Asked to give up my seat on bus

Yep. I'm of an age where I get offered a seat on the tube or bus. And interestingly, it's almost always youngish men that offer. Women, hardly ever.

Young people can be pretty self-absorbed and self-centred, and it's good to be reminded that other people's needs and comfort are important.

Your ability to ignore the irony of coming out with comments like the above and yet accusing others of being ageist is pretty remarkable.

Do you think ageism only happens to older people? Because you are being very ageist.

TFL has been giving them out for a long time now. Given that Londoners are the most likely to use public transport, it probably makes sense.

YABU

Early sixties isn't a reason to need the seat, it's a working age.
Sure, if you have a specific need - and a recent injury definitely counts, keep the seat and express it (I'm afraid I'm not safe to stand today either). It doesn't have to be very specific, but quoting your age as a reason sounds just entitled
And as for telling her who should she ask instead, that's not polite, that's just patronising. Either just that say you can't help, or do something useful (ask around for her benefit). Telling her who she should ask is just weird.

You were right to refuse. I expect you looked the least likely to object, so she she picked you.

You probably just looked the most approachable and it’s fair enough for you to say you need the seat, not all disabilities are visible either. Did she manage to get a seat? When I was pregnant and somebody who also needed a seat came on I’d ask loudly to the people around could somebody give up a seat for them as I was preggers. Usually somebody did, most people don’t even look up to see if anybody needs a seat. So you can help by asking other people for her if you want to be proactive and kind about it…

Why is the comfort of an able bodied adult more important than the comfort of a teen or child?

Well, that was the condition of my school bus pass - and was the case for at least one whole generation (raised in the 60s & 70s).

Actually, I don't think it was a bad thing. Young people can be pretty self-absorbed and self-centred, and it's good to be reminded that other people's needs and comfort are important.

Well, being honest, when you aren't hugely pregnant you can stand on a bus as long as you are able to hold on. The larger you become the more uncomfortable it is and in my experience most people offer their seat to you when you are visibly pregnant and on public transport.
I don't think anyone was bring unreasonable though. It is just one of those things.

I’d have said “I’m sorry I have an injury and also need to sit. “
when I was pregnant I was very fortunate that I was always offered a seat and it’s been the same since I’ve needed my walking stick (despite being in my forties)

I'm also in my 60s (mid-60s in my case) and usually get offered a seat on public transport - I can't remember when I last had to ask. I'm also visually impaired but it's not immediately obvious, and when I was younger I often had to ask. Most people are polite and considerate and give their seat when asked, but it could sometimes feel awkward or scary to make the approach.

I think if I'd been the OP, and if I'd had the presence of mind, I would have asked on behalf of the pregnant woman, in a jokey kind of way. I'd've assumed she was a bit frightened of asking and had asked me because I looked kind and non-threatening, so I would have wanted to help her out.

I never said anything about badges though.

Fwiw I had terrible pregnancies where I was hospitalised a number of times throughout.

But I still think that being pregnant doesn't automatically mean you're entitled to a seat, as certain other pp were saying.

Not sure how that's being a dick.

No. These badges have been around for a few years now.

Im not from London but I think its a long standing thing over ten or fifteen years

JFC people are selfish assholes.
Older doesn't equal earned a seat.
If unable to stand then say so, but apologize and maybe offer help, but don't bury your head in obv shame. 🙄
It takes a lot to ask a stranger for a seat so she likely thought OP looked the nicest and most understanding.

I would have looked around at people and said, Could someone offer their seat to this pregnant woman, please?

It would really annoy me if no one did.

Don’t feel guilty! She asked you because she was too intimidated to ask the younger people. Good for you that you refused. She should have started with the younger ones.

Never heard of a pregnant woman wearing a badge, is this a new thing?

I obviously get off on advocating for pregnant women on a parenting site, where we have had such gems trotted out as "pregnancy is a choice" and "pregnancy isn't an illness"

As someone else pointed out 60s is middle aged. She's hardly elderly!!! It has nothing to do with ageism, it has to do with sticking up for a pregnant lady on a parenting site!!!

Do make your mind up. Either she's far along enough that she might harm her baby by falling (but OP says she wasn't showing) or she's in the early stages before it's visible and I'm fairly sure it would take an absolutely catastrophic incident to injure a tiny foetus that's still held within the very protective space of the pelvis.

I actually don't think you care though. You seem determined to be unpleasant to the OP and anyone else advocating for her.

Hopefully you'll also point out all the ageism to young people on this thread...

She was fine to ask. You were fine to say no. I am 44 and have a disability that makes balance hard. You wouldn't know if I was standing or sitting on still ground, but once the bus is moving, I am really unsafe if I am standing. You would not know I am not perfectly able to stand until the bus is moving.

I would expect to be occasionally asked to stand as sitting on a still bus, no-one would know I couldn't stand. Equally, I might ask someone to stand who looks able to just like I do, but can't, just like I can't. It's fine, you just ask someone else.

This would have been a good way round it, sort of making it a joint problem rather than hers alone.

Have you not been on the tube? Maybe you're out of London.