People who sit on the aisle side on the bus / train

[CruCru]

There seems to be an epidemic of people choosing to sit on the aisle side of the bus or train, leaving the window seat free. Is it just me or is this quite a weird thing to do?

They probably think that people are less likely to sit next to them but once the bus / train fills up (the ones I get always have people standing), all the seats fill up so people have to squeeze past them to get on and off.

You should always fill up from the back/ inside

Who wrote this rule?

Its mainly as I am frankly quite fat and I would rather let my bum hang over the side than be squashed in the window seat with someone tutting next to me because I dare to take up more room.

I will always stand up and let them to the window seat and not make them climb though.

ITS THE RULE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT! Didn’t you get the memo?

I sit in the aisle seat to deter men who like to sit next to a lone woman to intimidate her even when the bus is almost empty. Happened to me too often and it's quite alarming.

I ways prefer the aisle seat on buses, trains and airplanes. I feel very uncomfortable and trapped otherwise. I will happily let anyone take the window seat though. Please just come up to us, some of us arent trying to be rude!

I hate the aisle seat. I always try and sit in the window, facing forwards.

This has always happened, not a new thing.

Here’s how it goes.

Passenger “excuse me could I sit down”.
Me “yes of course”

There’s no hassle to anyone

Because my train home from work is always absolutely rammed and I get off at the first stop. Means I cause less grief to the person next to me / those standing in the aisle when I get off.

I never put bags on the seat and always expect to have to shuffle to let someone take the seat next to the window.

On long journeys, I aim for the window seat.

Total non issue! Just say excuse me I would like to sit down,they stand up and you sit down,they then sit down again.
I always prefer the aisle seat too.

Because (on a bus) you'd have to ask them to move so you could get to it.

And?

I regularly get a Chiltern Railways train to London. It's all tables and anyone above a size 10 struggles to sit at the window side. God knows who designed them. I sit in the aisle as my legs are quite long and it's too uncomfortable by the window. There has been many a row on the rush hour train!

I sit aisle side on other trains sometimes too. No problem with getting up to let someone in.

What a load of selfish people! Why take up 2 seats and require someone to ask you to move, when you only need the one? I hate the "bag on the spare seat" on trains, drives me up the wall and means people stand which means they are less safe.

Oh and if you on your own, are only going one stop, and aren't disabled, infirm or elderly, stand for christsakes.

I sit on the aisle seat as its more comfortable with leg room and space and move in if someone needs it.

DP does as he gets anxiety and doesn’t like to feel like his exit is blocked. If the bus is busy he’d rather stand or get off the bus and wait for something quieter.

Some people are being very goody/judgemental on this thread.

*goady

I often choose an aisle seat but am more than happy to move to let someone in. I will place bags etc. on a free seat if it's quiet and I want to access them but I move them (or make it clear I'm ready to) if it starts to fill up and/or when people are getting on the train. Never thought it was weird - I'm not 'blocking' a seat, I'm just sitting.

I rarely travel by train though, and when I do it's usually a journey of four hours or more so I make myself comfortable.

I prefer the window seat. I feel snug not hemmed in and I don’t get knocked on the head by people’s back packs. I politely ask people in the aisle seats to let me by and so far no one has refused. I do get the occasional eye roll but I’ve raised teenagers so an eye roll is nothing to me!

Leg room. Where the side of the train comes to floor there's often a step or it's slightly sloped in rather than dropping to meet the floor straight. When I have my computer backpack with me it's a pain to squash in, I end up sitting weirdly and then get back ache. I also have an old knee injury which makes it uncomfortable to sit for any length of time with my knee at 90 degrees, I need to stick my leg out slightly which is easier to do in the aisle than in the window, surrounded by three other people and their bags.

Nothing to do with what other people want to to on the train or where they are planning to sit.

So now anxious=selfish?

And before I get called names - I would never 'let' someone stand while I had a bag on the seat - if the train starts to fill up I move it. If people are getting onto my carriage, I move it. If I'm asked, I move it. But the services I use are usually relatively quiet for most of a long journey so rarely get even close to full.

I don’t like to be boxed in. I was once on my way home from my then boyfriend’s, sitting in the window seat with my bag beside me (it was late at night so there were loads of free seats) and a man got on and despite all the free double seats motioned for me to move my bag so he could sit beside me. He started groping me only a few minutes later.

Now I take the aisle seat whenever possible and if someone wants to sit in the window seat I stand up and let them pass me.

I do it after I kept getting hemmed in by horrible men and groped when I was younger. Happened a few times so now I'd rather look like a rude bitch. I'll always offer to move so people can get the window seat.

I take the aisle seat on the train if the heating is on as it gives me a headache to sit next to it.

And if I want to get out first.

sparklingbrook you don’t expect mumsnet to have any understanding of how mental health affects people do you?