What's your thoughts on reserving seats on train ?

[Lastdaysofsummer26]

Seen two rows about this, this year already

First time an older man, told a lady with a small child she was in his seat there was plenty of other seats at the time so she grumpily told him can't you just sit there....

Then today two families were on a train, a load of woman came on in hen party and wanted getbthe families to leave,As they had reserved the seats, they refused to move, then a staff member came along asked them to move but the staff member also told the she couldn't force the to move.
One of the hens started shouting we've paid for these seats
And one of the family people said we've paid for our seats too
There where no other seats for them to move to so the families didn't move due to small children

But of an awkward train journey as they just kept saying things
An hours journey

Doesn't seem to really work that well
What do you think

Ds is unable to stand on a train. If we aren’t using his wheelchair we make sure we have seats reserved so he can sit.

if you sit in a reserved seat you need to be willing to move as soon as the person who has reserved it arrives!

It’s easily fixed by having to pay to reserve a seat aircraft style.

I am always ready for a fight as after a lifetime of being 'kind' no way will I move or give up my seat for anyone - unless i choose to offer it

Exactly.

In both cases, the people sitting in other people’s reserved seats were wrong. And very rude.

@SayDoWhatNow there are easy solutions to both your complaints.

When you book seats with your tickets you can usually specify whether you want Quiet coach or not. And indeed, choose window or aisle and so on.

And if you want to be certain your DC will have a seat, PAY for it. Easy!

The electronic seat thing wasn’t working either way on my last journey, it’s just lucky that the people in our seats were happy to move.

Part of the issue is you can now reserve a seat once the train is running befire it arrives at your station. So people sit in an u reserved seat... and then understandably dont eant to move.

And many people dont undrrstand the system. Well pretend to.

I once had it on Eurostar, which is all reserved seating. The man aajed if I really wanted to sit there... with my small children. He was wanting to stretch out across the whole table. He moved to another table (that was Brussels). Same thing at Lille... where he relictantly sat with his partner and children.

Reserve the seats. Reservation = priority

Also... chikdren under 5 free tickets have the cindition they give up seats tofee paying passengers. If you cant have them on your lap, you are supposed to buy a childs ticket.

I agree. I would always move if I was in someone's seat and would expect others to do the same. Staff should have the power to make this happen

How did they manage to get through the barriers then?

Doesn't seem to really work that well

It works fine if people don’t sit in someone else’s reserved seat.
You either reserve a seat on the train, which everyone can do, or if you need a flexible ticked you accept that trains work like busses and you pay to get on but you don’t pay for a seat.

They should do away with the whole system. Causing nothing but drama.

A young alternative looking couple were in our seats a few years ago. Dh asked them politely but firmly to move. They did with bad grace. Then came back with the conductor to report dh for bullying! Then the strangers sitting nearby all spoke up and said they didn’t know any of us but dh was perfectly polite. About 5 strangers attested to this. The couple and conductor slunk off.

This is why I go first class if I can. I hate this shit. Trains are an absolute free-for-all.

I liked it when they used to slot the paper n the top of a seat. Easier to see quickly which were reserved rather than having to read the digital display above each one.

I think the family had reserved their seats.

Also easy for some spoilt child to bugger the whole thing up by removing the paper whilst their parents do nothing to stop them as I saw about 20 years ago.

In the days before travelling in my wheelchair I have been known to wander down to 1st class and explain to the guard someone is sitting in my reserved seat and that I am happy to move if they vacate it.

It's much less hassle to have a single polite person in first class than to have to walk down to cattle class and argue with someone sitting in a reserved seat.

So if you are solo give it a go, I realsie it might not happen if you are travelling with a family / in a group.

I was on a train with DH recently and we were sitting in our reserved seats. Three women got on and one very rudely barked at us to move, as we were sitting in their seats. I showed her my reservation to prove they were our seats. She then showed me her reservation and they were the same seats! She started to get quite aggressive, while her two friends looked very embarrassed, so I suggested she get the train manager.

The train manager told us that there was a glitch and the app was always double booking seats. But she said that DH and I could stay there as we were in them first. There were very few free seats left on the train. So I told the TM that I was willing to move if she could find a free wheelchair space, with a seat nearby for DH, and I would transfer back into my wheelchair.

The rude woman didn’t even say thank you or apologise for her rudeness.

Yes I would expect to sit in the seat I had reserved regardless of who it was.

The issue is that train companies often cancel the reservations but don't make it clear. I was getting on a train from London back to the South west and was looking for my seat and someone else then told me the seat reservations were off so to just sit down.
I think this is what can cause confusion and issues as at no point did they put this on the tannoy and lots of other people got on to do the same. The only indicator was that all seats showed no reservations and they then left it to the passengers to spread the word that reservations weren't valid.

Privatisation of railways was essential as they needed replacing to comply with H&S, disability and emission/waste laws which the taxpayer simply couldn’t afford - tens of billions! So we needed a model where private finance could be used to buy all the new trains. The entire fleet was non compliant - thousands of carriages each costing millions!

Yes same here or more likely I’ll just drive to avoid all the hassle of other passengers and the cancellations and delays. Trains aren’t pleasant these days.

They used to have the power. I once got a ticket inspector to move an incredibly rude man who was in my reserved seat on a busy train. Oh, he was fuming and people nearby who’d heard his rudeness were smirking at him.

A reserved seat belongs to the person who reserved it. If they come along and want it, you move.

But you can’t force people out of your reserved seat and train staff have no power either. The sods who sit in your seat know it’s all voluntary hence why they’re there and often refuse to move.

I always reserve seats when travelling to and from London. Recently GWR changed the time of the return journey on my ticket which I was unaware of and the train had left. After speaking to a member of staff he switched my ticket to the next train which was just over an hour wait, arranged for reserved seats in first class and I claimed delay repay and was awarded compensation.