To ask why people sit in reserved seats?

[Leftoverdessert]

I absolutely hate train travel for this reason. I get that if the seat is reserved from a particular station and you haven't reached it yet and are ready to get up, fair enough, but the route I go on fairly regularly it happens to me almost every time - I book a seat and someone's sitting in it. I triple check always that I have the right seat but it's always so awkward to ask them to move as often they seem to get huffy or try to dispute it! They often also seem to scatter their things everywhere which makes me think they're just hoping the person won't turn up or will feel bad when they see they're looking so settled in.

This morning, I honestly couldn't be bothered for the scene as the woman in my booked seat had stuff everywhere and seemed to be asleep to boot, so now I'm just stood up feeling all annoyed. I hate confrontation and just can't be bothered for it first thing in the morning.

If I see a seat is reserved, I don't sit on it - why oh why do people do this??

When i was younger i used to feel a bit embarrassed asking someone, (especially an older man, for some reason) to move if they were in my seat, I don't know if its being 'older & wiser' but now if it happens I say, in a slightly louder than usual jovial speaking voice, oh hello, I think you've mistakenly sat in the wrong seat number, whilst just thrusting my ticket at them then just smiling rather inanely, for some reason it seems to fluster them, maybe the loud announcement of them being mistaken is embarrassing but it seems to work and they tend to be quite apologetic about it.

We were on a busy train last December and saw 2 people in the seats we had booked so I politely mentioned that we had reserved those seats. The extremely obnoxious guy turned round and said well so have I. I showed him my reservation and he just told me had had booked those seats and I should sit somewhere else as the reservations weren't working. So we did sit elsewhere and of course, got moved as another couple approached and we were clearly in their seats. Really shocked me how rude he was, he was blatantly lying as I had reserved those seats and he made absolutely no effort to show me his own reservation. Really gets my goat!

@Lweji

A McDs!!!! Very clever trick that. It would be the last seat anyone would choose, possibly greasy and you'd then be sitting next to someone chomping and slurping! I'm going to get an empty bag to put next to me whenever I'm on a bus or train so I can get two seats.

I understand the aisle seat preference as I'm another who hates travelling backwards. I guess I'm really objecting to the studied lack of eye contact with anyone obviously looking for a seat so they'll choose somebody else to try to sit beside.

Just got on the train to go back...no one in my reserved seat, absolute bliss

No-one sat next to me while I was drinking gin in a tin on the way home from work the other day. So there you go, make people think you are a lush and get a wide berth.

he was blatantly lying as I had reserved those seats and he made absolutely no effort to show me his own reservation
Why didn't you ask to see it?

If the reservations system has genuinely packed up though, there is a very little even a guard could do.

I remember one time when pregnant the train company had sent the wrong carriages or something and none of the reservations were valid on what was going to be a very busy train. There was an unholy rush (waddle, on my part) to the train when the platform was displayed, of course, I did get a seat and I wasn't about to give it up for love nor money.

@drspouse quite frankly he was very intimidating and I was taken aback by his attitude. I shouldn't really have to either should I.

You're right, you really shouldn't have to.

Two additional theories- it may be a forward facing seat and they hate going backwards, or the reserved sign may not have been in place when they boarded (some trains have electronic ones).

I have never had a single issue saying “hi, i think that’s my seat” with a big smile while waving my reservation. Not confrontational at all.

It’s ridiculous to stand when seats are empty.

The way I see it, if I haven't reserved a seat, I either sit in a free seat or stand.

Always wondered who these clowns are, standing miserably in the vestibule when there are seats free in the carriage.

Life is short. Trains are busy. Sit down.

I am quite assertive in general
If someone sits in my seat I ask politely and firmly - they nearly always move
If they refuse I ask to see their reservation - then they move!
Once only I can remember when we both had the same seat reservation - I asked to speak to the train manager - who pointed out very politely that the other person was in the correct seat just wrong carriage - to save any hassle he moved me to first class
I usually book standard on way out and first class return

This thread makes me very glad that, whatever their other faults (and they are many), Southern do not operate a reservation system.

