[derdi]

Many subway systems have displays showing that the next train is right behind the current one, and yet many people still insist on getting on the current overcrowded one.

[DharmaPolice]

Certainly with buses people have been burned where they are told that another bus will be along in 2 minutes only for that to evaporate and the next bus actually takes 15+ minutes. If that happens to you then you'll squeeze onto the first bus you can physically fit.

It takes quite a long period of good service to undo one bad interaction.

[closewith]

Which makes sense, as the next one may be equally or more overcrowded. In a busy urban area, it may be hours before an uncrowded train arrives.

[derdi]

I'd argue that that's not bunching, it's the entire system being overloaded. A characteristic of bunching is that you have a pair of vehicles which together carry an average manageable load of passengers, but that load is unevenly distributed between them.

[HappyPanacea]

Perhaps they should offer a discount for boarding the next train or a price increase for boarding the overcrowded one or even both?

[bell-cot]

Too difficult to implement - crowds on a busy subway platform are very different from boarding planes at an airport.