Bags on the seats of trains at rush hour, rudeness?

CommuterIE · 13-04-2011 4:46am #1

This really pisses me off, I usually get a train from town or on the Maynooth line at rush hour and the amount of people with their bags or handbags on the seat next to them is truely irritating. Some people don't ask them to move the bag, but I bloody do... sheer arrogance. What do you think of it?

irlrobins · 13-04-2011 9:22am

I agree. Unless the bag has a ticket of its own

, then I think you're perfectly entitled to ask someone to move their bag to allow you to sit.

SandyfordGuy · 13-04-2011 9:48am

I was once on a train with three seats next to each other, with an arm between each seat, with a woman on the seat on the far left and me on the far right with the middle one vacant, I put the arm of the chair up on the seat between me and the vacant middle seat as they were squashed in only for the woman to go mad that she was storing her luggage on this seat, and the arm had to remain down else it would smash.

Later on someone else got on and then asked to sit there and she said the seat was taken and that she is considerably richer than the guy who wanted to sit down and said he was welcome to sit on the floor!

irlrobins · 13-04-2011 9:50am

^ At this point I'd have picked up bag, placed it in the woman's lap and sat down.

Cookie_Monster · 13-04-2011 9:50am

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

Later on someone else got on and then asked to sit there and she said the seat was taken and that she is considerably richer than the guy who wanted to sit down and said he was welcome to sit on the floor!

:pac::pac::pac:

patrickmooney · 13-04-2011 11:48am

Just ask. I often have 3 or 4 bags with me on the DART taking up room. I travel off-peak, and stack them to the left and right of me giving room for something to sit in front. If anyone wants to sit beside me, I've no issue in stacking them up high on my lap. I get your point about a handbag, but if people have large travel bags, just ask they, like myself will either move/stand or stack them on the lap.

schemingbohemia · 13-04-2011 11:57am

I find the whole bags on seats thing to be a classic case of a passive/aggressive approach, you're basically forcing people to ask you to move your stuff.

When I commuted from Portlaoise, I would target these people even if there were other easier seats to sit into, just to try and educate them. I failed at that but got some satisfaction from annoying them.

Mr. Presentable · 13-04-2011 11:59am

Sit on the bag. "Sorry, eyesight is poor, just saw no-one was in the seat".

shamwari · 13-04-2011 3:22pm

irlrobins wrote: »

^ At this point I'd have picked up bag, placed it in the woman's lap and sat down.

At that point, I'd have told her to f**k off if she didn't move it. I know because I've reacted that way to those forms of blatant ignorance before - which in fairness is usually displayed by a man instead of a woman though.

Breezer · 13-04-2011 8:56pm

shamwari wrote: »

At that point, I'd have told her to f**k off if she didn't move it. I know because I've reacted that way to those forms of blatant ignorance before - which in fairness is usually displayed by a man instead of a woman though.

People being told they're too poor to sit on a seat occupied by someone's bag happens regularly? :eek:

Transportuser09 · 13-04-2011 9:50pm

It can be even worse on Bus Éireann coaches (where legally speaking you're not meant to be standing anyway), have seen passengers forced to stand because someone decided against putting their suitcase in the luggage hold..... of course others decide to leave them across the aisles in everyone's path.

shamwari · 13-04-2011 11:30pm

Breezer wrote: »

People being told they're too poor to sit on a seat occupied by someone's bag happens regularly? :eek:

Unfortunately, there has always been a disgusting and disgraceful disregard by some for the comfort and welfare of their fellow passengers. And I have no qualms in admitting thatI'm very intolerant of such a blatantly selfish minority. I takes nothing to give up your seat for someone who is elderly, disabled, pregnant or clearly ill, or for that matter, give up a seat to anyone who wants it at the expense of your baggage occupying it.

xper · 14-04-2011 12:07am

schemingbohemia wrote: »

When I commuted from Portlaoise, I would target these people even if there were other easier seats to sit into, just to try and educate them. I failed at that but got some satisfaction from annoying them.

Yep, have done this on Dublin Bus frequently. School kids in the morning rush hour tend to be mass, serial offenders. "Can you move your bag, please?" in a loud cheery voice pisses them off no end.

Selfish feckers who sit on the aisle seat with the window seat vacant and the bus approaching filling nicely also get targetted.

patrickmooney · 14-04-2011 12:41am

I fail to understand how asking someone to move their bag gives you pleasure or satisfaction. It's just polite. If there is a bag, jacket or something on a seat, it's only polite to ask is that yours before taking the seat. No issue, just ask then sit.

schemingbohemia · 14-04-2011 11:00am

patrickmooney wrote: »

I fail to understand how asking someone to move their bag gives you pleasure or satisfaction. It's just polite. If there is a bag, jacket or something on a seat, it's only polite to ask is that yours before taking the seat. No issue, just ask then sit.

you shouldn't have to ask, people should be considerate enough of others to leave seats free without spreading their belongings all over the shop. there's baggage space on the buses which is nearly always empty because numpties use their bags to keep 2 seats for themselves.

bullpost · 14-04-2011 11:10am

I don't ask, merely say excuse me and head for the seat.
I tend to target those that do this as well as I find it ignorant. Having said that the vast majority of people are fine and I've never had hassle getting one of these seats.

patrickmooney · 14-04-2011 11:38am

schemingbohemia wrote: »

you shouldn't have to ask, people should be considerate enough of others to leave seats free without spreading their belongings all over the shop. there's baggage space on the buses which is nearly always empty because numpties use their bags to keep 2 seats for themselves.

Would you feel save leaving a €2000 laptop and iPad in a baggage space. No thanks.

Jaysoose · 14-04-2011 1:14pm

xper wrote: »

Yep, have done this on Dublin Bus frequently. School kids in the morning rush hour tend to be mass, serial offenders. "Can you move your bag, please?" in a loud cheery voice pisses them off no end.
Selfish feckers who sit on the aisle seat with the window seat vacant and the bus approaching filling nicely also get targetted.

I feckin hate those people...they sit there and pretend to not see anybody getting on and tut and roll the eyes when they have to move..inconsiderate baxtards the lot of them. As if people want to sit beside their smelly sweaty arses out of choice.

chewed · 14-04-2011 1:17pm

It's the same with those people who sit on the outside seat (I'm talking about Bus Eireann here) while the inside seat is vacant. I always make sure to ask them to move as I like be on the widow side. But more often than not, they make a big deal about having to get up and let you in!!

Tarabuses · 14-04-2011 2:03pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

Would you feel save leaving a €2000 laptop and iPad in a baggage space. No thanks.

Then put it on your lap not on another seat.

optogirl · 14-04-2011 2:13pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

Would you feel save leaving a €2000 laptop and iPad in a baggage space. No thanks.

then keep then on your lap. They don't get precedence over another commuter

Jaysoose · 14-04-2011 3:44pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

Would you feel save leaving a €2000 laptop and iPad in a baggage space. No thanks.

The answer to this riddle is in the name..

schemingbohemia · 14-04-2011 4:02pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

Would you feel save leaving a €2000 laptop and iPad in a baggage space. No thanks.

well, i wouldn't spend €2k on a laptop if it was soooo heavy that i couldn't have it on, you know, my lap.

n97 mini · 14-04-2011 10:46pm

Jeez, it's not that big a deal. "Excuse me, is someone sitting there" has always worked for me.

Not everyone leaves bags on the seats for nefarious reasons. It can be quite convenient to have your stuff within arms reach when you're travelling...

Breezer · 14-04-2011 10:46pm

shamwari wrote: »

Unfortunately, there has always been a disgusting and disgraceful disregard by some for the comfort and welfare of their fellow passengers. And I have no qualms in admitting thatI'm very intolerant of such a blatantly selfish minority. I takes nothing to give up your seat for someone who is elderly, disabled, pregnant or clearly ill, or for that matter, give up a seat to anyone who wants it at the expense of your baggage occupying it.

Yeah but specifically being told "you're too poor, sit on the floor"? That's just insane.

foggy_lad · 15-04-2011 12:23pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

Would you feel save leaving a €2000 laptop and iPad in a baggage space. No thanks.

Surely this can be placed in the overhead storage on any coach or train?

It really annoys me to see people, mostly women, walking past empty luggage racks on trains and dragging massive wheeled suitcases down the aisles bumping them off every other passengers elbow only to realise they are unable to lift the monster cases up onto the parcel shelf. So they just leave them sitting in the aisle.

Those parcel shelves are just for small parcels briefcases etc not for a set of wheeled suitcases.

Or the inconsiderate numpties again mostly women who drag massive cases onto coaches knowing they will take up a seat as there is no luggage space inside coaches.

the groutch · 15-04-2011 12:27pm

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

I was once on a train with three seats next to each other, with an arm between each seat, with a woman on the seat on the far left and me on the far right with the middle one vacant, I put the arm of the chair up on the seat between me and the vacant middle seat as they were squashed in only for the woman to go mad that she was storing her luggage on this seat, and the arm had to remain down else it would smash.

Later on someone else got on and then asked to sit there and she said the seat was taken and that she is considerably richer than the guy who wanted to sit down and said he was welcome to sit on the floor!

I'd have waited til the next stop, taken her bag, and thrown it out the door onto the platform, making sure it'd gone far enough that she wouldnt be able to retreive it and get back on the train before the doors close

Casey_81 · 15-04-2011 12:59pm

I have to say that sometimes I sit in the outside seat of the train.. but only when sitting at a table (on of the 4-seat ones) and there already is a person sitting inside opposite me.
I do this so that I don't invade their space, and if I see that the train is filling up I simply move in - BEFORE being asked to.

SeanW · 15-04-2011 1:41pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

I fail to understand how asking someone to move their bag gives you pleasure or satisfaction. It's just polite. If there is a bag, jacket or something on a seat, it's only polite to ask is that yours before taking the seat. No issue, just ask then sit.

Not everyone is like you - some people are just selfish and would have a fellow passenger stand over "their" empty/with bag seat.

Like that case of the rich woman in SandyfordGuys post - I don't think I'd be responsible for what I'd have done with the bag in that circumstance.

For reference, when I'm traveling with valuable stuff such as an Mp3 player, mobile phone, extra cash etc, I keep it in a laptop case either on my lap, on the floor in my space, or on the table.

angel01 · 15-04-2011 2:42pm

I regularly sit on the seat of my bus and leave my bag on the seat next to me, jeepers it is hardly a massive issue.. if someone badly wants to sit next to me, they can ask me to move it and I will

optogirl · 15-04-2011 2:44pm

the title of the thread specificies Rush Hour when people are usually standing - in this case, if there are no seats it is just pure ignorant to have your bag taking up a seat. Your sh*t is not more important than a fellow commuter!

df1985 · 15-04-2011 2:50pm

its been taken to a whole new level on airplanes with airlines like ryanair and no assigned seats.....people sitting in the aisle seat desperately not trying to make eye contact with other people looking for a seat!! or purposely spending ages sorting out their stuff for the overhead hold while they hope everyone else passes down by them.....

patrickmooney · 15-04-2011 3:21pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

Surely this can be placed in the overhead storage on any coach or train?

It really annoys me to see people, mostly women, walking past empty luggage racks on trains and dragging massive wheeled suitcases down the aisles bumping them off every other passengers elbow only to realise they are unable to lift the monster cases up onto the parcel shelf. So they just leave them sitting in the aisle.

Those parcel shelves are just for small parcels briefcases etc not for a set of wheeled suitcases.

Or the inconsiderate numpties again mostly women who drag massive cases onto coaches knowing they will take up a seat as there is no luggage space inside coaches.

Nope. I take the Dart, off peak, where there are plenty of seats. No overhead.

schemingbohemia · 15-04-2011 3:49pm

angel01 wrote: »

I regularly sit on the seat of my bus and leave my bag on the seat next to me, jeepers it is hardly a massive issue.. if someone badly wants to sit next to me, they can ask me to move it and I will

but you're obliging the other person to do something rather than making it easy for them, that to me is inconsiderate and rude.

Jimmy Garlic · 15-04-2011 4:03pm

It's a good thing we don't live in India, imagine trying to get a seat on this train-

Seriously though, if somebody leaves their stuff on a seat and makes a fuss about moving it I just tell them what I think of them.. I remember one woman who had a cat in a box and refused to move it off the seat beside her, I told her if she didn't put it on her lap I would flatten it.

positron · 15-04-2011 4:17pm

^^^^ psst, just fyi, that's not India.

Jimmy Garlic · 15-04-2011 4:23pm

positron wrote: »

^^^^ psst, just fyi, that's not India.

Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, wherever.

steamengine · 15-04-2011 5:47pm

I hope there's no tunnels or bridges en route !!! :eek:

foggy_lad · 15-04-2011 6:10pm

patrickmooney wrote: »

Nope. I take the Dart, off peak, where there are plenty of seats. No overhead.

Most people put their laptops inti a protective case which can easily be kept on your lap or down between your feet, a lot safer than having someone like me sitting my arse on top of it.

15-04-2011 7:23pm

I've always had a clear set of rules for when I'm on the dart. Just stuff that seems common sense, like letting people get off before anyone get's on.

1. Sit down on the inner seat. This is usually facing the direction you're going.
2. When there's more than one person per set of seats, start filling them diagonally, so that both of you have leg room.
3. If it fills up more, the diagonal outside person should move in.
4. Outside seats begin to fill up.
5. Even though I'm a girl (and have bunions!), if I'm standing, I wont sit down until there's no more women standing. I usually prefer standing to the social dilemmas involved in getting a seat.

I'll always put my bag down on the seat beside me, but as soon as the dart's full enough that someone's sitting diagonally from me, I move it. However, for years I was puzzled as to why certain people felt the need to sit on the seat my bag was on, when there was two seats in front of me totally free. Turns out people over 50 generally feel they have to (???) sit in the direction they're going. To be honest I think that's going a bit far, especially when they don't have the manners to say excuse me to give me a chance to move it. I just wish they'd warn me, I'd be happy to put it on my lap if I knew someone wanted it.

Transportuser09 · 15-04-2011 7:46pm

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, wherever.

Could be the average evening commuter train to Drogheda by the amount using it!

n97 mini · 15-04-2011 7:47pm

schemingbohemia wrote: »

but you're obliging the other person to do something rather than making it easy for them, that to me is inconsiderate and rude.

It's not really. You're sharing mass transport with lots of other people. Chances are someone is going to inconvenience you and you'll have to open your mouth at some point.

Is it inconsiderate or rude when you are obliged to ask someone to sell you a ticket because the machine is broken or doesn't exist.

n97 mini · 15-04-2011 7:50pm

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

Seriously though, if somebody leaves their stuff on a seat and makes a fuss about moving it I just tell them what I think of them..

Some day you might regret being hostile. Politeness goes a long way.

Jimmy Garlic · 15-04-2011 8:24pm

n97 mini wrote: »

Some day you might regret being hostile. Politeness goes a long way.

I said if somebody makes a fuss about moving their bags I tell them what I think of them. I don't respond to ignorance with politeness.

patrickmooney · 16-04-2011 12:40am

foggy_lad wrote: »

Most people put their laptops inti a protective case which can easily be kept on your lap or down between your feet, a lot safer than having someone like me sitting my arse on top of it.

Why would you sit on it? Break it and pay for it. We are all grown ups, tax paying commuters, adults. Take a deep breath and just ask if anyone owns the items. curtesy goes both ways. Why is it I feel I'm the only adult posting here! Mad! lol

patrickmooney · 16-04-2011 12:44am

true-or-false wrote: »

I've always had a clear set of rules for when I'm on the dart. Just stuff that seems common sense, like letting people get off before anyone get's on.

1. Sit down on the inner seat. This is usually facing the direction you're going.
2. When there's more than one person per set of seats, start filling them diagonally, so that both of you have leg room.
3. If it fills up more, the diagonal outside person should move in.
4. Outside seats begin to fill up.
5. Even though I'm a girl (and have bunions!), if I'm standing, I wont sit down until there's no more women standing. I usually prefer standing to the social dilemmas involved in getting a seat.

I'll always put my bag down on the seat beside me, but as soon as the dart's full enough that someone's sitting diagonally from me, I move it. However, for years I was puzzled as to why certain people felt the need to sit on the seat my bag was on, when there was two seats in front of me totally free. Turns out people over 50 generally feel they have to (???) sit in the direction they're going. To be honest I think that's going a bit far, especially when they don't have the manners to say excuse me to give me a chance to move it. I just wish they'd warn me, I'd be happy to put it on my lap if I knew someone wanted it.

Totally agree with this. Especially with filling up the seating blocks. Most people like to have them alone, esp at night. I often get the last or second last DART most nights. Tonight I had a lot of shopping, gym bag and work bag, no issues as the DART was empty. I wouldn't choose to travel like this during peak or on a bus for that matter.

Jaysoose · 17-04-2011 9:09pm

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

I said if somebody makes a fuss about moving their bags I tell them what I think of them. I don't respond to ignorance with politeness.

Bet you dont...i bet you mumble something inaudable under your breath and sit down cursing inside your own head.

StrawberryJazz · 18-04-2011 12:37am

Personally, I love this business.
The 40 minute commute to Heuston station is made far more entertaining by watching these dynamics between fellow passengers...I spend many a morning cackling behind my metro as people collectively look offended :P

My favorite experience actually involved me. I sat on the inside seat and as it happens this woman sat down beside me, unpacked her life all over the table and took off her shoes.
When my stop came along and I did the universal silent *this is my stop* symbols like packing my phone away and shuffling around a bit she ignored me and rolled her eyes. Eventually with the aid of the english language we established I indeed needed releasing from her captivity. She got really pissed off and took her time getting up.
By the time she had got herself together I just managed to get off before the doors closed.

I was so close to telling the bitch she had icecream in her mustache

positron · 18-04-2011 11:00am

This issue is very relevant to me, especially on the Enterprise - I have in the past chose to take the aisle seat when window seat is empty, and in my mind my excuse is that I am getting off at the first stop..! But I have changed since and now I either look for aisle with window seat already occupied, or take the window seat and prepare to go thru the motions of waking up people from their deep sleep to get out at Drogheda.

While we are on the topic of politeness and consideration, can I also add people who put their feet up on the seat totally disgusts me. While the Dart seats are already dirty, the some commuter services, and Enterprise in general have reasonably clean seats, and I can not stand those who insists on putting their feet up on them, with or without shoes.

n97 mini · 18-04-2011 12:21pm

StrawberryJazz wrote: »

Personally, I love this business.
The 40 minute commute to Heuston station is made far more entertaining by watching these dynamics between fellow passengers...I spend many a morning cackling behind my metro as people collectively look offended :P

My favorite experience actually involved me. I sat on the inside seat and as it happens this woman sat down beside me, unpacked her life all over the table and took off her shoes.
When my stop came along and I did the universal silent *this is my stop* symbols like packing my phone away and shuffling around a bit she ignored me and rolled her eyes. Eventually with the aid of the english language we established I indeed needed releasing from her captivity. She got really pissed off and took her time getting up.
By the time she had got herself together I just managed to get off before the doors closed.

I was so close to telling the bitch she had icecream in her mustache

Sounds to me like you're the loser in that story!

ongarboy · 18-04-2011 6:15pm

I think the people complaining on this thread about anyone putting belongings on an empty seat are the type of people who are too shy to ask someone if they can have the seat and instead stand in angry silence! It would be the very rare and rude person that would refuse you and if so, then demand the seat. Give as good as you get!

I've asked countless times to sit where someone has their belongings and likewise have been asked myself. No issues!

Bags on the seats of trains at rush hour, rudeness?

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