Entitled Parents on Public Transport

DH disabled, I often call out for someone to stand up in the tube to allow him to sit. Occasionally someone gives me their seat I thank them and ask if DH can have it instead as I am old whereas he is old and disabled

I travel on the Elizabeth line quite often and usual get offered a seat. If I don't I ask.

Juniper1

The’old bat” had contributed a lifetime for that bus pass.

How do you know? She may have been a SAW and contributed very little.

I went out to work for over 40 years and always paid the full stamp but it does not give me the right to behave like lady muck, take up two seats and force a fellow pensioner to sit on the edge of the seat.

I have had a pensioner bus pass for 16 years now and I well understand that it does not entitle the holder to behave like a selfish - and expect everyone to respect you.

I find people are quite good in offering me a seat on the London underground, I'm 76, still work, and quite honestly very hale and hearty and usually fine to stand. I'm always very thankful though, and accept if I'm going on a long journey or feeling my age!
I often think,I don't know what kind of day my fellow passengers have had, or if they are actually in good health! If travelling with my grandchildren, I'd rather they sat and I stand, as they rarely travel on the tube and would be falling all over the place.

Penygirl

I was shocked to see dogs occupying seats on a recent train journey. The train was crowded and I had to stand, but to be honest I wouldn’t have wanted to sit where a dog had just been!

Probably better than sitting after a child!

I remember going through China Town in London on a bus with my then 15 yr old daughter. An elderly Chinese lady got on and my daughter immediately jumped up and offered her a seat. The lady turned to me and said "your daughter? I said yes and the lady said "nice girl". I was so proud. She is now 40.

Juniper1

The’old bat” had contributed a lifetime for that bus pass.

Yes!

I’m not sure about Adults being entitled to a seat more than children. I was brought up thinking this but is it really how it is? If the child can sit on mum yes but otherwise are we really saying children count less than adults,?
What are we saying? I was born in 1941 and wish I had had the upbringing of today’s children rather being made to feel invisible and I was just a child.

Really annoying when parents take up 2 seats for the pushchair and then sit child on a seat instead of a lap. 4 seats, one ticket! Also, don’t get me started on parents on phone ignoring the child!

Magenta8

I have also experienced having to rest one cheek on the edge of a seat on a bus because an old bat refused to move her bag onto her lap. As she was elderly and no doubt had a bus pass, she hadn't paid for one seat let alone two.

I get so angry when people do that. It happens a lot on crowded trains too.

We noticed in Italy a few decades ago that frequently on buses adults stood up to let young children sit down. The driving was rather wild and children standing were flung about. I wonder what happens now?

The’old bat” had contributed a lifetime for that bus pass.

Sometimes ago, my daughter and I traveled on the train up to London.
It was packed as usual and one particular seat was taken up by a lady and her shopping bag in the seat next to her.
My daughter asked lady if my mum could please sit there.
She reluctantly moved the bag and I sat down.
But you shouldn’t have to ask.

GoodAfternoonTea- That lady has the same idea as me! I use a walking stick and it’s quite obvious I am disabled. If I get on a bus and there’s no free seats and seemingly able bodied persons sitting in the disabled seats I ask cheekily “Do you mind if I sit on your lap cos I can’t stand up! “ They soon shift!
On one occasion I gave up a disabled seat for a very obviously pregnant young woman and went and asked a young boy if hed mind sharing his seat with me! Sometimes they just need a nudge. In my younger days I traveled from London to Norwich on the train standing up with two children, a pushchair and several bags of luggage. It was rush hour and no one offered me a seat. When the ticket inspector finally came along (about half way home) he helped us into 1st class- phew.

Maggielily. It is correct that in busy periods passengers are allowed to sit in first class without having paid any extra.
I travel into London on trains and underground quite regularly. I am frequently offered a seat, mostly by ‘foreigners’.

Maggielily On our trains there is an announcement about first class seats being at the front of the train. That would imply that the carriage labelled first class at the end of the train is reclassified. I really must remember to ask someone at the station sometime.

No excuse for the way you were treated though, and I hope your cancer treatment is successful.

I’ve been travelling on the train into London for Cancer appointments. Because I need to be isolating as much as possible and standing for the 2 hour journey would be too much for me, DH and I have been travelling first class.
I’m amazed and how many young people sit in first class when they haven’t got the appropriate ticket - you can tell as when the ticket inspector comes through they make a swift exit.
On one journey there were less carriages than normal so the train was packed with no seats even in first class. I said to the full carriage, that we did have first class tickets and I needed to sit down as I was going for Cancer treatment. Mostly I got no eye contact and one man, in his thirties, told me that when a train was busy they could sit where they wanted! Afterwards I thought of some appropriate responses but at the time I was so shocked I was speechless. An elderly gentleman on holiday from Germany was the only person who offered me his seat.

talking about bags on seats- several years ago a bus driver ( on a single storey bus with too many bags on seats) told the passengers that they would need to pay for the extra seat unless they moved their bags. Suddenly the seats became available!
I now ask people to move their bags and at times I've even picked it up and put it on the persons lap.
What i do find annoying is the growth in the need for shopping trolleys - I once travelled on a bus with no less than 8 shopping trolleys which blocked the aisle.

I see your point but me being made to stand up and hold on tight do I wouldn’t go flying made me of strong stuff and not a wuss like many kids of today.

friendlygingercat

I have never hesitated to ask people for a seat or to move their bags. Only once did a woman with a bag on the seat beside her ignore me on the train. I removed it from the seat and dumped it on the table in front of her. She was not a happy bunny.

Not the same thing but I once had to take the middle seat on a plane (something I avoid like the plague) because two flights were amalgamated. Shoryly after takeoff the man beside me put his hand down between us and began to feel my thigh. I dug my elbow hard into his chest and shouted out "Get your filthy hand off me you pervert." He jumped out of his aisle seat which I then immediately occupied, and told him to find anothe sear as he was not sitting next to me. I pressed the alarm and one of the cabin crew came, just as I was berating him for being a filthy pervert. They found him a seat elsewhere. That was a flight he was not going to forget. I wonder how many women he had done that to who said nothing out of embarrassment.

😂😂 👏🏻👏🏻 friendlygingercat

Penygirl

I was shocked to see dogs occupying seats on a recent train journey. The train was crowded and I had to stand, but to be honest I wouldn’t have wanted to sit where a dog had just been!

Well unless the dog has bought a ticket it would have to get off the seat.
Am not sure it is even permitted to allow pets on bus/train seats, have not ever seen this.

I was shocked to see dogs occupying seats on a recent train journey. The train was crowded and I had to stand, but to be honest I wouldn’t have wanted to sit where a dog had just been!

Babs03

There is a difficulty with priority seating on buses and trains, passengers often don’t realise they are sitting on a priority seat, they should be highlighted in a much more striking fashion than just a slightly different colour of seat or a notice above it that nobody reads. When I ask politely for someone to give up a priority seat for my disabled DH I do firstly ask if they need a priority seat and quite often they don’t and were unaware they are sitting on one. Have come across people who mutter and tut all the same when they have to give it up, but there are those who apologise and get up immediately.
There really is no point having priority seating if people don’t know about it.

Some of the seats on our buses now have “Priority Seat” woven into the fabric on the seat back!

Mistymitts, perhaps she had paid the full fare for her bag🤣. You should have asked her.

I am near,y 70, and look it. On a crowded train there was a spare seat next to a young woman but she had her bag on it. I asked her if Anyone was sitting there. She said No, but didn’t want anyone to sit there, so her bag got the seat. I was speechless!