AIBU to think my friend was right to not give up her seat? Yes, another train one.

[MythicalKings]

Friend was taking two of her grandchildren to a city 60 miles away for a half term treat. Part of the treat was the train journey there and back so she reserved seats for the three of them. The journey there was uneventful and they had a lovely day. But were very tired when they boarded the train to go home.

The train had filled up before it left the station and people were standing so she moved one child from his reserved seat to sit with her and the other GC - three of them on a seat made for 2. More people got on at the next station and it was uncomfortably crowded.

A man told my friend his wife needed to sit down so the children should stand. F said they had already given up one reserved seat and they were tired, so the children wouldn't be standing.

The man muttered about people with no manners and went further down the carriage.

She's feeling guilty now but she was so tired she couldn't face standing on a crowded train so didn't offer her seat. I think she was totally reasonable.

MN jury?

your friend was nbu.
that's all

Your friend WNBU.

If it was a priority sest and the wife was a priority then she should have given it up otherwise she's totally right

Your friend wnbu he should've reserved seats if he'd wanted them

If his wife needed to sit down, then could she not have reserved herself a seat?

No she was in the right, but hopefully his wife did get a seat if she needed it. He was very rude.

She'd already given up one reserved seat. The man should have reserved seats for himself and his wife.

Thank you. I hate when she doubts herself. She's too nice sometimes.

How old were the children in question? If they were under 5 and travelling without a ticket your friend was being unreasonable as the rules are that in these circumstances seats must be given up if a fare paying passenger needs them. If on the other hand the children had tickets (what ever their age) then your friend was totally in the right - in fact in that situation I would have kept all three reserved seats!

I hate this attitude, kids beibg treated as second class citizens and then we wonder why we have problems with our youth!
If the last was pg or disabled then someone should definitely give a seat to her but not necessarily a child!

The lady! I meant

Bustraintram I doubt the children would have been able to have reserved seats of they hadn't paid for tickets. Certainly not in any train I've been on although I'm happy to accept that might be different elsewhere.

Op your friend was not unreasonable

The point of reserving a seat is that you have a seat even if the train is busy. She had already given up one seat, so had already been public spirited.

Why are people assuming the grandchildren are under 5? They might be 6, 7 & 10. Commuter trains are different to trains on which you can book a seat.

She was kind to give up one of their seats, she didn't need to give up
another. He wasn't unreasonable to ask, but he was unreasonable to demand in the rude way he did. He should have just asked someone else. Or y'know, maybe his wife could have asked herself if the need was that great. I have a disability so plan journeys carefully, reserving seats when I can, but I know that's not always possible.

Not unreasonable.

Man was unreasonable to think children should stand just because they were children, he could have asked anyone.

Children can have reserved seats. I have stuck to my guns in a similar situation as children are much more likely to fall and injure themselves as the train accelerates and decelerates that adults are.

If you book through the train line seat reservations are free,

If you've reserved seats then the children will have had tickets. I'm not sure but pretty certain that you can't reserve a seat without having a ticket.

I know that if you have an under 5 and an adult wanting to travel using a family railcard you can, but you'd have to buy the under 5 a ticket (this can end up cheaper than not using the railcard).

Anyway the children seem very likely to have had tickets, plus she had released one seat already so I see no problem.

Your friend is not unreasonabled, if wife has a disability and needs a seat, she should have reserved it like your friend.

If an adult needs a seat then another adult could probably stand for them more comfortably than a child could on an over crowded train.

She was doing more than she needed to to give up one of the seats that had been reserved. She certainly wasn't being unreasonable to allow the children to share a reserved seat

I think if an adult needs a seat then children should stand for them. I accept I'm in a minority but the odd 'what old fashioned manners do you miss' threads tell me I'm not alone'.

Why would you think that? An adult thinks ahead, books tickets, reserves seats, turns up on time, gets themselves onto the train early, and gets the kids settled, and some other adult who hasn't booked, hasn't got there on time in a flap can just turf them out because they have been on the planet longer than the kids and therefore have more rights to a seat? What a lovely old fashioned attitude to have. Delightful.

I wouldn't have given up any seat. I reserve seats for a reason and if someone NEEDS to sit down on journeys then they should have that foresight and do the same.