I used to think that the reason you offered pregnant women seats was because they were big and uncomfortable

[AnguaVonUberwald]

Now I know that while those things are true, its actually because they are sodding terrified of falling over/knocking the baby/being banged into.

WHY DO PEOPLE THINK ITS FINE TO SIT THERE SMUGGLY, EYING THE BUMP AND SMILING AT ME, WITHOUT OFFERING ME A SEAT?

And why is it only women who actually give up their seats for you? (on the rare occassion it actually happens)

I was told in a theatre restaurant by a gang of middle class yummy mummy types that I couldnt sit down in the only available seat to wait for my DH because they were saving it for their friend. I was 7 months preg and on crutches with SPD and had spectacular swollen ankles. Nice.

That said I found people on buses/tubes were in the main kind and often gave up their seats. Although would travel to work with DH who would unashamedly ask people to give up their seats which I found abit cringeworthy but they always did.

i actually did faint on a bus once when 36 weeks pg- i could feel it coming and loudly said - "oh shit - out i go" before landing on a gaggle of women going to work at a hospital. came to with people stepping over me. noone helped me up. felt mortified.

the only time i was offered a seat on public transport in glasgow was by non-glaswegians.

I am quite lucky in that although I commute quite far by tube (Stanmore to Piccadilly Circus), I never have to stand for more than 3 stops either way, and that I can pretty much cope with (am 32 weeks). Have to say though, although my bump is fairly big, I do wear the baby on board badge, partly because the bump is less noticeable when I am wearing a coat, and partly because I am fairly large anyway, and if people aren't dure whether I am pg or just fat, then the badge removes the doubt And when I am standing, and the train is crowded, I feel that maybe if people see the badge they will give me a bit more space, and understand why I can't squeeze past them to get off so easily.

People letting their little kids have seats when adults are standing does annoy me though, especially since the kids are travelling for free - if you haven't even paid for a seat then you really aren't entitled to one!!

Lyra - that happened to me on the tube when i was pg too, but my friend tripped them up by sticking his foot out and i won!!

there is a lovely bus driver in my town who asks people to move from the buggy spaces/make room for elderly people. when i was a kid my mum would make me sit on her lap if the bus was full...

weeonion, that's absolutely shocking. I can't believe they just stepped over you.

I don't travel on public transport very often as I am a stay at home mum and generally walk or take my car. However, on Monday I went to a Mother and Toddler group with my dd and niece. I took dd to the toilet just before they all went into the singing room and were all seated when I walked in. Not one of the mothers offered me a seat (I am 8 months pg) and some had their children taking up a seat. I am quite shy in these types of situations and didn't want to cause a scene so I sat on the floor hoping that someone would feel guilty. They didn't of course . I couldn't believe it. Most of these were people who have been pg in the last couple of years. People can be very uncaring. I always get up for pg and elderly people and let pg ladies and children go in front of me at public toilets.

When I was a child we were told that our free bus travel was dependent on the fact that we gave up our seats to adult fee paying passengers. That was one of the stipulations on our passes. I think that has all gone out the window as school kids often race you for seats when you are heavily pregnant. I'll drag my own kids onto my lap to make room for adults or get them to stand.

Other peeves are bags on seats. Does the bag have a travelcard?

And two people taking up the three person spaces on the Met line. I don't bother clambering over and just say 'can you move along'. They then swing their knees to the left and look up, then I say again 'please move up', no-one has challenged this and they reluctantly shuffle up

I had to stand yesterday on the bus (5 months and already huge). I did stagger when the bus lurched and stood on a woman's foot..I apologised and she said it was terrible I had to stand and no-one would get up and Edinburgh was getting more like London every day. Too true

I don't offer pregnant women seats because I'd rather see a pregnant woman stand than a fat woman cry.

That's bollocks, obviously - I leap up at the drop of a hat (or the wave of a bump)

It's reassuring that other people are having the same problems with commuting. I am 28+6 and fairly huge and commute and hour each way on the bus and never get a seat on the way home when I am always shsttered. My back kills and my feet throb and I know I look uncomfortable but no amount of sticking my bump out and pleading looks works. I had an incident the other day where the bus driver was rather vigorous with his braking and I was hanging on for dear life - I plucked up the courage to ask a friendly looking guy to give up his seat for me. His reply? 'Well, you don't look bloody pregnant' and went back to reading his paper. I then noticed his uniform - he was an off-duty bus driver! I was sooo embarrassed and gave him my best paddington bear stare for the rest of the journey!

No, we pregnant ladies don't have any more 'right' to a seat than anyone else, but surely it's just public decency? Wherever that's gone nowadays......people just aren't friendly anymore. Even 'up north'. Dreading commuting to the end of pregnancy - working til 36 weeks. The funny (or not) thing is work have spare parking spaces which I plucked up the courage to ask for at my Risk Assessment and was told no because it would mean a change in my contract - even just for 10 weeks. SO I have to waddle past them everyday - chuntering.

Rant over. Thanks for listening!

Well I got my own back because when we got to a particularly busy stop and everyone at the back of the bus wanted to get off, I blocked the aisle!!