Brno mocks noisy passengers: transport authority releases absurd video about loud phone calls

Brno's public transport authority has teamed up with actors from the Husa na provázku theatre to produce a series of satirical videos poking fun at badly behaved public transport passengers. The first clip, dedicated to loud phone conversations on trams, racked up more than 185,000 views on social media within a single day.

According to Miloš Havránek, general director of the transport authority, the idea grew out of everyday passenger complaints. "Most people know they shouldn't talk loudly on the phone or play music on public transport and disturb others. Yet we see this kind of behaviour every day, and passengers keep asking us to do something about it. We didn't want to create just another campaign that lectures people," he explained.

Absurdity instead of moralising

In the video, one friend tells another over speakerphone, "You could catch a venereal disease," while a passenger sitting nearby visibly grimaces in disgust. The irritated fellow rider eventually asks what would happen if everyone behaved this way — and a flood of calls promptly breaks loose.

The video's cast of characters includes a scammer in a blond wig telling someone he's inherited "two million dollars from a Nigerian prince," a weary call-centre worker, a financial adviser discussing investments with a client, and a paramedic giving instructions over the phone: "You need to stick the sharp end of this pencil into his throat." The dramatic ride ends with the unfortunate passenger literally tumbling off the tram at the Tichého stop.

"Honestly, the actors really pushed the boundaries, and since filming took place on trams actually in service, they ended up entertaining crowds of real passengers too," said the authority's spokesperson, Hana Tomaštíková.

Polls right inside the trams

The campaign, titled "Šalina for Everyone" (in Brno, trams are traditionally nicknamed "šalina"), launched on Monday. The videos will gradually be rolled out on the transport authority's social media channels and shown on LCD screens inside the vehicles.

Alongside the videos, the authority has launched social media polls asking which behaviours by fellow passengers are the most annoying. Results will reportedly be displayed directly inside the trams, so that undisciplined riders can see how others feel about their conduct. Preliminary figures show that 65% of respondents are bothered by eating on board, while 59% are annoyed by passengers wearing backpacks instead of carrying them by hand.

The next batch of videos is due to appear online in about a month.

Read also: Brno: what to see and where to go

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz