7.5 months pregnant & rudely refused a seat on the train!

lostinrates

Sometimes people have to use public transport, even if not working. E.g., getting to hospital appointments. If you have an appointment that means you must travel during peak hours no good saying ' start maternity leave'. As someone with variable mobility who used to work in London, it's amazing how many people will avoid eye contact to avoid relinquishing a seat to a person in their twenties with a walking stick. Two sticks get you a seat though.

Sadly, my husband has also been on the receiving end if a 'verbal slap' more than once for offering his seat to pregnant women. He also offers his seat to any one else who might need it. For him this includes wearings of very high heels. He says he has seen my feet, and his sisters feet, after we have been in heels for a while and he thinks seats are mandatory for heel wearers.

fluffnutter

Perhaps the young lady had just suffered her third miscarriage in a row and was sick to death of seeing pregnant women everywhere

sitting in the priorty seat

Out of interest, what train company was this and what do the signs say regarding who has priority?

Metranil_Vavin

Rude, ignorant people are everywhere unfortunately, and as a Londoner I see it all the time on public transport.

Never expect people like this will suddenly become thoughtful, if someone had spoken to me like that I would have just said 'charming' and left it at that. Hopefully others around would have a bit more decency and the person in question just looks like a class A a'hole.

Personally i will give up my seat if anyone needing it more than me gets on, but not everyone cares so sadly you just have to leave it.

The amount of times I stood on crowded trains right by the priority seats when pregnant, and (more often than not), young, fit men played frantically on their phones in order not to 'see me' was quite staggering.

I just took an offered seat graciously if offered, and if I didn't..well I had to stand.

lushlifesaver

Most forms of public transport have seats allocated for the groups mentioned in this thread - the elderly, disabled and pregnant. Every bus, tram and train I have been on in the last ten years has at any rate. Often these seats have additional legroom etc so as to be easily accessed and better accommodating.

Even now at 22 my mother would have no problem chastising me if I didn't offer my seat to some noticeably in more need. Again I believe it is a matter of simple manners and common decency but then it seems that many children are not taught this any more - moreover it seems many adults, some of those on this thread included it would seem, have forgotten such things.

No one is any more deserving than another - well apart from those that have served this country long and hard in many forms, for whom every day is a battle and those bringing a life in to this world. Or that's my belief at least.

Some comments on here are appalling and I don't doubt that those making them would not hesitate to tut and moan if they were in the position of needing a seat but weren't given one for any reason at any point in life.
Next you'll be saying that the Titanic should never have considered 'women and children first' on to the life boats to be the correct protocol.

j.e.j.

duchy wrote: »

Absolutely nothing. You're pregnant not disabled !

Plenty of women commute right up to 8.5 months and although the girl's response was rude she had no obligation to give you her seat

*max* wrote: »

PS: it was your choice to get pregnant. Not that it excuses rude behaviour, but maybe you've got to look at your newfound sense of entitlement, and realise not everyone is going to magically look at you with awe and care! Millions of women are pregnant at this point in time. You're not special to anyone but yourself and you family and friends.

Can I just say I am gobsmacked by some of the responses on this thread!
(jizzler, I think *max* is a french female by the way!)

Anyway, back to the OP.. If it's one of those seats with a 'P' marked in the seating area then those seats are intended for those who are less able to stand. But even if it's not a priority seating area I am still surprised that a polite request was greeted with verbal abuse!

To be honest I think it says something about our society that the train companies even need to designate an area like this. It should be common courtesy to offer your seat to someone who is less able to stand than you are. It's what we all learned as kids.

helen4891

wow, some people are just plain right rude.
sometimes some people dont have no concern for any one but themselves.

im a firm beliver of what goes around comes around...

fluffnutter

I personally think that 'priority' seats have had an adverse affect. When I were a lass, my mum would make me either stand or sit on her knee so that someone older, pregnant, anybody really could sit in my seat. Similarly I'd regularly see able-bodied men and women standing so that someone with a greater need could sit down.

This happened wherever you were sitting on the bus (or train). They weren't any 'priority' seats - people just seemed able to make a sensible call about who needed the seating most. The introduction of priority seating (to my mind) has caused unnecessary segregation and squabbling about who constitutes 'priority' and also this idea that if you're not sitting in a 'priority' seat you can sit there with impunity whilst watching others struggle.

It's caused more problems that it's solved, IMO.

SailorSam

I'm surprised there are so many posters who seem to think just 'cos the Op isn't disabled she has no right to expect that others give up a seat for her.
It just seems such a natural thing to do that you do things without thinking, it's like holding a door open for someone.
It's a sad world when people want give a little help to others.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2236841/Heavily-pregnant-woman-crutches-forced-stand-tram-passengers-refused-seat.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

MissGolightly

jizzler wrote: »

take no notice just look for one where *max * comes from & all his comments are really self exsplanitory !

I certainly hope your tongue was placed firmly in your cheek when you decided to post that.

No need!

newcook

To be honest Im rather shocked as well at some of the comments on here! Im only 32 yet I can remember the days when an elderly, disabled or pregnant woman got on a bus and 2 or 3 people would offer their seat at the same time!

From a young age my mom drilled it into me to offer my seat to others more in need and I still do it now – seems that being brought up with decent manners, being polite to others and treat others as you would want to be treated is being replaced with a very selfish ‘me,me,me’ generation and its very sad to see.