Grr. Seat hogs on public transit....

[lupo pazzesco]

Ok, I don’t know what’s going on, but the last several days have had bus rides from HELL. Seriously!! Now, for the most part, I don’t mind METRO, I sit down, pile my crap on my lap or under my feet, plug in my mp3 player, and proceed to ignore the masses until I get to my stop. But the last several days have had seat hogs galore, doing their damndest to ruin the bus trip. Gaaah.

Incident the first
I’m at the transit center, waiting for my connecting bus on Monday, so I can get to class on time. This bus is ALWAYS crowded because it’s a busy route, and it’s peak morning time. I get on, knowing I’m going to be standing and make my way over to a corner, take my backpack off and tuck it between my feet. Taking up less space. Makes sense, right?

I notice there are two women in the seat next to were I’m standing. One woman pulls the cord and gets off at the next stop. Rather than let someone else sit next to her, the OTHER woman proceeds to yank her bag up from under feet, plop it next to her on the empty seat, then scoots over to take up half of the empty seat as well! I just sort of stared at her until she looked up at me. And I kept staring in an “I can’t believe it, you’re a douchemuffin” kind of way, because there are no less than 20 people standing on the bus, who no doubt would appreciate a seat! She smiles at me, shakes her head, then turns around and stares out the window, ignoring anyone who tries to get her to move her stuff so they can sit.


Incident the second
On my way home from school on Monday, I stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few essentials. This ended up with me waiting to board a bus with my backpack, and two reusable grocery bags. I get on with no problem. I find a seat, backpack goes across my lap, bag of bread and eggs goes on top of that, other bag of groceries that are more hardy, gets tucked under my feet. Voila! 3 bags, and yet I take up one seat. Enter a woman at the next bus stop. She had a small purse and one, ONE plastic grocery bag, with what looked like toilet paper in it.

She proceeds to look around, sees the seat next to me open…and then comes over and bitches at me for taking up so much space and “ZOMG!! If you have so much stuff, you should STAND, and give OTHER people room to sit!!”

I just sort of blinked at her, because I wasn’t moving. Bus driver told her to sit down and shut up, or get off the bus. She stays standing, and we continue on our way, until someone got off at another stop, freeing up a set of seats. She rushes over and sits…and puts her purse and bag on the seat next to her with a huge sigh! Apparently she was suffering under the weight of her TP…


Incident the third
The front seats of the bus can be pushed up to make room for wheelchairs. Another crowded bus situation, on my way to work yesterday, I climbed on and one set of seats was folded up, and another was down. A guy was sitting on the folded down seats, and had his bag on the floor under the folded up seats. I went to pop them down and he went on a rampage against me! Screaming and yelling that he neeeeeeeeeeeeded that space for his precious precious bag!! It was too big to hold on his lap! It was too heavy! It had too much precious precious cargo to simply be shoved under his feet! How DARE I try to disturb his bag!

Note here: It was a small duffle bag/lunch box looking thing. My backpack was bigger. Dude, wtf? Seriously? There are several people standing, more people about to board, and you’re taking up TWO seats (Technically 4, since no one was sitting next to him, and after that outpouring of crazy, I could see why!) because of your special bag? Gaaaah…I hate people…


Incident the fourth
I get sat on in this one…

It’s at the transit center yesterday, on my way home from work. Quick note here: It’s inventory at work. I’m also fighting a virus of some kind, so I’m NOT in the best of moods. Again, backpack and lunchbox are on my lap. There is a seat free beside me, but I admit, I’m not the smallest person. There’s a bit of “spillover” if you will, I’m sorry, I have big hips and a big ass. But I’m not sprawled all over the seat, I’m tucked in against the wall as much as I can and there’s space.

Enter a woman who, I’m sorry to say, makes ME look anorexic. I mean, she had to be at least 400 lbs, and yes, this is relevant to the story, sorry again! The seat next to me is the only one open, and apparently vital because she has a friend sitting in the seats in front of me. She comes over and immediately demands I scoot over.

Me: I am over, ma’am, as far as I can go
Her: No you’re not! Scoot over!
Me: I can’t.
Her: <She proceeds to sit down, then SHOVES HERSELF INTO ME, as though trying to prove there’s more space, and she ends up with half her ass sitting on my left leg>
Me: <Ok, all bets are off, and Lupo goes straight into pissed off, loud mode> Excuse me, but GET YOUR ASS OFF MY LEG!! YOU’RE SITTING ON ME!!
Her: YOU NEED TO SCOOT OVER!
Me: I am as far over as I can GO! I am NOT climbing the wall, so YOU can sit comfortably, so either get off me and sit in the seat, or go sit elsewhere!!
Her: <tries to scoot into me again>
Me: Lady, you are sitting ON ME. I have asked you to move and to get off me, you’ve refused. Last warning. Get off me, or I will TAKE you off!!

The bus driver showed up at this point, thankfully. She, of course, starts ranting and raving about how I’m not scooting over, and she has to hang off the seat, and it’s not right, I need to MOVE so SHE can sit down.

