Giving up your train seat...

I do give the seats up for elderly and pregnant women. But there's always that part of my brain that says "Why should I give my seat up for the pregnant lady, it's not my fault she's pregnant!" my mind can be a bad person.
 
Sash said:
I do give the seats up for elderly and pregnant women. But there's always that part of my brain that says "Why should I give my seat up for the pregnant lady, it's not my fault she's pregnant!" my mind can be a bad person.
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You can never tell if they are just fat, and it's dangerous to say "Say dear, you're with child, have my seat" when they are just fatties.
 
I don't use public transport anymore, thankfully, but when I did use to ride a bus in my student years I would give up my seat for anyone who asked. Unfortunately, most of those who asked for my seat did so in a "I shouldn't have to ask you, you should have offered." kind of way.
 
PiKe said:
What irks me is when you pre-book, the train is delayed then your seat reservation isn't worth diddly squat.
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I haven't thought this through but personally I don't think you should be able to reserve seats on trains, it just causes a lot of hassle in my experience:

-On busy trains (the most likely ones you 'need' to book for), often you can't even reach your seat without barging past all the standing people.
-Even when people can reach their booked seat, they then have to evict the squatter which sometimes results in a debate "but but but I've booked a seat too and I can't get to it / where do you want me to go I can't even get out into the aisle / **** off" or they feel guilty because a pregnant/disabled/elderly person is sat in it
-On trains where reservations are simply bits of paper stuck in the top of the seat, it results in endless streams of people checking the reservations, leaning over each other on crowded trains etc
-In any event I've seen unscrupulous characters just removing a reservation from seats they haven't booked (judging by the fact they got on at a different station than the starting point of the reservation)
-If the train isn't busy, then almost by definition there is little need for a booked seat, it is just a waste of time/resources

Anyone who ever gets the 17:24 Bristol > Portsmouth train should know where I'm coming from with much of the above, as it is always, without fail, standing room only - I've literally never been on it when there has been space for everyone to sit down

Anyway going back on topic I'm usually fairly generous and will give up my seat if I think there is a genuine reason why I should (physical condition whether it be pregnancy, age, disability or whatever). Typically if I'm stood waiting for free seats at the next stop I'll also give first dibs to women.
 
wndzr said:
I sit on a train for about 40 minutes a day travelling into the office and a discussion at work today has led me to make this post and ask: who do you give up your seat for on the train/bus?

I'll be honest and say that as a general rule, I won't give up my seat to anybody except pregnant women on the train. I find people who get on peak time trains with a load of shopping bags particularly irritating and won't surrender my seat regardless of age.

Am I the only person who thinks like this?
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One could argue that pregancy is self-inflicted while old age isn't. So why the preggos and not the oldies?
 
When I was in Prague using the tram I was sitting in a seat and got a little jab in my back turned around and it was an old lady. No doubt I would have given her my seat but it seemed quite rude and she didn't seem at all thankful. Oh well.
 
old people and pregnant women, also disabled people. i make a point of sitting next to people with bags on seats next to them. Also on a recent trip to Rio i noticed that on their buses there is the usual priority seat sign with a picture of a disabled person, pregnant lady and old person but also a picture of a fat person, made me chuckle a bit.
 
I've been commuting since January and never felt the need to give up my seat. I get the 6.47 to London from Christchurch so it's pretty quiet anyway. It gets busy st Winchester where I get off but if I did get busy in the morning I'd give my seat up for Pregnant women or someone who is physically impaired.

The train home is full of college kids and I wouldn't give up seat for a loud annoying teenager if you paid me!
 
MooMoo444 said:
You can never tell if they are just fat, and it's dangerous to say "Say dear, you're with child, have my seat" when they are just fatties.
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Without the baby badge, i cab only assume the person in question likes large breakfasts.

I recently found out that the baby on board badge can be procured by women from stations without proof. I'm shocked.
 
lol at the faux "alpha" guys who said they wouldn't move for anyone. Rather amusing. Want alpha? You'd bloody move if I asked you to, and that I can guarantee ;)

I'm not on the tube long enough (3 minute journey) to offer a seat, and then again I have to perform a ruck to get onto the tube (I always get on).

However, if I am on a train, if someone looks like they are in more need than me then I offer my seat. It's called being a gentleman, but also a decent human being.

Though it does wind me up when you offer an older lady with presumably her grandchildren and she gets the children to sit down :/ I offered the seat to you not a young hyperexcited youth!
 
I'll give up my seat for someone pregnant or obviously having need for it due to age or infirmity but if you are older and still pretty fit then don't expect me to move.

It can be a bit annoying on the tram I catch in the evening (which is in the rush hour period so hence is busy all ready) when you get a bunch of OAPs getting on in a mass at the front of the tram rather than using any of the double doors down the length of it ... and then spend the whole trip moaning that there is nowhere to sit and it's really crowded ... if you got on in the middle of the tram then you probably wouldn't have gotten a seat but you would have had plenty of room.

My morning tram is normally nigh on empty so it's not an issue and my current train commutes normally have plenty of seats and are short enough that I normally stand and talk to people I know instead.
 
I commute 20 mins by train into London and then similar amount by tube. I never bother to sit down as I reckon I'm stalked by pregnant women and people so old they remember queen Victoria, ready to appear every time just as I'm getting comfortable.
 
The thing is for short journeys I don't get the want to sit down. You're generally healthy young men it won't harm you to stand for a bit considering you probably sit at a desk most of the day.
 
Really annoying when someone is sitting there with bags on another seat and then tuts when you ask them to move them :mad: I kinda want someone to refuse to move them so I can pick the bags up and throw them down the isle.

I stand up for old people as I'd hope that younger people would do the same for me when I'm old. I'd also stand for pregnant women as if the train has to emergency brake and they fall it could have bad results :eek:.
 
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