We had this recently on a coach rather than a train - and the coach company put a big ‘Reserved’ label across the closed seatbelt so a passenger would have to remove the label and undo the seatbelt to sit down. On our coach to London there was a chap in one of our seats - we showed him our ticket and he huffed a bit but moved (though the woman driver was a bit cross with us for not just sitting somewhere else - sorry but we paid extra for those seats and were on the coach for 6+ hours!!).

On the return journey we got on at Heathrow (1st stop after leaving Victoria) and a woman was in one of our seats. When told it was a reserved seat she moaned that she didn’t want to move as some had already told her to get out of their seat - oh, and she wanted the extra legroom the seats came with!! Even after showing our tickets with seat numbers on, and being told by the drivers assistant that she had to move and, until she did, the coach was going nowhere; she still moaned that she should be allowed to sit wherever she wanted!!

I’m now 14 weeks pregnant and, in a few weeks time (think I’ll be 20 weeks by then) I have booked to go to Birmingham from London. No reservations possible in the first train or across London however, I’ve a reservation on the London - Birmingham leg and I WILL be sitting in my allocated seat!!

Just to say it's not just idiots who don't use reserved seats sometimes I've been forced to reserve a seat even with an open return when I'm not sure which train I'll be travelling on.

Just to say it's not just idiots who don't use reserved seats sometimes I've been forced to reserve a seat even with an open return when I'm not sure which train I'll be travelling on.

The idea that it's "idiots" who do this at all is absurd. It's perfectly reasonable not to use your reservation.

The idiots are:

People who are too timid to do a bit of basic human interaction and ask for their reserved seat

And people who are rude and awkward when evicted from reserved seats they are squatting in.

As for not taking up a reservation, to paraphrase a Mumsnet cliche... IT'S A RESERVATION NOT A SUMMONS

I politely asked a man to move out of our reserved seats yesterday. After all, he had every other seat in the carriage, apart from our 2 to choose from. Proper made my day, it did.

Because they may have been delayed on their journey and missed their onward connection with their reserved seats and be stuck on a crowded train with no free seats so it's sit in reserved seats or stand.

Obviously it goes without saying that if the person who had actually reserved the seats turned up they should move quickly and graciously.

There was a previous thread on this topic a while back.
Several posters admitted to sitting on the tables when the squatter wouldn't move. 😁

I have no qualms about (and indeed take some pride in) asking someone to move from my reserved seat. I do make it more of a general enquiry rather than a direct request when travelling with Transpennine Express, however, who seem to issue duplicate seat reservations with depressing regularity.
I make a point of asking to sit in the seat next to anyone who thinks their bag is more deserving of a seat then me.
I also prefer an aisle seat (I’m a proper fidget) and if I’m there first that’s what I will choose, although I’m quite happy to get up to allow someone past to the window seat.

We sometimes sit in reserved seats, but only when we know that the person doesn't want it.
If we are going to London, the station we get on at is about 2 or 3 stops from the start of the journey. Some carriages have lots of reserved tickets, but the seats were reserved from stations earlier than ours. If the person hasn't sat in it by then, they are unlikely to. (I would move if they did turn up and showed me the reservation though).
If the reservation was from the station we are getting on at or later, I wouldn't sit there.
I think with some trains, there is a lot of business travel. People may have open tickets, but reserve a seat on the one they expect to travel on. If plans change and they are on a different one, the reservation is unclaimed.
(I feel sorry for the person that has to put out all the reserved tickets, and collect them all back in again at the end)

YES that's another one, where they sit on the outer seat and leave the window seat empty? Why do people do that? And then if I ask someone if I can have the empty seat, rather than just moving over and letting me sit down - they make a big show of getting up then I have to squeeze past them to sit in the window seat, then they sit back down in the aisle seat. EVERY. TIME. Whyyyyyy?

Maybe cos, like me, they have mobility issues? I always reserve the outer seat, my leg does not like being tucked in, I have to have it stretched out but against the next seat so nobody will trip over it. I have a slippy kneecap (stood on by a 17hh horse, ripped off half my calf). Forgive me if my knee just doesn’t bend the way other people’s do, so I can’t sit in the window seat, I’d never get out again.

I'm generally a wuss but always tell people if they're in my seat. One time DD and I got on a train and a woman was in one of our seats. There were lots of unreserved seats in the carriage but she had to sit there no idea why.
We once got an Intercity train in Italy where you could only get tickets in advance and everyone just sat in the correct seat.