WTF - why book a train ticket?

TheBlueWolf

I've seen it happen a fair bit on public transport. Before I started hobbling around with a walking stick I'd give my seat for an old lady or whatever, but a few would pointedly ignore that person. The tube was, and still is, the worst place for it.

MrSwanson

Sporky said:

I try to be nice to people but sometimes they make it very difficult. Once as I was getting off a train a woman in a posh frock tried to push in front of me, and when I continued on my way remarked "A gentleman would let a lady off first", to which I replied "Sadly, neither of us is either".

Well, that was my reply in my head a few minutes later, but I couldn't find her at that point. Shame. It was jolly clever.

Always is the case, you think of exactly what to say after.

Sporky

MrSwanson said:

Sporky said:

I try to be nice to people but sometimes they make it very difficult. Once as I was getting off a train a woman in a posh frock tried to push in front of me, and when I continued on my way remarked "A gentleman would let a lady off first", to which I replied "Sadly, neither of us is either".

Well, that was my reply in my head a few minutes later, but I couldn't find her at that point. Shame. It was jolly clever.

Always is the case, you think of exactly what to say after.

Which is, I believe, a self-preservation tactic by your brain.

A couple of times I have said something, and it's never gone badly. One was when it was raining, I was walking back from the station and there's a bit where there's an overhang. 60-ish woman in front of me with an umbrella headed straight over to walk under the overhang out of the rain; there was a young chap scurrying the other way trying to get out of the rain and she spouted something like "Why do the youth have no manners any more?" as she barged him out into the wet.

I pointed out very calmly and politely that she had an umbrella and he didn't. Last I saw she was scampering after him shouting "I'm awfully sorry!".

FX_Munkee

MrSwanson said:

Sporky said:

I try to be nice to people but sometimes they make it very difficult. Once as I was getting off a train a woman in a posh frock tried to push in front of me, and when I continued on my way remarked "A gentleman would let a lady off first", to which I replied "Sadly, neither of us is either".

Well, that was my reply in my head a few minutes later, but I couldn't find her at that point. Shame. It was jolly clever.

Always is the case, you think of exactly what to say after.

l'esprit de l'escallier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'esprit_de_l'escalier

LoFi

FX_Munkee said:

l'esprit de l'escallier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'esprit_de_l'escalier

You learn something new every day...

Re the original - the guys were being dicks, but not sufficiently to warrant a national-press shaming - I'd have given up my seat even without them claiming disability if they were holding a reservation (assuming I was asked reasonably politely).

I'd also give up a seat to elderly/pregnant/disabled people as a matter of course (though not just because someone was female, I'm afraid), although I was just wondering if I still would if *I'd* reserved the seat - I'm not sure I would; typically, I'm expected to work on longer journeys (where I'd have reserved a seat) and I must admit there would be a part of me that would be thinking "If you're elderly/disabled/pregnant, why the hell haven't you reserved a seat?!". (Before anyone points it out, this is not related to the original post, just musings...)

I also wonder why anyone *doesn't* reserve seats, particularly on long journeys; yes, there will be occasions when you have to make a 2-hr+ journey on the spur of the moment, but I can't imagine that's much more than 5% of travellers. Likewise, there will be those who've missed their connection,or have a reservation but are catching an earlier train - again, I don't think this would be many. 

lloyd

I had a group of three people ask me and two friends to move out of their reserved seats, despite the table seat behind us being empty, clean and unreserved, which I found odd (the seats we were sat on were booked from a future stop when we sat on them and the ones behind were taken when we boarded).

We had a load of bags and had newspapers, beers, food etc on the table too so it was a ball ache to move everything.

We tried pointing out that there was an empty identical table seat behind us but they wanted "their seats" people are fucking idiots though so what you gonna do?

TTony

Being a regular commuter, I've experienced the "you're in my reserved seat" situation a few times.

Sometimes its because there's been some sort of problem (allegedly) with the reservation ticket printer, or the train has arrived too later to get the tickets put on the seats, or someone couldn't be arsed to do the job, or whatever.  

If there are other free seats available, then I'd probably move if the reservation holder is older/more infirm than me, or else I might suggest that they grab that last free seat over there by the large sweaty man eating 3 BigMacs before someone else does.  Otherwise I'll generally direct them towards the on-train conductor to make their complaint there.

Part of my response is based on the fact that they are (generally) travelling on booked-3-months-in-advance ultra cheap fares with a £1 upgrade to first class, whereas I've paid £975 for my monthly ticket and partly it's the usual accusatory approach of "oi, you're in my seat".

