Hogging seats on trains

[woollyheart]

Because of a family emergency, I've been on the train a lot this past week.

A lot of people hog extra seats by putting their bags on them, or by sitting on the aisle seat so people can't get to the window seat. I think this is fair enough if there are plenty of other seats available.

But when they try to continue hogging extra seats when there are loads of people standing, I think they are extremely rude.

Surely, if there are people standing, you move your bags so they can sit. If you are in an aisle seat, you either stand up and let them through to the window seat, or slide across and let them have the aisle seat.

If they have to ASK you to move, you should apologise and make space for them.

I've seen people having to be asked to move, and not even acknowledging the person asking, never mind apologising. Or making a huge huff and puff about the whole thing. As if the rest of us are unreasonable to want a seat for a 2 hour journey.

Am I missing something?

I am quite happy with people preferring the aisle seat. There are many reasons for this.

I only think they are rude if they insist on ignoring the fact that the train is packed, and don't budge when someone asks to have the window seat.

If I see anyone with a bag on a seat I always make a point of asking them to move it and sitting next to them even if there are lots of other empty seats on the bus or train.

Well no, because the OP also argued that it was selfish to choose to sit in an aisle seat. I don't agree with this.

@oooobetty, why on earth would you do that? It's just goady.

I didn't argue that it was selfish to sit in an aisle seat.

I said that if you sit in an aisle seat, and the window seat that you are blocking is empty, you should be prepared to get up and let someone sit on it if the train has people standing.

why on earth would you do that? It's just goady.

Why shouldn't she? The person with the bag doesn't have more right to an empty seat next to them than anyone else.

Surely not such a controversial statement?

No, perhaps not if that was your actual statement. Instead you've posted increasingly hysterical posts on both this and other threads.

I give up. When did it become acceptable to go out of your way to be nasty just because you can?

On the tube, you would be right in thinking that people might prefer to stand. I often do.

On a long distance train, with journeys of several hours, you can be quite sure that almost everyone wants a seat. In these circumstances, you need to move yourself and make space for people. Instead of selfishly pretending that nobody else exists.

I have been verbally and physically threatened by a group of people who were sitting in and around my reserved seat. It was very intimidating. Even the guard could not move them. They continued their loud verbal abuse for the full journey (the guard eventually found me a seat, unfortunately in the same carriage an hour into my journey).The rest of the passengers appeared to completely ignore their behaviour, or blame me for it. It was a very uncomfortable 7 hour journey.

When did it become acceptable to go out of your way to be nasty just because you can?

How is it 'being nasty' to politely request someone move their bag out of the seat it's occupying? You have paid for a ticket, the bag hasn't. The bag will not have its feelings hurt because of this.

It's unnecessary when there are "lots of other sears". Bored now.

Are you stalking me on other threads?

No, I'm on another thread which you are, where you have the same usernames and youre making similar comments.

I'm quite comfortable with the word hysterical, thanks.

policing my language in other threads

I'm also not policing your language....although you appear to be attempting to police mine. Odd.

I agree, bluelady!

What kind of brass neck do you need to not only give your bag its own seat, but then complain that people are 'being nasty just because they can' if they expect you to shift it? Honestly.

I won't bother with bag-occupied seats if the carriage is so empty there's plenty of pairs of seats unoccupied anyway. If all the available empty seats are sitting next to someone anyway, though, I have no issues whatsoever with getting someone to shift their bag rather than travelling up the carriage to find someone who's already considerately moved their bag to the floor or the storage or their lap. Why should the rude people get rewarded with two seats to themselves?

At the moment I rely on the priority seats a lot though (pregnant, huge, PGP that is sometimes agonising). If someone's hogging one of those with their stuff, they can and should expect to be asked to move it regardless of how many free seats there are further down the carriage.

If someone's hogging one of those with their stuff, they can and should expect to be asked to move it regardless of how many free seats there are further down the carriage.

Absolutely, although I think on buses up here theres more respect for priority seats than on a train. I feel like I get glares when I use them (hidden disability). At rush hour I'd never ask someone on the train to vacate the priority seat though as it seems to be everyone for themselves and I worry I'd ask someone with a disability to move without realising.

I think it was with this bit of your OP that people took some issue with.
People don't hog window seats just by taking an aisle seat. And it doesn't prevent other people from getting to the window seat per se.

A lot of people hog extra seats by putting their bags on them, or by sitting on the aisle seat so people can't get to the window seat.

YANBU. I don’t even ask tbh I just say “move that”. Pig ignorant people don’t deserve to be spoken to politely

Oh the irony.