Transport for London abandons the phrase, 'ladies and gentlemen'

[editor]

It's the end of an era!

Transport workers across London have been told to stop using the words “ladies and gentlemen” in tannoy announcements to customers in a city-wide bid to become more gender-neutral.

Bosses at Transport for London told staff to use terms such as “good morning everyone” instead of the more traditional gendered greeting.

All new pre-recorded announcements are also set to be changed to new phrases.

If follows months of campaigning by LGBTQ+ activists who appealed to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to change the “outdated” language which is commonly used by train and bus drivers.

TfL boss of customer strategy, Mark Evers, said they want "everyone to feel welcome on our transport network".

"We have reviewed the language that we use in announcements and elsewhere and will make sure that it is fully inclusive, reflecting the great diversity of London," he added.

Campaign groups have praised TfL’s move, calling terms such as ladies, gentlemen, sir and madam as “polite but really belonging to yesterday”.

TfL scraps 'ladies and gentlemen' announcements in bid to be more gender-neutral

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Ladles and Jellyspoons

 

[Ptolemy]

"Comrades" would be better, imo.

 

[Artaxerxes]

"Oi Cunts!" Was in retrospect far to gendered a replacement.

 

[Supine]

Dear poor people...

 

[Pickman's model]

Serfs

 

[phillm]

 

[Miss-Shelf]

I'm looking forward to hearing it. Good for TFL leading on this

 

[phillm]

I imagine Littlejohn and his assorted dubious bully-pulpit hate preacher cohorts will riff off the "political correctness gone mad" trope before mananging to get muslims in their somehow.

 

[NoXion]

Excellent. Now everyone using TfL services can all feel equally worthless! Progress!

 

[not a trot]

Fellow earthlings.

 

[phillm]

Absolute Lads and Lasses

 

[bimble]

It'll probably be 'customers' as a default unless the announcer is one of those rare ones who in a good mood have fun with their job and make stuff up, I love it when that happens.

 

[phillm]

The only time I'm a gentlemen is when someone calls me it. Every day we die a little more.

 

[Pickman's model]

The only time I'm a gentlemen is when someone calls me it. Every day we die a little more.

every day is a winding road, phillm

 

[phillm]

It'll probably be 'customers' as a default unless the announcer is one of those rare ones who in a good mood have fun with their job and make stuff up, I love it when that happens.

pretty rare these days and probably grounds for disciplinary action. Whilst we are on the subject of trains and announcements could Virgin and all the other guards or whatever they are stop the 5 minute announcements after every stop on an inter-city (or whatever they are called). We know where we have just stopped , we know where the next stop is , we know that the buffet sells a selection of hot drinks and snacks and there is a toilet at the end of each carriage and we need to look after our stuff.

but more of this please.

 

[Sea Star]

This has been rumbling on a couple of years now. The rule book, officially, was changed a while ago but somehow people end up working from old copies - and I think at one point the old wording crept back in to a new print so its not exactly been quickly adopted.
Don't expect a huge amount right away though - it'll probably take years to replace all the recordings and people are generally very resistant to changes they don;t want to see. Some people have been very resisitant to this one.

 

[EastEnder]

I bet many of the platform staff will hate this - "ladies & gentlemen" is one of those expressions that can be used sarcastically to express discontent with peoples' behaviour. As in "please move down the carriage ladies & gentleman" - the implication being that well behaved ladies & well behaved gentlemen would not need such prompting.

Whereas "could everyone please move down the carriage" lacks the subtle condescension, and as such fails to convey the sentiment that "civilised people should know better".

I imagine many of the more world weary tube staff will continue to say ladies & gentlemen for quite a while yet.

 

[phillm]

I bet many of the platform staff will hate this - "ladies & gentlemen" is one of those expressions that can be used sarcastically to express discontent with peoples' behaviour. As in "please move down the carriage ladies & gentleman" - the implication being that well behaved ladies & well behaved gentlemen would not need such prompting.

Whereas "could everyone please move down the carriage" lacks the subtle condescension, and as such fails to convey the sentiment that "civilised people should know better".

I imagine many of the more world weary tube staff will continue to say ladies & gentlemen for quite a while yet.

ladies and gentlemen could become the new code words of the bottom-up resistance. Followed by some sort of secret sign like a raised middle finger.

 

[bi0boy]

They should get rid of gents and ladies for the loos to. I bet foreign tourists get confused with that. Not that "stick person" and "stick person with triangle dangling from waist" is much better.

 

[phillm]

They should get rid of gents and ladies for the loos to. I bet foreign tourists get confused with that. Not that "stick person" and "stick person with triangle dangling from waist" is much better.

That pretty much well underway isn't it. Have had a few occasions when I've been stumped for where the bog is to find it is 'for all'. Or gingerly gone into a loo and thought this is funny no urinals only to have a woman come out of a cubicle. Fulsome apologies and then the embarrased comment it's unisex.

 

[Miss-Shelf]

One of my fav bus anouncemments :. 'people, lovely people, please move down inside the bus, make way for your cousin's to get on'

 

[The39thStep]

As long as they don't say 'Guys'

 

[EastEnder]

One of my fav bus anouncemments :. 'people, lovely people, please move down inside the bus, make way for your cousin's to get on'

More appropriate for somewhere like Norfolk, I'd have thought.

 

[a_chap]

"People of Earth, your attention please..."

 

[Yossarian]

"Dearly beloved..."

 

[Idaho]

"Drones".

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It'll probably be 'customers' as a default unless the announcer is one of those rare ones who in a good mood have fun with their job and make stuff up, I love it when that happens.

"Customers are advised that..."

One of my pet hates.

 

[EastEnder]

"Customers are advised that..."

One of my pet hates.

Why? What's wrong with that phrasing?

 

[twentythreedom]

'You people'