Train passenger praised for 'refusing to give up' first-class seat to elderly lady
A train passenger has been praised for refusing to give up her first class seat to an elderly woman who 'quite rudely' confronted her.
The woman took to Reddit to explain what happened on the seven-hour train journey from London to Aberdeen, explaining she booked the seat in advance, but was given a 'priority seat' on boarding.
For those unfamiliar, priority seats are situated at the start and end of each carriage and are designed for people with mobility issues.
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Taking to Reddit's 'Am I the A**hole' forum, which is where users ask for a second opinion on their moral quandaries, the woman wrote: "It's a seven-hour journey [from London to Aberdeen] so I booked myself a first-class seat well in advance."
She went on to explain that she paid for the more expensive first class seat because she knew it was a long journey and wanted to use the time to do some work.
"First-class seats on trains in the UK can be expensive, but I decided to treat myself because 1), I knew I'd have work to do on the train, so I wanted to make sure I had space/comfort to be able to work, and 2), certain trains in the 'individual seats' which means you're not sitting next to or sitting opposite anyone.
"I specifically booked one of those seats to enable me to work," she continued.
Shortly after boarding the train in London, however, the woman was confronted by an elderly passenger who pointed at the 'priority seat' sign and asked her to move.
When she refused, the woman told her that she was elderly and therefore had a greater need for the seat.
"I told her I'd booked the seat and she'd need to speak to a member of staff to find her one," the woman explained.
"She pointed out that the train was full and there were no other seats. I apologised but reiterated that I'd booked the seat and wasn't going to move.
"Eventually, a train guard came over to try to help. The lady had booked a return ticket, but she hadn't reserved a specific seat. For those who don't know how trains work, if you have a ticket but haven't also booked a seat reservation, it means you can travel on a train, but you aren't guaranteed a seat unless there's one available."
The member of staff asked if either of the women would move to standard class for a seat, and the woman who had reserved hers stood her ground.
She said that while she felt 'bad', she 'didn't want to put myself in severe discomfort because someone else didn't think ahead and reserve a seat'.
While the woman wasn't sure about whether or not she had done the right thing, Reddit users were quick to assure her that she had.
One user asserted that it was the train company who were in the wrong, not her.
They wrote: "The train company are the a**h*les here. They sold the disability seats as the most expensive seats on the train.
"Then they tried to get the person who bought those seats to move to standard. Those seats should imo never be sold unless the occupier is disabled. That's on the train operator. It's not on you."
A second agreed, adding: "If it was a 1st class seat on a plane and someone asked you to move to economy, you’d tell them to f**k right off. Same applies in my mind."
"Train attendant here," wrote a third reader. "You booked and paid for that specific seat. If the lady had specific requirements, she should have booked and stated as such in her reservation."
Emma Guinness