One passenger was told they'd get 'popped in the face' after moving a stranger's duffle bag to sit down.
The subway-taker took to Reddit to share their latest underground escapade on the subway and has since re-opened the heated debate surrounding public transport etiquette.
Posting in the 'Am I the A**hole' (AITA) sub-Reddit thread, the passenger began: "I got on a crowded train at rush hour and across from me was a younger woman with two small, sport duffle bags on either side of her occupying two seats."
After a long day, the last thing any of us want to do is stand up for an indefinite amount of time crammed in a sweaty carriage on the commute.
Advert
So, it's understandable why the passenger was so miffed especially given the fact there were actually seats available.
The woman in question was allegedly 'ignoring the fact that the train was packed and other people may want to sit down'.
It's a situation many of us can probably unfortunately relate to.
They went on: "I had had a long day and it was going to be a long while before I’d reach my stop so I asked her if I could 'sit down please' to which she scowled and dismissively said 'no.'"
Advert
That's definitely not the reaction you'd want to get.
Thinking outside of the box, the passenger 'squeezed' themselves down between the 'small gap' amidst the woman's dufflebag and another person sitting down.
Upon doing so, they handed the woman her duffle bag.
"This set her off," the Reddit user recalled. "She started yelling at me about how if I kept pushing her 'she’d pop me in the face'.
Advert
"To which I asked her if she'd rather I just sat on her bag or if she’d rather I handed it to her first."
As if matters couldn't get even worse, the woman began to record the passenger.
"She then started filming me saying how I must be sick/slow/ fill in other insults because [sic] I was arguing with 'a kid' and how I should be embarrassed because [sic] I'm 'so much older'."
The woman, according to the Reddit user, was 'definitely younger' than them and 'looked about 18'.
Advert
"While I don’t spend my life looking to get into arguments with teenagers," they continued, "[I] have spent my life feeling like I get pushed around and look the other way/ignored.
"I also generally hate inconsiderate people on public spaces."
The Redditer concluded the post writing: "That being said - I wonder if I took it too far by touching her stuff."
In a follow-up comment, the passenger offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the a**hole in the situation.
It reads: "I couldn’t just let her keep yelling at me so I kept asking her what else she thought should happen.
Advert
"I know it wasn’t wise to keep engaging but it also didn’t feel like an option to just silently let her continue to yell at me. Eventually I told her I was sorry the event happened the way it did and moved to a different car."
Dozens of people have since flooded in to share their verdict on the matter - the majority of which agreed with the passenger.
One Reddit user declared: "One seat per person, anyone who argues can get their cr*p thrown on the floor."
Another echoed the same point and offered a whole explanation into train etiquette for fellow commuters: "On an empty train it's okay to have your bag on a seat, so in total you take up two seats, however on a busy train, one seat, one person.
"This individual had bags on two seats, thereby taking up three seats. This goes against both quiet train rules and especially against busy train rules."
They continued: "My only comment is that I would have asked politely if they could have moved their bag from the seat.
"But that is the British in me, and dealing with this situation on a regular basis."
What would you have done?
Featured Image Credit: Pexels