Other times (and this is probably the majority of times I've experienced it) its because the preceding train has been cancelled, and now its a 2-into-1 free-for-all situation, where you get 2 people with a reservation for the same seat.  Who's in the right then??

lloyd

Gassage said:

OK, about a year ago I was travelling back to London from Bham. Some hooded youths got on with a ghetto blaster. I asked the 'train manager' to tell them to shut up. He had a very half hearted word...they didn't.

I was a bit pissed off and I told them to shut up, which they did and I told the ticket man he should have done more.

He came up to me after Coventry where they alighted.

He then showed me a scar in his stomach.

Seemingly in a similar incident he'd had a knife pulled on him and slashed by some idiots.

Frankly, I see his view- £22k p.a. to risk being stabbed?

I used to know a train conductor, nice guy, late 60's close to retirement, he said a bunch of yoofs got on his train and locked themselves in the toilet to avoid a fare, knocked a few times, no answer so he locked them in with his Allen key, which I found most amusing, they had to get off at the end of the line-probably a hundred miles beyond gptheir stop.

Thing is about train conductors is that the vast majority of them if you are straight with them from the off will let you ride the train for free-I've been sans wallet/cash (drunk, skint etc) a few times over the years and made a point of seeking them out, explaining the situation and they're sound about it.

LoFi

lloyd said:

We tried pointing out that there was an empty identical table seat behind us but they wanted "their seats" people are fucking idiots though so what you gonna do?

Can't comment on your example, but I've asked people to move from my reserved seat when others have been available, because seats can and do get reserved during the journey, and I don't want to have to ping-pong around for the rest of the journey (this has happened) because I was too polite to ask the person in my seat to move.

DLM

Drew_TNBD said:

You sound like you need some sort of safe space... perhaps a den of misogyny will suit you. Step this way sir...

@Drew_TNBD ; A den of misogyny would have been a most welcome port in that particular storm, Drew.

I'm sure you saw my post explaining why I used that particular turn of phrase: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1222289/#Comment_1222289

Drew_TNBD

DLM said:

Drew_TNBD said:

You sound like you need some sort of safe space... perhaps a den of misogyny will suit you. Step this way sir...

@Drew_TNBD ; A den of misogyny would have been a most welcome port in that particular storm, Drew.

I'm sure you saw my post explaining why I used that particular turn of phrase: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1222289/#Comment_1222289

Aye I saw that. It's bad form to quote an autist.

DLM

:rofl:

DrJazzTap

See im not really one for confrontation...my girlfriend on the other hand.....Well she just won't let somebody walk all over her. Prime example is the cinema. We tend to go quite a bit. Sometimes three times a week.
If we've booked seats and we get into the cinema and somebody is already sat in them. She will politely tell them to move.
Of course if it's somebody who is disabled or very elderly then she won't just bark at them "oi move!".  We would just sit somewhere else. 90% of the time the screening room is pretty much empty. She argues it's the principal of the matter. 
We got a train from Norwich to London earlier this year  And because of an earlier accident and a delayed service, our train was rammed.
A couple were sat diagonally across in a four person seating arrangement  (with the little table). They had two huge ice boxes plonked on the free seats.  Meanwhile everyone else is stood up squeezed in the sticky train. We could see the train had ample storage space for luggage. 
So Sara decided to quite loudly say "I really hate it when somebody uses a spare seat for luggage. It's soo selfish on a packed train" 
The couple sheepishly moved the boxes into the luggage compartment and sat side by side. Freeing up two seats for some weary passengers. 

Jalapeno

Dont'cha love beloved partners who start fights you have to finish ......

DrJazzTap

Jalapeno said:

Dont'cha love beloved partners who start fights you have to finish ......

Haha tell me about it! I love the fact she doesnt take any shit.
And to be fair to her she doesnt pick fights with 6'5 ufc fighters. 

I did have an ex who used to like men fight over her! She'd flirt with guys in a nightclub and when I would go "wtf?".....yeah that wasn't a long term relationship 

lloyd

DrJazzTap said:

Jalapeno said:

Dont'cha love beloved partners who start fights you have to finish ......

Haha tell me about it! I love the fact she doesnt take any shit.
And to be fair to her she doesnt pick fights with 6'5 ufc fighters. 

I did have an ex who used to like men fight over her! She'd flirt with guys in a nightclub and when I would go "wtf?".....yeah that wasn't a long term relationship 

Should have fought harder

DrJazzTap

lloyd said:

DrJazzTap said:

Jalapeno said:

Dont'cha love beloved partners who start fights you have to finish ......

Haha tell me about it! I love the fact she doesnt take any shit.
And to be fair to her she doesnt pick fights with 6'5 ufc fighters. 

I did have an ex who used to like men fight over her! She'd flirt with guys in a nightclub and when I would go "wtf?".....yeah that wasn't a long term relationship 

Should have fought harder

Haha when I cottoned onto what she was doing... it didn't last long haha