To think that if you haven't booked a seat on a busy train

[MrsSchadenfreude]

You don't stand huffing loudly about young people having no manners and children should be sitting on their parents' laps, and leaning heavily on people who have reserved seats? Train to Cornwall, Bank Holiday weekend, was never going to be empty.

No i mean me being that excited about travelling first class lass

I know you did! Not sad at all !

YANBU, that service is hell and unless travelling in an emergency, I would book it. I always book because I would struggle to stand the whole way; I may not look disabled but I am in pain. Luckily haven't had a seat swiper yet, although I now always wear my Please Offer Me A Seat badge on any journey as I know some people won't budge. Although I didn't realise, the first time I booked a return from Paddington to Exeter that it only reserved me a seat one way- lesson learnt and I was straight into the unbooked carriage and sat down. Anyone else had this or was I being a numpty?

Oh thank you lass and sapphire

That does ring a bell, DSHathaway. Might have happened to me years ago. Most of the time I end up booking two singles these days.

DSHathaway If you have an open return it doesn't automatically book you a seat, but if you get one of the cheaper tickets which are for specific trains, then it does. At least, that's been my experience doing it through the Trainline app.

Travelling back from Manchester once on a day when England had played a pre World Cup friendly yhectrain manager announced that anyone was free to sit in first class, no extra charge (but they wouldn't get the free drinks). We didn't as we were settled in our seats but there was a fab atmosphere on that train.

I'd have joined in with their passive-aggressive huffing and done the same but louder. They really are mumpties.

CinderellasBroom
Yes. The seat reservation and cheaper price come at the cost of no flexibility.

Someone who gets an open return can't book a seat on individual trains because they arent tied to a specific train.

It is possible on some booking systems e.g. Virgin to book a flexible ticket but still choose seats on a specific service if you think you know which train you may catch.

From another perspective, I commute on a route that is regularly used by day trippers, holiday makers and business people and so is always full of reserved seats.

It royally fucks me off when people smugly saunter on to their reserved seats having paid tuppence 12 weeks ago and I have to stand despite having to pay over £2,000 a year. (I can't even tell you how much I have paid to the bastard train companies, and probably will for many years to come - and I mean I actually can't tell you, I'm too scared to add it up!)

I and the other commenters then have to play the fun game of 'which reserved seat won't get claimed' and often have to move seats half way through the journey to avoid getting turfed off.

I do think that online booked seats should not come with an automatically reserved seat, especially with the open tickets as you most likely won't get the one with the seats you've reserved. Even a nominal sum (20p or something) to reserve a seat may help reduce the chaos. Although I'm aware it won't be popular with some. I'd be interested to know exactly how many reserved seat are actually used by the person whose booking they belong to.

So basically, if you have been able to reserve seats, consider yourself lucky.

I'm doing that same trip on tuesday. Been doing it back and forth over the last 6 years at least 3 times a year (sometimes more) and always book at least 4 weeks in advance, sometimes 8 or more when possible. I hate confrontation but had someone sitting in my seat once and they'd moved the reservation ticket in the chair to the seat behind. I went and found the conductor who got them to move. Later on a woman came on who we travel sick and had reserved a seat facing forwards. Her seat wasn't unfortunately so I swapped with her as I know how bad sickness can be. The people who had been in my seat before looked daggers at me.

This time, if it's busy and someone is in my seat they're going to have a very annoyed 7 month pregnant lady yelling at them. It's too hot and I am not moving seats just to make them happy and avoid arguments. Seat has been booked for 4 months they can shove off.

I don't see that implication at all. And expat's right - does that mean an 'implication' that senior citizens with reduced fares should have to move? No? Then why should children? Senior citizens don't automatically get a reduced fare. If you don't buy the senior citizens card you pay the same as everyone else. Some years a buy it and some I don't depending on my travel plans for the year so don't assume that all over 60s are paying a reduced fare and if they are they have paid for the priviledge.

IncyWincyGrownUp what is wrong with my attitude, I said I would and have had a child on my lap to let someone have a seat, what is wrong with that, does it make you uncomfortable that someone might have a bit of consideration for others maybe like the lady who had trouble getting a seat at 38 weeks pregnant? Where did I mention me demanding a seat? Swearing at me about something I never even said is pretty pathetic.

I also said I have used the family railcard and over 60s railcard so I have benefitted from the lower fares but I can well understand the regular commuters who pay more being fed up. Is that beyond you?

The point is, granny, we don't know what everyone else on the train exactly paid. We have no idea. Maybe some used Tesco vouchers and ride for free, maybe some well into adulthood got a student discount, maybe some seniors paid full whack and others didn't, maybe a child is sitting in the seat an adult who was supposed to be travelling along paid for and then couldn't make the train, so age is a piss poor way of assuming someone is entitled to another person's seat.

Namechanged1234567890, amazing how being civilised can make everyone happier. It sounds like you all really made the best of it and reaped the benefits.

