Why don't people give up their seats to the needy?

everybody values their senior citizens more than the UK does ,look at the pension situation..ours is one of the worst in Europe if not further afield

Recently, when in London for a few days, it was people without British accents who gave up their seats for us. In one carriage I think everyone was no more than half our age and 5 of them were children of about 10 - 15 but didn't offer us a seat.

A few weeks later we were on a train out of Birmingham in the rush hour and found ourselves standing next to the seats which had a notice saying 'Please offer these seats to the elderly or disabled'. No one did. DH has trouble standing for long but we would have been OK if we hadn't heard an announcement saying there was a delay. I asked him if he was going to be OK standing for longer and we had a conversation about it being a shame no one offered a seat. A couple offered us theirs and we thanked them and said it was a shame that those in the row behind who were sitting in seats which should have been given up hadn't offered. We sat down and then the young woman who should have given up her seat got out her season ticket and ranted that she had paid for her seat and was going to sit in it. We pointed out the notice and she said she had been travelling on this train for 4 years and hadn't seen it. She then proceeded to have a hissy fit and said she was going to have a panic attack, she had never been treated so badly, she would have given up her seat to her parents etc. on and on and one. We got off at the same time as her and were behind her walking to the car park, she was perfectly fine chatting away on her phone!

Fortunately where we live anyone needing a seat would have to choose between all the offers which would have been made!

I have found that members of ethnic communities are more likely to give up their seats to elderly passengers (me) than youngsters of my own race. What does this say about us? When I had a few days in Rome, using public transport a lot, I was most impressed with the alacrity with which I was offered a seat. Do Italians value their 'oldies' more than we British do?

It seems some people honestly don't know about manners.
I see smart young people, dressed immaculately, on their way to work, with their feet up on bus/train seats!

Some do, many don’t.
I seem to strike lucky (sorry Luckygirl!) whenever I use the tube. Must be the silver hair, couldn’t *possibly be the wrinkles!
When Paw was alive and he was still able to use public transport he would stand there with his walking sticks so I would just collar any seated passenger and ask them to give up their seat for my disabled husband. Paw would never have asked, I have no such scruples.

‘....that good men do nothing’ is the quote.

However this is simply disgraceful. Yes, shameful I agree Bridgeit

I've seen elderly people give up their seats for other elderly people while the young and fit sit tight. Maybe they just don't know any better.
I had to get off a bus last week as no seats. I knew there was a bench at the next stop where I could sit and wait for a bus I might get a seat on. No way I could have stood hanging on all the way to town.
Young people today (mutter mutter shakes head sorrowfully)...

Well, I suppose one can only say , selfishness, lack of compassion, ignorance or perhaps may be just not knowing if they should ( hard to believe, but you never know) very sad ,what is wrong with people, do we no longer know how to communicate, I once read -all it needs for evil to exist in the world is for one man to do nothing. All though this was not an evil act, there certainly wasn’t any kindness or thoughtfulness around. Shameful really?