digging out the card. Once the person ahead of you has swiped the card and gone through, do not wait for the barriers to close before you swipe. You can swipe your card and pass through it, it would save time. More of a mannerism, ensure you smell good while travelling. Be considerate about others noses. Hence shower well and apply deodorant. It is considered to be rude when you tend to read over others shoulders. If you want to read, then get your own newspaper or book. People would not like this behavior. You are strictly forbidden to eat the following, fast food, foods which smell strong, foods which are messy while eating and hot food. A decent sandwich is something which you can go in for. Others look quite offensive while having it down there. Do not hassle when you spot a celebrity. You are not allowed to break the personal space or rush towards someone just for a selfie or an autograph. At such times, it is better to ignore rather than creating a ruckus. While in the tube and place to sit, ensure that you hold on to something to avoid any immediate staggering behind or bumping into someone and later making them apologize. Incase if you enter the wrong tube or miss a stop do not tend to panic. There are London underground trains which run at an interval of every two to seven minutes all depending on the lines hence you can calmly get down at the next stop and locate the tube map which would be available on the platform to work out the next steps for locating the correct train to travel to the right station. Beware of pickpockets who operate during the peak hours at the stations or the tubes. Ensure to carry a bag with zips so as to keep all your personal belongings as well as valuable items with you. It would also keep them safely stored away from any such untoward incidents. While planning the journey, check to ensure of there are no line closures or any kind of train delays. This mostly can occur during weekends when there is maintenance work being carried out. There are various websites which can provide help on the live network updates and will also provide alerts on any kind of disruptions else it can also suggest for an alternative method. Avoid standing at the doors and get in everybody’s way when you have a lot of belongings with you. Find a corner and make your way past people and stand there until your station arrives. Do not hesitate to ask for help. The London underground staff are very much helpful in guiding you on queries related to routes, tube, nearest exit. There are Transport London officers who are posted at all stations, you may find one at each station.