Metro readers have weighed in on the etiquette of waking sleeping Tube passengers, with opinions ranging from grateful appreciation to firm requests to be left alone.
Grateful for the nudge
Yemi from Dagenham said they have appreciated being woken on the few occasions they have dozed off, noting that missing your stop is not nice. They also recalled waking commuters on the District line twice, nudging them awake when they recognised their usual stop. One of those passengers became a friend.
Dec from Essex described a former colleague who frequently nodded off on the Tube, covering three quarters of the Underground network during his commuting career. Dec said waking someone comes down to gut instinct: if they would appreciate it, he might; if they look likely to round on him, he would not.
Concern for the stop
Lana Marshall on Facebook said she is more worried about the person missing their stop than about annoying them by waking them up. She taps them and says, 'Hey, don’t want you to miss your stop.'
Roman Debauch on Facebook disagreed, saying he pretends to be asleep to avoid being pestered, so waking him would be problematic.
Context matters
Lyndsey Foster on Facebook said she would wake someone on a last or late train out of London if she had heard them mention their stop earlier or recognised them, especially if it is a woman on her own. Otherwise, she would not.
Michele Landau on Facebook described leaving a woman sleeping on the Tube on Thursday morning in case she was heading further down the line. Despite the woman's jerky sleep and nudging her arm, Michele did not feel that was sufficient to wake her.
Melissa Andrews on Facebook said her body would wake up on its own at her stop from frequent night bus travel, thanks to neighbours who do not let her sleep.
Laura Griffiths on Facebook said she would like to be woken personally, but acknowledged it could be difficult to do politely, so she sees the dilemma.
A clear boundary
Jenny Louise on Facebook, who has narcolepsy, asked not to be woken, explaining she has already set an alarm five minutes before her stop. Kobe Ans on Facebook said they only wake someone if their head drops on their shoulder.
