Public transport is the best way to travel and a favorite means of transport for many people due to various reasons.
It is cheaper to start with and since the routes are scheduled, it offers a faster alternative. Consequently, you are bound to have different classes of people from all walks of life, riding on these commoners. The old, young, frustrated, angry, employed, unemployed, name it. As good as it is, in some cases, it can turn out to be a recipe for disaster.
Do you choose who your next seat neighbor will be? Definitely not. Woo to you if you are unfortunate enough to sit next to a grumpy old woman.
My dear you may have to pray for sanity if this mama does not like children and you happen to be carrying one. One unlucky mother was found herself with no other seat except for one next to a rude elderly woman…
Before we get into that, let us take a slight detour. The first class section of the service trains is usually reserved for a special group of people. These include people with disabilities, expectant mothers, elderly passengers and those carrying infants.
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A mother carrying a baby strapped in a sling was relieved to finally get a seat in the first class section of the full Southern service train to Brighton.point 126 | She would at least have a moment to relax and cool off in the first class section.point 192 | But would she? She had to deal with an uncooperative occupant of the next seat who apparently would not give up the seat without a fight.point 304 |
Some people are purposely interested in getting into arguments for no reason.point 66 | Interestingly this is a classic example of old meets frustrated young.point 126 | 1
What ensued thereafter was recorded on video by a fellow commuter called Tyrone Williams. In Tyrone’s video recording, the young mother had kindly asked an older woman to move her luggage that was being stored on the empty seat beside her. The elderly woman, however, was not having any of it- her response was none but rude and uncalled for.Typical of old frustrated women. She would rather have her cat or anything else on the seat than an innocent child!
“I asked you nicely to put your bag on the floor and I offered to put it up. I’m carrying a baby you have to respect me,” the mother replied.
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Practically shouting, the old lady responded with, “And you have to respect your elders and betters. People have actually paid to sit in this carriage.”
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The mother then explains that she has paid for her ticket. The elderly woman goes ahead to challenge her by rudely asking, “Have you paid for a first class ticket?” The woman with the baby tells the older passenger that she has paid for her ticket and these are priority seats which are reserved for travelers not able to stand just like herself since she was carrying her little baby. As the mother and baby sat down, the uncooperative passenger annoyingly utters,
“I don’t want a screaming baby sitting next to me.”
The mother defends her well-behaved (and adorable) baby by replying,
“He’s not screaming. He is behaving better than you.”
The elderly lady later adds, “I have a cold.”
This scenario was clear as day light that the elderly woman was in wrong. But surprisingly, several other train passengers went ahead to fend for the elderly woman by reiterating that these seats are reserved for a first class ticket holder.
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However, Tyrone, the owner of this video recording, defended the mother saying,
“At the end of the day, she’s got a baby so she can sit wherever she wants.”
Towards the end of this ridiculous bickering over a seat, one passenger further down the train asked the mother if she would rather have his seat.
She responded with gratitude, “Thank you yeah. Would be nicer.”
The rest of the passengers were amazed by this man’s act of kindness. As the mother and her baby moved seats, a handful of passengers broke into applause for the man’s kind gesture of kindness – Yes- such nice people still exist.
Tyrone told Mirror that the reason as to why he uploaded the video clip to his Facebook was because he wanted the world to know how many people are ignorant about public means of transport.
“I wanted to show people how ignorant some people on public transport can be. These things happen all the time and I didn’t want this lady to get away with treating someone like that.”
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It’s safe to say that most people would agree that the elderly woman was in the wrong. First class or not, a seat should always be reserved for those who physically need it most.