Eating on public transport
February 15th, 2010
The answer is no, eating ought to be banned on public transport in the same way that alcohol was. This has only come about because of the growth of the fast food industry and the subsequent demise of cheap places to sit down and eat with cutlery. The fast food industry has been allowed to grow unregulated while passing 50% of their responsibility (litter, unwashed hands, somewhere to sit down in comfort and eat) outside the door. It is true that McDonalds and perhaps others do pay their staff to clean up in the immediate area outside the door but beyond that litter is still dropped, and worse on windy days it can end up some way from its origin.
When more cafés existed it was only possible to take away food such as a sandwich in a brown paper bag, a piece of fruit, or a tea or coffee in a (chunky) polystyrene cup with a lid. https://www.classiccafes.co.uk shows the way things were and could be again. The only way to change this is by using them more and eating inside at the place of purchase, and not on public transport.