Asked to give up my seat on bus

[Motnight]

On a packed London bus. A pregnant young woman has asked for my seat (only know that she is pregnant from her badge).I've said no, can she ask one of the younger more able bodied people sitting opposite or behind me? There are at least 4 people that are in their 20s / 30s and look physically fit sitting down.

She looked very shocked but just said ok. I am in my early 60s. I fell on ice a few days ago and am feeling a bit more wobbly than usual. Was I unreasonable?

various organisations give them out so that you can use them while travelling on trains or buses.

in theory people ought to offer seats to pregnant women but in practice they often do not and the badges are to help make clear that this person is entitled to a priority seat.

on trains if there is a conductor he or she will often help find a seat.

Sad age we live in when people debate whether its right to give the pregnant woman a seat...
Not sad at all when both parties have a need for the seat. Pregnancy isn't the top trump of needing to sit down.

This is why I disagree with having priority seats at all. All seats are priority seats. Everyone should have equal responsibility for giving up their seat if someone else needs it and they don't. Designating some as priority seats keans that people in other seats think they have no need to be considerate.

why? the seats are for those less able to stand. why do you think op, in her 60s and having recently had a fall and in pain is more able to stand than someone who's pregnant and not even contending with a bump?

FFS.
If two people are feeling off it... does pregnancy trump any other reason?

Exactly

Oh yes they fucking love them

Sad age we live in when people debate whether its right to give the pregnant woman a seat.. @midsomermurderer

Being pregnant isn't a disability. There's pregnant women that work on their feet all day, run marathons, run round after small children.

So being pregnant in itself doesn't automatically entitled you to an occupied seat.

Op wasn't in a priority seat, and had physical health needs herself.
There would have been other people on the bus more able bodied to give up their seat to the pregnant woman.

Priority seats are generally the ones nearest the door so they are easiest to get to. If you designate them as priority it will increase the chances that they will fill up last, so the less mobile passenger can get to them without having to ask anyone to move. Seems like a sensible system to me.

Well it doesnt trump a broken leg, it does trump a sore throat. I put a "bit wobbly" in the same category as the latter.

It’s not easy standing while pregnant, can feel nauseated or light-headed. Good thing she didn’t throw up all over the bus.

I never asked anyone for any consideration while pregnant. This post highlights why, you just can’t expect anyone to care or help (this pregnant woman will learn this lesson).

Even with a huge tummy, I still had people charge on ahead of me in any doorway or lift. I could have fallen or been pushed into the wall, if I hadn’t gone slow and taken time and let everyone go past.

It’s not though, because the sore throat doesn’t affect your ability to stand safely but feeling wobbly most definitely does.

YANBU.

Though I have been known to stand for another pregnant woman while I was slightly less pregnant, while loads of men in the carriage hid behind their newspapers.

As someone who had to travel into London numerous times for work through both of my pregnancies and I received a response similar to yours on a packed train and ended up fainting in the middle of the aisle, I think you should’ve given it up. I also second what a pp said about it taking a lot of courage to ask, it really did for me anyway.

or someone who felt fine but thought bring8pregnant entitled her to a seat. we can all make up feelings of entitlement to serve the narrative we choose.

or someone who felt fine but thought bring8pregnant entitled her to a seat. we can all make up feelings of entitlement to serve the narrative we choose.

or someone who felt fine but thought bring8pregnant entitled her to a seat. we can all make up feelings of entitlement to serve the narrative we choose.

Not unreasonable at all. I'm in my forties and look completely fit and healthy but in reality I can't stand without fainting so I used to dread someone asking me to give up my seat when I used to regularly use public transport.

There's no real reason most pregnant women shouldn't stand for a bit. Someone "wobbly" on a bus could come to harm, and actually, cause harm (or delay) to others on the bus.

Some pregnant women may need to sit, but being pregnant doesn't necessarily make it so. I have a friend who cycled to work every day of her pregnancy and another who was running regularly until the end. They could stand on a bus!

No, you should have asked someone else, surely?. It's possible that two people on a train might need a seat. That doesn't mean one of them needs to stand.

I'd have said something like 'really sorry but I've got a bad leg.' then at least her and another nosy folks overhearing would know you had a reason and weren't mobile enough. Rather just being a bit mean.

why do people keep saying the OP was in a priority seat !!
I am in my 60s and while I look younger and appear well I can’t stand for too long sometimes and if I have a seat I would be reluctant to give my seat up

Pregnancy is a choice. Getting older is not.