Getting seats on tube/buses

[MatronicO6]

For any Londoners out there.
How have you found travelling on tube and buses?
When I travel, I always wear my badge. But quite regularly people are generally oblivious or ignore my presence. I am fortunate that I usually do get a seat as the time I travel is a bit quieter but when on busy services I regularly end up standing whilst people occupy the priority seats who don't need them.
Before anyone lectures on unseen disabilities, I am well aware this may be the case but I'm seeing young men who are builders carrying heavy backpacks, or young people who are perfectly fit. At one point I had to actually ask a woman to move her handbag from a seat so I could use it and she rolled her eyes and another time a guy had taken the priority seat and had his electric scooter perched next to him.
Would you ask these people to give up their seats?
I am too timid to say anything but shocked by a lot of people's selfishness.
If I have ever sat in a priority seat I have always made sure to be aware of new passengers who may need it more. The thing is as I'm not very big at minute it's not that bad, but I am already anxious about traveling in my final months.

I just stood. Even at 40 weeks. People will give up seats if they want to. This was pre covid times. If they don't give up seats not much you can do.

Not a Londoner but a bus user. It really gets my goat when people park their scooters or prams in one area and then move on too priority seats or take the kids out the pushchair or pram and plonk them on a seat, taking up 3 or 4 seats in total over the whole bus. The buses are designed for the scooters to be safely sat on while the bus moves.

Oh I just used to ask. I still ask now that I’ve actually got the baby! People can be oblivious but nice quick enough when challenged.

Those priory seats I really found I needed them more and more as I commuted heavily pregnant- sometimes they’d be occupied but lots of other seats free but ideally I’d always ask for them because I liked to use the pole to haul myself up to exit.

Don’t be afraid to politely but firmly say ‘excuse me, would you mind if I sat there please?’ if someone outwardly perfectly capable is sitting there. If they have an invisible disability they’ll make it known and someone else will be embarrassed into giving up a priority seat for you if they don’t need it.

Why on earth would you be a martyr and ‘just stand’ at forty weeks pregnant?!

I was on my feet at work all day, not a chance I wasn’t sitting down on my commute.

I generally found people gave up seats freely once I was visibly pregnant. But if I needed one and didn't get one offered I would 100% ask. "Excuse me, is anyone able to give me a seat, I need to sit down."

I would suggest you need to ask because people aren't looking for your badge or at your waistline! To be honest I never got a seat commuting. I would also so bring pregnant doesn't necessarily mean you cannot stand compared to others

I've been offered nearly all the time since about 20 weeks, and I don't wear a badge. There's been a couple of times when I've just stood, especially when the carriage is really busy. There's generally been a really nice person in every carriage, I've been pleasantly surprised. However there are still the wankers who shove on the tube before I'm off etc, practically barging past me.

You need to ask!
I didn't get a seat without asking when I was on crutches with a leg in plaster, you've got no hope if you're not really showing

I moved away from London when I was 5 months pregnant so didn’t mind standing too much. As soon as someone gets a seat they just refuse to look so they don’t have to feel guilty about not giving up their seat! We was also too timid to ask but I think I would if I really felt I had to sit down (very long journey or very pregnant)

I always just asked xx