Man allegedly uses plastic bags to ‘chope’ spot outside MRT platform doors, leaves commuter fuming
A commuter was “flabbergasted” after discovering that a man had placed a pile of plastic bags in front of the MRT platform doors to “chope” his place in the queue.
The commuter, Oh Ee Ching, told Stomp that the incident happened at Outram Park MRT station, at around 4.30pm on Aug 8.
Recounting the incident, Oh said in a TikTok post on Aug 11 that she was waiting for a train at the MRT station when she noticed two full plastic bags placed in front of the train doors.
When the train arrived, the bags’ owner — someone whom she described as a “middle-aged, able-bodied” man — stood up from the seating area and retrieved the items, she says in the video.
The 28-year-old business analyst adds that the man then planted himself outside the train doors and “just went right in” when they opened, instead of allowing other passengers to alight first.
“I wonder if we have degenerated so much as a society. Is this a new trend? I already have low expectations of courtesy in society, but this is a new low,” she muses, saying his action of “choping” his place in the line was “ridiculous”.
“It really boils down to how selfish you want to be. It’s appalling that we actually need signs to tell you to be considerate to other people,” she continues. “Shouldn’t this be an innate thing?”
She calls out people who allow “selfish needs” to influence behaviour, saying that she was “speechless” at how such actions are being “tolerated in public”.
‘Flabbergasted’ by commuter’s lack of awareness
Speaking to Stomp, Oh said there was “no need” for the man to place his bags there, as the platform was not crowded at the time.
“I was flabbergasted as he seemed to have no awareness of how his actions inconvenienced others or any consideration of his surroundings,” she said.
Oh noted that other commuters were seemingly unfazed by his actions.
As the train arrived shortly after she noticed the bags, she did not confront the man and boarded through a different door instead, adding that the cabin was slightly packed.
“Although such behaviours do not fall under any wrongdoing and nobody is obligated to be nice, little acts of consideration or kindness go a long way, especially for people who may be having a bad day,” she told Stomp.
SMRT’s website advises commuters to allow passengers to alight before boarding trains.
Netizens caution against sweeping statements
The post, which amassed over 28,000 views, also drew a number of supportive comments from netizens.
“It’s really hard to expect everyone to be considerate. I’m already numb to people who jump queues or dash into the train like nobody else exists,” a user commented, while others described the encounter as “insane” or “annoying”.
However, others offered a different perspective, noting that such behaviour should not be generalised to the wider public.
“There are probably many people out there adhering to the ethics while boarding,” one netizen raised.
“Don’t feel disheartened due to one person, he doesn’t represent the majority of us,” another agreed.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