Driver succinctly points out I was there, first, and am not the one causing problems. So, shut up or get off the bus. She finally got off me, but stayed sitting next to me, grousing the whole time, quite loudly to her friend in front of her about how young people have no respect, how I’m a bitch, how I’m too fat and need to lose weight (pot to kettle, anyone?) and on and on and on. I simply smile, put on my headphones, and open up a book, ignoring her. This proves to irritate her because in breaks between songs, I can hear that she’s gotten a bit louder and more insistent about what a horrible, horrible bitch I am.

Thankfully, space opened up next to her friend and she switched seats after a few minutes. I made a big production of heaving a sigh of relief, and moving my leg slightly, to make sure nothing was injured. She glared at me. I smiled back. Small of me? Maybe. But the bitch sat on me, and called me fat, when she easily makes up 2 of me.


I hate METRO sometimes…here’s hoping it quiets down some, but I feel better now that that’s out…

[Green_Fairy]

at least you stood up for your self. i know waaay too many people that don't.
yaaaay you're awesome!

[Bright_Star]

The other day I got on the bus to go to work & had to sit in the back cause the bus was full of students going to the the local college. So the bus pulls up to their stop & they get off. So I move to the front of the bus & sit down in my favorite seat. That's when this guy who's sitiing in the foreward facing seats, looks at me & says.."that'll be a dollar". I said.."SAY WHAT??" & gave him a nasty look. He looked at me & said.."I'm just kidding" & thankfully left me alone after that.
When I get on the bus, I don't want to be bothered. It's just me, my MP3 player & a good book to pass the time till I get to work. Having some stranger try to be funny at my expense, I don't take kindly to. IF I know someone, I'll talk to them BUT I'm not going to get into some random conversation with somebody just so they're amused.
That guy had my instincts screaming "BE CAREFULL!!" He looked like a piece of work-nasty looking & smelling weird.

[Shalom]

Was on the subway once when this happened:

First I should point out that on the older NYC subway cars there were bench seats with no indentations. Technically there was room for seven people to sit, or six if they're all fat, but there's nothing to indicate where one seat ends and the next begins.

So this guy gets on, while there aren't that many people on the train yet. He sits down in an empty area, slumps down and spreads his knees out wide. Now he's tall like a basketball player, so his legs are pretty long, and he's taking up enough room for three people. So far so good, until the train starts filling up. Finally one older woman gets on, probably in her late 50s, and there aren't any seats left. She glares at this fellow, and finally demands:

"Are you givin' birth?!"

"What?"

'I said are you givin' birth!"

"Um, no?"

"Close your damn legs!!"

He pulls his knees together, and suddenly there's room for her to sit down comfortably...

[Andara Bledin]

That first lady with the bag? I've talked smack at those people rather loudly before. Selfish douchewads get the full measure of my scorn, and I make sure everyone else on the bus turns to stare at them, too.

She glares at this fellow, and finally demands:

"Are you givin' birth?!"

"What?"

'I said are you givin' birth!"

"Um, no?"

"Close your damn legs!!"

I like her style.

^-.-^

[Sheldonrs]

...Rather than let someone else sit next to her, the OTHER woman proceeds to yank her bag up from under feet, plop it next to her on the empty seat, then scoots over to take up half of the empty seat as well! I just sort of stared at her until she looked up at me. And I kept staring in an “I can’t believe it, you’re a douchemuffin” kind of way, because there are no less than 20 people standing on the bus, who no doubt would appreciate a seat! She smiles at me, shakes her head, then turns around and stares out the window, ignoring anyone who tries to get her to move her stuff so they can sit.
…

I used to just tolerate this when i was younger. But now that I'm older and grumpier...

A few months ago the same story. Seat opens up on a crowded bus. I go to sit down but the guy there has put his backpack on it. I start off saying "excuse me" but he tries to ignore me, pretending to be looking out the window.
When I get his attention, he tells me his backpack is too heavy to hold on his lap.
I told him that unless he pays for his backpack to sit there, move it or it's gonna get a lot heavier!
He moved it. Fucking gangbanger wanna-bes.

[EvilEmpryss]

I swear, one of the things I miss most about South Korea is the attitudes of the commuters. No matter how crowded the bus got, it was an absolute guarantee that if an older person got on the bus or train, a younger person would stand to give up their seat.

One day I was on my way back to the base after a serious shopping spree. I had at least five bags and a backpack full of stuff I was juggling. I knew only enough Korean to say "yes", "no", "please", "thank you", "excuse me", and "how much is this?" (the essentials ), plus I could read enough to sound out the names of the places I was traveling to on the bus routes. So I'm feeling like a sardine, packed in amongst a bunch of people swaying on the bus, and I couldn't even free up a hand to hold a rail. Suddenly I feel someone tugging at my bags!

My first thought was that someone was trying to rifle through my stuff for something to steal. Looking down, I find that the little old lady who was sitting nearest to me had gotten her neighbor to shuffle their bags over further into the space between the seats to make room for my stuff. She managed to get all of my things packed nice and safe out of the way (but where I could still see them) and then pulled my heavy packpack down and carried it in her lap. When it was time for me to get off, she handed me back my pack and helped me arrange all of my bags so I wouldn't be overbalanced as I pushed through the crowd. Not a thing was missing or broken when I got back to the dorms.

