Bus drivers in Warsaw are asking passengers engaged in a loud conversation on their mobile phones to get off. 

Pictograms showing a crossed out mobile are being pasted in buses operated by the MZA biggest municipal transport company.

One reason why the bus company is trying to deter mobile chat is technical. “Telephone signals can interfere with electronic equipment”, MZA spokesman Adam Stawicki told the Warsaw city daily Zycie Warszawy.

But there are also higher motives behind the ban. MZA wants to promote savoir vivre among passengers. People shouting on their phones are a nuisance to the driver and passengers.

Municipal transport companies in other cities do not share the anti-mobile sentiments of MZA. “We don’t see the need for such a ban. It would be difficult to enforce”, said a spokeswoman of a similar company in Gdansk; while Krakow city transport company representatives thought it was a joke. (kk/pg)