unattended bags/cases on public transport

[ghostspirit]

Got on bus this morning. there was a small rucksack -wheeled type bag. a woman was sitting down near it thought it was hers. The woman got of the bus...a lady said to me : i thought that was hers.lets hope it dont start ticking. . about 4 stops later a woman came from back of bus and got of with bag.

Aibu to think people should keep their bags with them, and also why would someone leave their bag unattended. anyone could take it.

Most people where I am leave shopping, large bags, holdalls etc at the front of the bus. Means there's more room on the seats, you don't have to sit with bags at your feet that get in the way of other people sitting down, it also means that when you stand up to get off at your stop you're not balancing bags and hitting them off the heads/ arms of everyone you're passing.

Where I live (Dublin) buses have a luggage rack at the front and that's where you are expected to leave cases, rucksacks and large bags. Otherwise they're just a tripping hazard in the aisle or taking up too much space and generally annoying people.

YANBU - I live in London, and everyone knows why you shouldn't leave a bag unattended. I always feel a bit daft asking people if the bag is theirs, but so much (i.e. my life!) is potentially at stake. Having said that, buses do have that small luggage area at the front, and even I might leave a large item there. So I'm rather hypocritical.

Last time I was on the tube and a rucksack was left unattended, a lady got on, saw it straight away, asked loudly if it belonged to anyone, when nobody said anything she chucked it out the doors as they closed!

... alternatively...

I bought some pillows, big bags, but light. Stopped in Post Office, put the bags down and put my foot on them.

I was taking to the cashier about car tax when a security man started tugging at the bags and asking loudly, "who has left these bags unattended?".

I looked at the cashier, she looked at me, we laughed, and I said "They are mine. I haven't left them unattended, I am standing on them"

To which he replied "Well don't do it again".

I am not sure which of the customers (it was really busy) started laughing first, but everyone joined in, I was still sniggling about half an hour later.

There was a large chest type case on a single decker I got on last week. It belonged to nobody, the driver had been told but didn't seem particularly concerned and drove the few stops left before the Bus Station . This was in London .

I'm up north and it's normal to leave large bags on the rack, but people usually stay as close as they can get a seat.

TheFlis

OP, have you ever been on a train? The main suitcase storage bits are at the end of each carriage. Hundreds of people every day leave their cases and then go further down the carriage. It's too difficult to negotiate a busy, full bus or train with a case and there often isn't then space for it to be near you. Mif you take another seat up with it people will complain. You can't block the aisle.

omg flis wonder if the person ever got his/her bag back.

lucky im in london to. this bag was where the buggys go...kind of looking lost.but of course it was not. i think it seems normal to leave large bags/cases but not small type would have thought they would stay with you. guess with the threats maybe i over think...never normally think like that though

it was in the right place,not knocking into people and taking up seats like some do

really dont see the issue YABU

I saw an unattended rucksack beside a refuse bin on our main street and rang the police.
I didn't stick around but I heard no reports about a suspicious bag on the news so presume it was ok.
A senior detective once told me I was the best witness he'd ever come across.
He failed to tell me I'd have to testify in court.
Fortunately it didn't come to that.

It's always possible someone has left it by mistake. DH did this a couple of weeks ago with a bag containing his work laptop; fortunately it turned up at the main terminus the following Monday all complete and undamaged. When my DDs were younger they would often leave things on the train to school, and I must have collected their swimming things from various stations several times over the years. I'd hand it into the guard, if it really seemed unattended. More likely to be a forgetful passenger than a terrorist, and I say that as a veteran of London bag searches in the 70s.

So there are only certain luggage racks. I put my luggage in a rack and sit in my reserved seat.

I have no other option other than putting the luggage ON another set - which is obviously wrong.

Its totally impossible on public transport to have your bag with you at all times

I work on the tube. Before 7/7 we were forever recovering abandoned belongings, or judging something to be potentially dangerous. Post 7/7 it becoming more rare. Now our brilliant customers give any potential flaky types a raw deal when they see them leaving stuff all over the place. I can't remember the last time we had to close a station due to unattended belongings.

I remember many moons ago before the London Bombings a lady who left her suitcase next to the escalator and went shopping. On her return she found the station closed and the army van and police parked outside. She asked my supervisor about her bag, who then referred her to the police sergeant. He gave her such a dressing down and told her that it's lucky she wasn't arrested for wasting police time. "What about my suitcase?" she asked. "Oh, that no longer exists madam," he replied, "we blew it up."

i have my bag with me at all times...someone might steal it.. of course if its a large bag thats different...so there are luggage racks/places to put bags etc. in some cases cant keep bags with us as will block gang way...but then we are told not to leave bags unattended....so we cant win anyway