Cyclist Sleeps Across Four Seats Meaning Mum And Baby Can't Use Them
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An 'aggressive' cyclist caused havoc on a train in New Zealand by lying across four priority seats, meaning that a mum and her baby were unable to use them.
According to the NZ Herald, the cyclist got on the early morning commuter train and immediately lay down to have a kip across the seats. At the next stop, a woman with a baby boarded the train and were left to stand in the crowded train carriage.
Stuart Dawson, a passenger on the 7.18am train on Auckland's Onehunga line this Wednesday, managed to quietly grab the attention of the train manager and alert him to the unfolding situation.
However, when confronted, the cyclist became angry, refused to move, and started verbally abusing the train employee.
Dawson told the NZ Herald: "He went up and asked the cyclist to move and the guy just said, 'Get f***ed'. He said that a couple of times.
"The manager then said, 'If you continue doing that I'll let you off at the next stop'.
"The cyclist repeated what he said, saying 'f*** off' and went back to sleep. The manager then walked off and did absolutely nothing."
According to Mr Dawson's report, space on the train was limited and there were only a few seats going. That meant that there was nowhere for the mum and child to go that wouldn't leave the pram obstructing others.
He continued to say that the mother looked annoyed and upset by the whole thing, which caused the train manager to have a word.
He continued: "The train manager actually went up to ask her if she was OK. She wasn't happy and looked rather uncomfortable.
"He [the cyclist] was not a nice character to deal with."
Since the confrontation took place, Dawson said that the mother and her baby haven't boarded the train, despite the fact that he'd seen them often before.
He added: "I guess the passenger may have been put off catching that particular train."
Transdev, the company that operates the Auckland Transport lines, said that they were happy with how the staff member reacted and that they were aware of the incident.
A spokesperson said: "Anti-social behaviour like this is uncommon on rail services. We take every precaution to ensure the safety of our customers.
"These include conflict resolution and customer service training for our staff. Train managers are supported by staff in other roles in deterring anti-social behaviour.
"On-board staff will call police when an incident justifies this.
"We are pleased the train manager followed her training by checking on the needs of the affected customer, and that the situation did not escalate."
However, Mr Dawson disagrees. He said: "I just don't know why the train manager would threaten to kick him off but then do nothing about it.
"I've heard of other incidents where passengers have been intimidated. They need more security or staff members who travel on their services."
Featured Image Credit: NZ Herald
Topics: World News, Weird
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