Train etiquette

You realise that it also happens that people with children (gasps) ALSO need to travel at rush time?

Or do you feel, that because you’re working, it gives you some sort of priority pass/a step up on the ladder of who deserves some respect in public transport?

Seriously, rush hour is crap for everyone. If you’re annoyed at it, take it to the government/whoever is running your public transport instead of having a go at other users. It’s not going to be fun for them either.

Yes, but it's no more your seat than anyone else's.
Some people also expect a whole seat for a toddler and some folk find that a bit entitled. I have mixed feelings, depending on who else needs a seat or how busy it is.

My other suggestion would be that next time, one of you buys a first class ticket.

5 years plus pay, under that don't.
Some train companies have deals where children go very cheaply with a paying adult.

I thought children had to pay a fare? Nevertheless, any man sitting down, or young woman, whilst a woman stood holding a small child lacks manners if nothing else. Etiquette is that you give up your seat to someone who needs it more than you.

Yeah, I do sympathise with you, OP, but if there were two of you there, you fold the buggy and one of you holds the child, in their arms or a sling.

I would have let him carry on drumming for the whole journey 😆

I have read your replies @EmJA85 and am genuinely confused. To the best of my knowledge the fast trains to St Pancras don't run from Margate but from Ramsgate. Even those that run from Ramsgate aren't fast, fast.

I would venture that if you do this journey again, it would probably be easier to take a train back on yourself to Ramsgate or Margate and take the train from.one of those. The line from.Ramsgate that goes through Margate is not generally as busy.

You can't. I get this train a lot. There are however, a lot of local stops.... It's not fast all the way to Stratford!! 🤣

Right, now you've clarified, that is the bit of poor train etiquette.
It's really surprising that as a regular train user you genuinely thought that trying to manoeuvre an upright buggy onto a packed train was the best thing to do. They take longer to get on and take up so much floor space for the size of their inhabitants. When it's so busy on the platform that some people aren't going to get on at all, it's a very selfish thing to do.
If you then stopped at the door to collapse it, of course people were pushing past you if the alternative was that they stood and waited politely but then probably became one of the people who missed the train.

You're telling me why your point isn't relevant, not why mine isn't. Anyway.....

Wtf? That’s crazy. I’m sorry.

It doesn’t because the claim wasn’t people here are prioritising pets and bags over toddlers.
Just like we haven’t said that people who need a seat should be giving them up. Just like OP clearly talked about the attitude towards her and her child in addition to the seat. The last two sentences are addressing some of your other comments on here.

Your situation is completely different than OPs - I hope you get the help you need.

Again, this reply wasn't to you, but to a specific earlier response (the one I quoted).

It fits perfectly.

That’s bloody awful.

Most people with buggies/prams would attempt to fold them before getting on the train though, unless absolutely unavoidable.

Agree. Got worse since lockdown I think. Sadly not the norm these days to think of anyone other than yourself! My little boy was bumped into by a woman getting off the bus, I had him by the hand but she took a big step to the side for some reason and he got shoved into the door and banged his head. She whipped around and I expected an apology but she blamed me because how was she supposed to know he was there?! And shouted that I should have been carrying him. Baffling.

Thank you for this, I have just been looking at it. It’s difficult as DC can walk short distances but cannot stand for long. I think I am going to contact the train operator as we are travelling again soon and have been worried about it. There are never any staff at our local train station so need to contact them in advance. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Especially when there are two parents to manage the buggy and baby - unfolded is madness. Of course people are going to squeeze past as you then try to collapse a buggy. People aren’t going to stand behind you and wait because you were ‘first’

Ab unfolded buggy/pram, unless completely avoidable (small baby, disabled child, maybe an exhausted child) is probably a no no on a busy train tbh.

I actually once was on a train and there was no seats but plenty of standing room as well as a dedicated buggy space. A woman got on with a baby in a buggy, parked the buggy in the space then got the baby out of the buggy to hold him and started shouting at the carriage when no one would let her sit down and how disgusting it was that she was left standing while holding a baby. The baby was perfectly content in its buggy. Why did she need to take it out? She just wanted a seat clearly. No one got up so she put it back in the buggy and got off at the next stop. It was quite bizarre.

I can’t believe I am seeing people adamant that they wouldn’t help someone advocate for a seat on the basis that it isn’t their responsibility. Individualism in this country is wild and it’s amazing how many don’t appear to see how these attitudes filter into wider social and political contexts.