Vent - Rude older woman on train

Sooler

Rude women have now taken to buses
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328925/Horrendous-racist-rant-middle-aged-woman-bus-caught-video.html

VanyaHargreeves

iclayt wrote: »

This morning I caught the train from Manchester to Leeds. I bought the ticket online last night and happened to be given a seat reservation. When I got to the seat this morning, it was the only seat reserved at a table, ie there were three empty and totally available seats.

And there was a man in 'my' seat.

I just blinked at him in disbelief and said "Well you've sat in my reserved seat, but I guess I'll just sit in one of these other unreserved seats, that would make more sense wouldn't it?!" - He didn't even speak, just stared at me as if to say "Well, yes, obviously!"

When we set off, he then moved to the seat next to him (towards the aisle) got his massive holdall out from under the table, and put it in the reserved seat by the window where he had been sat!

This was a really busy commuter train and it wasn't until we got to Huddersfield and the conductor made an announcement for people to move bags and coats from available seats that the man moved up to the window again, huffing and puffing with annoyance. I was utterly amazed!

Purpose of the story is - I think some people enter their own little worlds when travelling by train and forget that a ticket doesn't even entitle them to a seat at all, let alone two!

I've never seen a sign put up saying that a particular seat has been reserved. I'm sure they do occur but probably not as often as necessary. Personally, if you had come up to me and politely explained what had happened, I would happily have given you my seat (and be pretty embarrassed that I made a mistake!) but if you had come to me saying what you did to that man, I would have told you to !!!! off....

bod1467

It depends on the train operator, and even the train. On a trip from Newcastle to York last year there were LED signs above the seat rows saying which seats were reserved, and from which stations.

iclayt

VanyaHargreeves wrote: »

I've never seen a sign put up saying that a particular seat has been reserved. I'm sure they do occur but probably not as often as necessary. Personally, if you had come up to me and politely explained what had happened, I would happily have given you my seat (and be pretty embarrassed that I made a mistake!) but if you had come to me saying what you did to that man, I would have told you to !!!! off....

You've never seen a reserved seat on a train? They're usually in the form of a ticket sticking in the slot on the top of the seat saying the stations between which the seat is reserved (you can't miss them), or a scrolling LED. This man sat in the only seat at a table with a ticket stuck out of it. Deliberately. I didn't need to turf him out as there were three other free seats, but if they had already been taken I would have asked him to move.

And if you'd told me to !!!! off that would have been worse than what I said (and tone is everything, I wasn't rude, if anything I sounded amused).

RuthnJasper

Bad luck OP. Some people are unbelievable! The 11pm tubes are usually pretty packed as most theatres empty between 10.30/10.45pm.

No excuse for the ignorant and rude attitude of the sow who made you feel wretched though.

I've seen some of the worst and best aspects of people on London transport - the worst being the appalling racist rants caught on Youtube and elsewhere and an occasion where a heavily-pregnant woman fainted (during a Summer heatwave, about 10 years ago) in the area by the doors; doors opened and - yes - the mostly-male commuters just stepped over her.:(

Conversely, I've also seen plenty of people offering their seats to the less mobile and one obviously rushing older businessman who encountered a couple of young female foreign tourists in an absolute panic because the tube line they needed wasn't running and they didn't know what to do - he took the time to patiently explain which alternative lines they could take and the numbers of the buses (and which side of the road to stand on for them) if they wanted to go that way instead.

It might just be my imagination but I think people on the tube (apart from the sad-sack racists) have been generally a bit more considerate since the 2005 terrorist attacks.

Sadly there are always going to be ignorant and selfish c*ckpieces anywhere you go. It's inevitable.

RosiPossum

Have to hold my hands up and say that I put my bags on the seat if there are lots of them. But I do move them at every station (especially if it is busy) to allow someone to sit there if needed.

I think people are so ignorant and annoying when they just sit there on crowded trains with their bags on the seat. I see this a lot on a morning one. I'd managed to get a seat but the woman a few seats away had her bag on the seat when a lot of people were standing.

oliveoil99

Should of said seats are for bums and bags are for shoulders and I would of thought by your age you would of known that - could of been interesting.

Valli

paulofessex wrote: »

I would have also taken a moment whilst sitting there to make a mental note of her and the person with her descriptions just in case things did go further where a complaint to the police would have had to been made.

Alternatively take a photo of offending persons. Whether they're in your reserved seat or hogging a seat with a bag. Then you have evidence of them and their behaviour. And it might just jog their conscience!

(I see Pimento has also suggested that!)

Valli

VanyaHargreeves wrote: »

I've never seen a sign put up saying that a particular seat has been reserved. I'm sure they do occur but probably not as often as necessary.

Every time I have used the trains recently there have been many reserved seats. They tell you which seats are reserved and between which stations. Sometimes is by a card ticket stuck in the seat back (and the passenger's ticket has the coach letter and seat number on it) and sometimes the little electronic scrolling screen above the seats states if the seats are reserved.

dktreesea

I have some sympathy for grumpy, rude people on public transport. Imagine their dilemma. They don't want to drive because it's expensive, too much hassle, etc. But they want their privacy. They can't afford a taxi, don't fancy the bus, so "splash out" and take the train. AND if this is their choice of travel for work, they have to do it for ten rush hours. Five days a week. Even when it's cold....and miserable.... And then these pesky fellow travellers want to invade their SPACE! And what if they are overweight (likely to add to any feelings of grumpiness because they possibly didn't have a good breakfast)? They need the extra space.

OP, the older person you encountered might be just annoyed at youth in general. I'm sorry to hear you felt like crying by that encounter, but I would have chuckled all the way home. They must have looked quite comical, him getting all embarrassed while his wife was Drama Queening, and then stalking off. I'll bet they didn't look dignified at all.

Pity you didn't have someone with you. You could have made a comment like "Oh, for goodness sake. My grandparents wouldn't be seen dead on a train at this time of night! People who don't realise that their ticket is for one seat not two really shouldn't use the train" (turning to stare at Mrs "My bag's more important than another human being" for good effect).

I don't travel on crowded public transport very often, but there is something a bit disconcerting about sharing hips with some strange guy for a prolonged period of time when you're not used to it.

It could be worse. No travel in Britain is anywhere near as bad as the London Tube in the rush hour (imho:-) That's an experience that deserves a new phrase - mashing up with humanity. How to touch as many people as possible while standing still.