Commuters on Virgin’s London to Manchester rail service are being offered free ‘privacy bags’ to deter complete strangers from striking up unwanted conversations.
This follows last week’s BBC survey revealing that certain travellers actually welcome unsolicited gossip with total strangers. Some train companies even provide ‘conversation starter’ cards for people to place on their table which offer enticing personal tidbits such as ‘I don’t know what to do about my Athlete’s Foot’ and ‘I collect First World war underwear’.
However, angry commuters appear to want no part of such familiarity and Virgin were quick to introduce this typically British solution
Account executive Tasha Lipton, 29, sounded impressed: “They do get a bit hot after an hour or so,” she said, “but it’s really worth it. I mean, who wants to listen to a fifty year-old spoon salesman called Bernard with garlic breath going on about his model train set for two and a half hours?”
Another brilliant idea seriously flawed by a designer that has obviously never travelled on a train! Conversation ceased on the train with the invention of the mobile phone and the I pad anyone talking to a fellow traveller is definitely frowned upon. How, if you are wearing one of these poorly designed boxes can you wear ear phones and see the screen. The only time me and my chums have been spoken to on our regular traiun rides was when Alfie my chums friendly dog wagged his tail up inside a young lady’s short skirt! All was forgiven when she realised it was a friendly doggy. Good job she didn’t see the helmet cam on his tail !!!