‘Preloaders’ are the Tube’s most annoying commuters on the way to work

If there’s one situation we all want desperately to avoid with our colleagues, it’s bumping into them during our morning commute.

There’s nothing worse than standing in a busy Northern Line Tube carriage at 7:30am and having to make mind-numbing small talk with Brian or Sandra from the office about what they had for dinner the night before. 

And yet it’s a daily nightmare for some poor Londoners. 

Fed up with this frustrating behaviour, Metro is calling out these commuter vampires, who suck the energy out of you, by giving them a name (that comes with a side of shame): ‘Preloaders’.

We’ve picked this term because these people are in your face, offloading on you first thing in the morning, pre-work. It’s a time that should be silent and sacred, but they’re ruining it for you.

And we’re not the only ones who feel strongly about this.

Jenny, 45, who commutes to Baker Street each morning admits she ‘hates’ when colleagues chat to her during her commute, as she thinks there are better ways to pass the time.

She tells Metro: ‘Travelling is already wasted time, so I try to maximize my time when I’m on the train or Tube and make it a bit more valuable. I’ll have my headphones on to catch up with the news, I’ll catch up on some emails and just try to get things done. 

‘Knowing I have that time pressure, as the journey only takes a certain amount of time, it makes me super productive. If someone speaks to me, it throws off my whole morning. I hate it. 

‘It’s not that I don’t want to see people or that I don’t like them, it’s just wasted time for me, I haven’t got time to chit chat early morning or late evening about basic stuff like what I watched on TV last night.’

For Milly, 26, from London bumping into a colleague before work is something she finds incredibly draining.

‘It’s mortifying to bump into a colleague during the commute,’ she says. 

‘If it’s pre-work, I’m in no fit state to hold a conversation with anyone, let alone a colleague. If it’s post-work, we’ve already spent 8+ hours together, so we’ve got nothing left to talk about and I have nothing left to give. My social battery is depleted at that point.’

As such, she’s formed an ‘unspoken agreement’ with one colleague who takes the same route to work as she does, in order to avoid being stuck in a constant preloader situation. 

‘We stagger our office leaving times and stand at complete opposite ends of the platform. We often end up on the same Tube but in completely different carriages.’

She adds: ‘We once acknowledged this at the pub a few pints deep at a work social and we laughed it off. It’s just too awkward.’

Over on TikTok there are numerous videos addressing this exact problem as well.

In one clip, @queenvictoryy films herself trying to cover her face up on the Tube, saying: ‘When you see that chatty a** colleague on the morning commute. It’s too early, pls man.’

Similarly, @thatcorporatelawyer posted a video of himself commuting and pretending to glare at someone as they walk by, captioning it with: ‘A coworker heads towards the empty seat next to you on the commute. PLEASE WALK PAST ME.’

@user6987913518578 commented: ‘It’s already bad enough to have to deal with co-workers during work! So just leave me alone in peace and don’t talk to me outside of work.’

And on Reddit, one person revealed that Metro had actually been helping them avoid unwanted conversations first thing.

They wrote: ‘I had a friend’s boyfriend on my commute in the mornings. It’s the time I read the Metro just to clear my head for work,’ they said.

‘Day one he chatted no end [about] stuff I had no interest in. I have a busy morning sending kids to school and this 40 minutes is when I decompress.

‘Day 2, got my Metro paper, made initial small talk then opened said paper and read all of it. He swiftly got the message. He took the later train, 10 minutes later.’

So how should commuters deal with pesky Preloaders?

You don’t want to chat to your co-worker before you get to the office, but you also don’t want to cause a problem for yourself at work, so how exactly do you swerve this interaction and avoid coming across like an a**hole?

Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn Career Expert has shared her expert advice and it turns out it’s totally fine to just smile and wave and leave it at that.

She said: ‘The morning commute is one of the few moments we get to slow down, to reflect, catch up on industry news, or simply scroll online for ideas and inspiration before the day begins. These small actions can make a big difference in helping people feel more connected, focused, and ready for the day ahead.

‘Of course, that quiet moment can quickly disappear when a chatty colleague manages to hop on the same train. And if you’re not up for a 7:45am deep dive into weekend plans, you might need to bring in some subtle cues to create some space. Think headphones in, book open, polite smile firmly in place. These gentle social signals usually get the message across without the need for an awkward conversation.’

But if you somehow get roped into a chat and want to find a way out, honesty is the best policy… as long as you are ‘graceful’ about it.

Charlotte explains: ‘If you’re caught mid-commute chat and want to wrap things up gracefully, try something like, “I’d love to keep chatting, but this is my quiet recharge time before the day kicks off!” It’s friendly but sets a clear boundary.

‘And if it’s happening regularly, honesty (delivered kindly) is your best approach. You might say, “I’ve realised I really value a bit of quiet time on my commute, it helps me hit the ground running at work.” Most people will completely understand; chances are, they’ve been in your shoes too.

‘And if all else fails, a little humour can also help, something like, “I promise I’m not ignoring you, I’m just not fully human before 9am!” tends to lighten the mood while making your point clear.’

She adds: Those quiet moments, on your commute or over a coffee, can make all the difference in setting the tone for your day.’

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