I am the callous bitch who believes that if you reserved seats for you and your family, you won't be sitting there with your child on your lap because someone else didn't bother. If you're highly pregnant or elderly, pay the reservation in your own interest so you don't have to stand.
Over entitlement never ceases to amaze me. Like people on a flight not reserving their seats and then bullying the air stewardesses to move people so they can sit together. My answer is always no to that.

granny consideration is all very well. I've spent more journeys than I can count on my feet so others can sit. Pregnant, injured, frail. That's about as far as I go though. I will not make my children stand. Trust me, nobody needs to hear the shitstorm that is caused by two autistic children going into epic meltdown because the carefully prepared for journey isn't going to plan. The entire universe and its dog can stand for all I care.

ICant your season ticket comes with a certain degree of flexibility I assume? You're not restricted to one or two specific train journeys per day? You can, within reason, travel when you want. Reserved tickets don't have that flexibility usually. I would happily pay an extra surcharge to reserve my seats. The reservation for us is about damage limitation and making life tolerable.

If it is cheaper to buy advance tickets with reservations than to commute, commuters would just buy advance tickets for every journey rather than a season ticket.

Anyway, if you buy any kind of ticket without a seat reservation, you're doing so under the commitment that you will be able to stand for the duration of the journey.

People buying reserved tickets are making no such commitment.

All this is a bit like getting into someone else's car that they've paid for, or turfing someone else's child out of their car and climbing into the back seat, just because you've paid road tax and the kid hasn't. It's still not your seat.

trust me, nobody needs to hear the shitstorm that is caused by two autistic children going into epic meltdown because the carefully prepared for journey isn't going to plan.

This, with bells on. My kids don't look autistic, Dd even manages to travel by train by herself in a regular basis. Ds can manage going to Birmingham or Manchester unreserved usually. But not reserving seats when we go to London would mean we might as well scrap whatever plans we had there.

I once got on a train to find a couple in our reserved seats and asked them to move. When they refused I explained about my hidden disability only to be told they had booked seats and someone had been sat in them and would not move. They refused to show me their tickets.
So I went to find the guard who then asked them were there original seats had been and could he check their ticket. Never seen anyone apologise so quickly and move

I am the callous bitch who believes that if you reserved seats for you and your family, you won't be sitting there with your child on your lap because someone else didn't bother. Your choice but being rude to me and talking about my attitude because I said I would have a six year old on my lap rather than see people standing for four hours is uncalled for. I am entitled to have my child, or now my grandchild, on my lap if I choose. Obviously if the child is 15 or 16 I wouldn't have them on my lap, more chance of my on theirs to be honest. I've also moved my two grandchild to sit next to me, so 3 of us on two seats, to let someone else sit down.

Trust me, nobody needs to hear the shitstorm that is caused by two autistic children going into epic meltdown because the carefully prepared for journey isn't going to plan. The entire universe and its dog can stand for all I care. But presumably that happens if a train is cancelled or all reservations are cancelled. I've been on trains where they just announce all reservations are cancelled, I'm not sure why but people certainly won't leave your reserved seat if the train manager has made the announcement. You must have to plan for things changing.

Another one we got on the train having booked seats with a table for two adults and two kids so find an elderly couple in our seats. There were loads of other seats on the train but no tables so I asked them to move. The language that came of of that sweet looking old lady's mouth, she pointed at my son and called him an ugly fucker 😡
The guard stepped in and threatened to remove them unless they piped down. She didn't and then the old man started so they got taken off the train.

Clandestino sorry mixed your post with IncyWincyGrownUp. She was the one who criticised my attitude not you.

expatinscotland, yes age is a poor way to judge, which is why I pointed out over 60s don't automatically get a reduced fare like children do.

Obviously we don't know who paid what but what I was saying was that I can understand why it would be annoying to someone, like a commuter, who pays an awful lot of money for their ticket and can't sit down. I imagine without the commuters lots of services wouldn't even exist.

This happened to my mum who was working supporting an adult lady with severe learning difficulties. The lady couldn't speak, struggled to stand for long due to mobility issues and could get aggressive (sometimes lashing out) if feeling frustrated and surrounded by groups of people. My mum, with her work booked the train tickets so the lady could sit and have her own space/be away from too many folks. It was a long journey and when they boarded the train at York which was crammed, an older couple was sat in their seats. My mum politely told them to move, they refused and after mum telling them they had booked and quick reason why they told her to fuck off. She asked the train attendant who wouldnt do anything about it and so had to spend the whole journey stood (with a bad back, two previously slipped disks) practically holding the lady up so she wouldn't fall, while the lady got crankier and crankier due to signalling she wanted a cup of tea (couldn't have/hold one standing) and mum trying to stop her lashing out trying scratch at people because they were jammed in next to her. Needless to say she complained and so did the company and all she got was a sorry email! Oh and while she was standing holding the lady up all she could hear were the older couple saying how people like the lady should have been put down at birth and its not right they should be allowed out in public especially on trains, no one wants to see that! Mum on exiting the train made a trip past them to let the couple know discreetly (as she was at work) how people like them shouldn't be allowed our in public and how the world would be a better place with out them (go mum)!