Selfish swines on trains

[Traitor8er]

We're on a train with gcs. Dh's idea. I said it'll be packed. No it won't it's the middle of the day said he.
Yes it's rammed. We got on and dcs said we'll have to stand. I checked and there were 2 people spread over 4 seats. Shifted them sharpish. Eldest 2 sat there. Then another 2 with bags on seats. Yes also shifted. So we all got seats. I was more shocked at those spread over. They weren't massively overweight either. So shocked when I said you have to move.

Have people become even more selfish? I get trains now and again so maybe it's the norm? I'm glad I commute by car.

Yes, they've probably been caught out by this, or been screamed at for being sexist too many times! Some places offer badges, which seems a good idea, because then you know if the person wants to be offered a seat. When I was pregnant, I was happy to stand, and some people find their acid reflux better standing.

It’s such a….heaving bosom-y thread. Everything about the way it’s written! All that happened is the OP got on a busy train with her grandkids and they all found a seat and sat down. Oh well at least she travels by car mostly and no one was too obese in the story or there’d have been more tutting and pouting involved.

Why does one example mean people are getting more selfish?

I've been taking trains for years and people have always done that. It's the hope that you won't bother them, but take the seat two rows back which doesn't have a bag on it.

Normally a polite "excuse me, is the seat free" results in the bag being moved immediately. You don't need to be rude or "move them sharpish", just let them know the seat is needed.

I suppose I'd say that people are less used to train travel, as more people use cars now, so maybe people tend to think less about moving as it doesn't come up as often. Although using cars could be argued as selfish because it takes more CO2 per person etc

You think going up to someone and saying “you have to move” is the correct way to approach this? Of course that’s going to shock people. I (because I am a lovely person) would just say excuse me may I sit here please? Chances are not many people will say no

I used a lot of public transport over the weekend in London and found people to be very polite and helpful if they saw my DC standing. In most cases we were only going a couple of stops but generally speaking people were nice!

However, two professionally dressed men on the train there seemed surprised when I asked them to move their bags off the seats so my DC could sit down. ‘Oh! Would you like us to move these bags?!’ with all the faux naivety of not realising the train the busy 🙄

I travel every Saturday on the Elizabeth line. Every week people sit on seats and build walls with their suitcases blocking more seats than they are sitting on- they are always astonished when I insist they move their suitcases. if you have 3 or 4 suitcases you have to stand up with them not block half the seats in the carriage with them, If they are particularly intransigent I move the cases myself and sit down. Passengers have not paid for a seat for their cases therefore they cannot block seats with them.
Why would you in your wildest dreams imagine a 64 year old woman who is going to work an hour up the Elizabeth line would be willing to stand for that hour while you are blocking seats with your suitcases- that is weaponised ignorance.

If somebody is sitting in my reserved seat or has a bag on an empty seat, I will always ask them politely.
It's amazing how many people say they'd never dare to do it.
If you don't ask, you won't get.

Not new.36 yeas ago, I was 5 months pregnant on a bus and was the only person to offer another(much more pregnant woman)a seat. It was the bus from the hospital. I was told by another woman that it wasn't her problem that we were "fucking pregnant".
And about 10 years ago on a packed out train a young woman had her feet up on the second seat and was really screaming at everyone who asked her to move that she'd paid for the second seat and she didnt have to move. Of course no staff around. Technically correct, but cunty to the nth degree.

Lived in London all my life and am used to commuting on trains and buses here.

I've asked people many times to remove a bag from a seat or move over/get up so I can sit down on the inside seat and couldn't give a rats arse if it annoys them.

I sit in an aisle seat because I feel trapped by the window. I couldn't give 2 flying fucks if you want to sit by the window next to me!

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I've lost count of the number of times I've got on a train or a bus and asked someone to move their bags so I can sit down. And I'm physically disabled. I usually get a lot of eye rolling and huffing and puffing.

Lots of women sit in the aisle because they don't want to be trapped by a man.

I don't like the heater on full blast in my face on the trains, so I pick the aisle seat.

It's no big deal, just ask them for the window seat. I realise it might be a bit different on buses.

You would feel even less trapped standing.

I, very politely, asked a drunk man to not swear as there were children in our carriage and his wife said I'm 60 years old and I'm not being told what I can and can't say and proceeded to use her lively language. There is no hope !!! Guess I'm lucky she didn't punch me

Yes, and, horribly, you get them putting their feet in dirty shoes on the seats.

This used to happen to me frequently when I needed to use a priority seat. On first glance I look able-bodied, but I do have mobility issues that make it basically impossible for me to stand for long periods of time. Back in my 20s I would get asked to move from the priority seats fairly frequently, even on occasion when I had my cane with me. Nobody ever asked the burly workies who would also clamber on to the train and take the first available seat to move, presumably because they feared getting their heads kicked in for their trouble. Now I’m in my 40s and I’ve got a grouchy face like a bag of spanners I don’t get it as much. People definitely take the piss with the priority seats, but it is also true that you can’t tell what someone’s deal is just by looking at them, and that (young) women are more likely to be asked to explain themselves than men are. (As in life, so on the train.)

And sticking their knee and leg right out into the narrow aisle.

I was commuting in the 90s, people were doing this then too. But at least we didn't have bloody Tiktoks playing out loud....

The last statement is true! The problem is everyone is leaving London and bringing London rudeness and traits with them.

I'm not familiar with the rolling stock on the Elizabeth Line - are they basically tube trains, i.e. no luggage space in the vestibule?

Why would you even want to sit on a seat on a train 🤮 bedbugs are rife atm on them

Was on a cross country train on Sunday and the train manager announced several times that he would be checking tickets in 5 mins and anyone with a bag on a seat would be charged for an extra ticket. Nobody misbehaved the whole way back!

And unfortunately this is why the obnoxious twats get away with it! I always make them move stuff so I or my children can sit down. Ridiculous to say nothing and suffer in silence while fuckwits do what they want.

I commute into London from a town which has daily commuters but the trains come in via places much further away so by the time it arrives at my station, those who have been on for 2-3 hours already are fully spread out - laptop on one table, breakfast on another, wheely case in footwell of empty seat as they can’t be arsed to use vacant suitcase racks a few rows down, coat draped over the seat. They often get very huffy when asked to move stuff so people can sit down - my commute might be shorter but it still costs me £70 and takes an hour so will ask to sit if there is a seat free.

Nope, I stand because I don't want to sit next to a stranger. Would rather stand than risk it.