I find people who watch videos, listen to music or have phone conversations with their phone on speaker mode to be quite annoying but unfortunately it is a fairly common behavior across the world. I have read online that some folks have started carrying cheap disposable headsets that they hand out to folks who are doing this. I personally just ask them to put on a headset if they are next to me. (Had to do that in a flight where a guy next to me was watching a movie on speaker). The french have a different way of handling it which I quite like: they just fine the person. 🙂
A few days ago a passenger on the French rail network SNCF was issued a €150 fine for using his phone on loud speaker within a train station. He was asked to switch-off the speaker but instead argued with the official so was issued a fine.
The passenger, named only as David, told French TV channel BFM that he was on the phone to his sister while waiting at Nantes station when the SNCF staff member told him to switch his phone’s loud speaker off, or risk being fined.
When he argued, he was served with the €150 fine, which has been increased to €200 because he did not pay it immediately. David says he intends to hire a lawyer to contest the fine.
SNCF confirmed the fine, although its version said that David had been in a waiting room of the station.
A company spokesman told Le Parisien that he was issued with the fine for disturbing other passengers, saying: “If he had played music at a high volume, it would have been the same thing.”
It would be awesome if we can have the same thing in India as well. I doubt it will get implemented in trains but I definitely want it for Airports and flights.
Source: Slashdot: French Train Passenger Fined $155 For Using Phone on Speaker
– Suramya