This same scenario happened multiple times, each time it was a polite Korean commuter who offered to hold my things while I held on for dear life on those crazy bus rides. It was fun to watch the locals board the bus and fairly dump their packages into the laps of fellow commuters: apparantly the priviledge of sitting was balanced by the responsibility of easing the ride for those left standing.

Priviledge balanced by responsibility... a concept that Lupo's fellow riders could use a dose of!

[Chromatix]

In Finland there is actually an etiquette for commuter trains. It's a little bit like the men's urinal etiquette, except that when things are really busy there isn't any rule against not using every seat.

My interpretation of this etiquette may be incomplete, not being a true native, but it works quite well.

1) If there's a completely unused group of seats, use it in preference to one already occupied. Take one of the corner seats if it's a group of 5 or 6.

2) Avoid using the priority seats if others are available.

3) Where possible, avoid sitting directly beside or opposite a fellow passenger, unless you're together. This rule is waived if there is no alternative.

4) If there are more than 4 seats in a group, attempt to take a seat so that a third passenger can still obey rule 3 in your seat group.

5) Try to avoid being in the way when passengers want to take or leave seats.

6) If there is a shortage of seating, and a passenger clearly needs a seat more than you do, consider giving it up.

7) In cold weather, the outer doors won't open automatically. Hold down the button as the train comes to a stop, if nobody else has taken the job, so that they open as quickly as possible.

[LillFilly]

I wonder if that first woman somehow wanted you to absorb your bags into your body cavity!? Really, if they weren't interferring with her, who cares HOW you have them arranged.

I probably would go postal on a ride like that. A year ago I'd be mello, but now I am bitter and jaded!

[BookBint]

I have a friend from uni who after living in London for the past few years has definitely mastered the art of putting rude public transport patrons in their place. When a woman on the underground decided her bags needed their own seat even though masses of people were standing, including an elderly woman, he leaned close and laughingly told her to move them or he would poke her in the eye with a spoon. Everyone laughed and the elderly woman got to sit down. The rude wench got off at the next stop, blatantly out of embarassment rather than intent.

[Sightings Reporter]

I live in a city that doesn't have mass public transporation. No subways/trains and the buses don't go much near places that I need to go, so I haven't really had much experience on public transportation (except the year I lived in Chicago, but even then it wasn't much). I have two stories, both good....

The first: Visiting my friend in NYC (She is a nun, habit and all).

We were racing back to her convent as she was supposed to be back at five for dinner and prayers and it was 4:55. (All the while, "How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria?" was going through my head ) She, not being a native and me never being to NYC before, were trying to figure out the subway maps and the like. We got on to a train and after the doors closed, realized that we were heading in the opposite direction on an express train, so fewer stops. A woman next to us saw my friend studying the map and said she was familiar with my friends order and gave us directions back to the convent! She helped so much!

Second story: Paris Metro....

My husband was invited to Paris to work on a project and since his way was paid (airfare and hotel) I joined him. It was the nicest trip ever. The Metro is the nicest, well laid out, easiest to use public transportation I have ever used. (well except for the station you get off at to go to Sacre Coeur ) I was 5 months pregnant and people were falling over themselves to let me sit down. I was feeling great and didn't mind standing, but it was so nice to be offered! (I did take them up on the offer a few times when I didn't feel like being smooshed in like a sardine anymore, but always gave my seat up to someone who needed it more than me.)

[sanchopanza65]

Given the option, I'll take up 3 seats on the bus. 1 for me, 1 for my stuff, and the edge of 1 to rest my feet on. However, I'll give up them if someone asks, or I notice the bus is getting crowded. There's no reason to be taking up more than one if others need them.

[lupo pazzesco]

Given the option, I'll take up 3 seats on the bus. 1 for me, 1 for my stuff, and the edge of 1 to rest my feet on. However, I'll give up them if someone asks, or I notice the bus is getting crowded. There's no reason to be taking up more than one if others need them.

That's the thing, I'm kinda the same way. Today I went grocery shopping after class, and when I got on the bus to go home, there were a grand total of 4 other people. I find a set of 2 seats that are open, and sit down, and put the heavy grocery bag on the other seat. but if the bus filled up? Yup, no seat for my bags.

I guess it's true that common sense really isn't that common after all... It just seems like people have gotten progressively ruder on public transit recently, at least from what I've seen/experienced.

[AlmightyALT]

Ahhh... Japanese transport. Not as good as that Korea story alas.

I was on the train in Tokyo one day going to my dentist and this old guy with a cane and a bag got on. And no one moved.

So much for their respect for their elders.

I got up and with a smile offered him my seat, then took his bag and offered my arm to help him get into the seat. I handed him back his bag and did the bowing game as he, quite loudly, thanked me. It was funny to see the other Japanese people hide behind their books and all in chagrin at being shown up by a foreigner. And when I got off the train the old man loudly reminded them of it again.

Korea sounds like a nice system though.

[Samaliel]

Second story: Paris Metro....

Glad you enjoyed your stay here and liked your Métro experience.
Riding the Métro everyday to and from work is, as you might expect, whole different story, though.