We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about their most awkward experiences on the London underground – here are some of the best responses:
1.
3. I was travelling back to my uni campus after work just after 12am on the District line. It was just me and one other guy on the carriage, when he looked me dead in the eye, got on all fours and started crawling towards me barking like a dog. Luckily we arrived at the next stop before he reached me. I've never flown off the tube so quickly in all my life!
Submitted by sophiew46a57775b
2. I was sitting in a deserted carriage one evening so decided I would sing along to my iPod at the top of my voice. I was really in the zone, so much so that I hadn't noticed the fact that about 20-30 people had got on at the next few stops. I was perfectly sober.
Submitted by larak471abf2e1
3. Once, on the Central line, I was absent-mindedly trawling through Facebook on my phone after discovering tube Wi-fi. I reached my hand up to grab the overheard rail when I felt something in my hands as I grabbed it. I looked up and saw a mass of hair in my hand, and when I looked down I saw a very short, angry, now bald woman staring back up at me. After realising it was her wig tangled in my hand, all I could do was put the wig back on to her head and apologise profusely.
Submitted by keeganpo
5.
6. I was once caught in a carriage with a busker on a pretty packed tube and every once in a while he would sing a verse and then point to a random commuter to finish the lyrics. About halfway into the song a guy gets up and gives the busker some money, the busker thanks the guy and politely asks "Where are you from?" to make conversation. The guy ignores him and sits back down and the busker begins to sing again. This time he points at me and I don't wanna be the miserable one to shake my head and stop the fun so I begin to finish the lyrics.
Halfway through my verse the guy who gave him money asks the busker exactly what he meant by his question, taking it as a racial dig and getting really heated about it. The busker stops playing his guitar and proceeds to claim that he was just being friendly. This then turns in to a huge fight between them, the tube stops and people scream as the guys fight and all I can do is keep on singing "Hey Jude" at them.
Submitted by Max Gyte via Facebook
7. I was on the tube one time with my little sister and a family friend of the same age sitting next to her. I was sitting there thinking about nothing when a woman who had sat down next to me leant over and asked: "Are they twins?"
I told the lady that they were just friends, thinking that that was it and I could go back to pensive, blank looks. It took a good few minutes, but her response had me blinking and trying to think of any kind of reply until my stop a good 10 minutes later.
She said, and I quote: "I like to find them on trains. Like a collection."
Submitted by Islay Shelbourne via Facebook
8.
9. I was on a train once, sitting opposite me was a girl and a guy. He tried to take a picture of her but his flash went off and his face just went red... I wanted to laugh but its was just too awkward – everyone was just looking at him. No one said anything for a few seconds and she just went, "Delete it," and he did. He got off at the next stop and the train burst out laughing, including the girl.
Submitted by David Spears via Facebook
10. One quiet evening on the Northern line I noticed two girls giggling uncontrollably. It wasn't until the man opposite stood up (drunkenly) that I realised he had a hole in his crotch and his balls were hanging out for all to see!
Submitted by christinamaries49f11c6b9
11.
12. I was on this really loud, noisy carriage one time, and this mother was letting her toddler run around all over the place. The little girl walked up to the pole I was holding on to, and literally began to lick it. As in, she was licking all the dust and gross stuff off the pole, and her mother didn't even notice. She left with her daughter at the next stop, and her daughter wiped her mouth with her hand vigorously. I discreetly moved to hold on to a different pole, for obvious reasons.
Submitted by slightlycrazy06
13. One rush hour morning a guy was super rude to me on the tube for no reason. As he got off his foot got tangled in the strap of my bag and he proper face-planted on to the platform. I just kicked my bag out the way and willed the train doors to shut.
Submitted by cherrieh2
14. I had just finished work and had been on my feet all day. When I got on the tube the only seat available was the disabled seat by the door so I sat on it. The train got busy and a couple of stops later, an old lady with a walking stick came on and her son asked me if she could have my seat. I said, "Of course," but then I couldn't get up! My legs had seized up and the son awkwardly said, "Oh, I see you need it," and then asked the people in the opposite chair to move...
Submitted by smileyma
15.
16. There was a man wearing a hippy waistcoat, burgundy trousers, and a top hat skipping up and down the aisles playing the guitar. He stopped right in front of me and proceeded to play Green Day's "American Idiot" (I was in my emo phase so he probably assumed I liked the song.) He refused to stop or move down the carriage until I sung the chorus with him.
Submitted by indianaj3
17.
18. I was on the tube one time coming home from a bar and a man was blatantly intoxicated. My friends and I were kind of egging him on to dance and stuff. Next thing I know he's licking my friend's shin, starts to lick mine (thankfully we were both wearing pants), then proceeds to stand up and out of nowhere quickly lick my scalp. Needless to say, I immediately took a very hot shower when I got home.
Submitted by cardoerr
19. I once dropped one of my bags on a packed train, and it landed between the legs of a fetching gentlemen standing next to me. I decided that rather than knocking into people trying to retrieve it, I would grab it while smoothly manoeuvring out of the train, as the next stop was mine.
In reality, I ended up falling forward and headbutting the man in the crotch, missing my bag as I stood back up, then headbutting him in the crotch again on my second attempt.
Then I ran.
Submitted by Adam Lynch via Facebook