passengers who stand when there are seats available

[GatwickDepress]

I stand in the vestibules on 442s when there's a window open. I find standing to be pretty decent when I'm been sat down all day, especially with the wind blowing through - and ruining - my hair. 'Though obviously I don't stick my head out of the window. Last thing I want is to inadvertently paint the front of an Electrostar into Gatwick Express colours.

 

[jon0844]

No, that would make it even harder for Southern to claim Gatwick Express is nothing to do with them.

 

[SPADTrap]

Amidst the regular comments about trains that are overcrowded I am struck by the number of times I see the opposite phenonemon-passengers who choose to stand when there are seats available.

What is most frustrating us that they often choose to stand in the doorway, giving the impression to other passengers that there are no seats available, unless you squeeze your way past them to check.

I can see why when someone is only undertaking a short journey some might choose to stand ( although I'd always prefer a seat) but I see this happening with passengers on journies of half an hour or more.

I can equally see that a small number of passengers may wish to stand because health issues make it difficult for them to sit, but not in the numbers I see standing. Why would most people choose to stand when there is a seat available?

Yep read it all now. What a bizarre thread. Choice?! Ask them next time?! If I am PASS I'll stand to let fare paying passengers sit, usually even if there's space, personally feel like I'm being judged when I'm passing in uniform. If I'm on a priv and not in uniform or using my staff pass on our own trains I will usually find a seat. I also dislike the "personal space" issues that come with out stocks seating arrangements!

 

[Bald Rick]

Or angoraphobia, fear of woolly jumpers

Or anorakaphobia, the fear of people standing on platform ends with cameras, notepads, and mobile devices permanently logged on to railforums.co.uk...

 

[Flamingo]

Or anorakaphobia, the fear of people standing on platform ends with cameras, notepads, and mobile devices permanently logged on to railforums.co.uk...

You're getting confused now, they are doing survey work for Crossrail / electrification

 

[sarahj]

I stand in the vestibules on 442s when there's a window open. I find standing to be pretty decent when I'm been sat down all day, especially with the wind blowing through - and ruining - my hair. 'Though obviously I don't stick my head out of the window. Last thing I want is to inadvertently paint the front of an Electrostar into Gatwick Express colours.

If you ask when I'm passing I'll pop the window down for you.

 

[ainsworth74]

If you ask when I'm passing I'll pop the window down for you.

Cue your colleagues now complaining 'I keep getting asked if I'm this sarahj person from some internet forum thingy'

 

[AndyLandy]

It's an individual's choice whether they choose to stand rather than sit, but I do admit it can be a little frustrating to have to squeeze your way through a crammed vestibule to get to a carriage with plenty of seating available.

What irritates me most is people who put their bags on the seat when they can see the service is busy or sit on the isle seat blocking access to the window seat. I've even seen staff travelling like this, sitting on the isle seat at times of peak demand and overcrowding, staff who are most likely to be travelling free-of-cost.

If someone's in the aisle seat and the adjacent window seat is available, just ask if you can sit in there! Invariably the other person will either move along into the window seat, or will let you get in.

I often choose to take an aisle seat for preference. I'm 6'3", so being able to stretch my legs out into the aisle is almost essential. Always happy for someone to take the window seat beside me though!

 

[Mark_H]

If someone's in the aisle seat and the adjacent window seat is available, just ask if you can sit in there! Invariably the other person will either move along into the window seat, or will let you get in.

I often choose to take an aisle seat for preference. I'm 6'3", so being able to stretch my legs out into the aisle is almost essential. Always happy for someone to take the window seat beside me though!

I have the exact same situation. Some people are strangely reluctant to ask for the window seat though. I do try to look up and actively offer the window seat to people who are looking a bit troubled about where to sit.

I've had several people insist to me that it's rude to take the aisle seat though, which was rather odd.

 

[Starmill]

Cue your colleagues now complaining 'I keep getting asked if I'm this sarahj person from some internet forum thingy'

I'm not sure how conscious of it I was, but every Southern train I've been on today I've had a look for the guard just in case (assuming there is one) - they were ALL male!

 

[Antman]

I normally stand near the offside door (at most stations the nearside doors open) on London Overground just to get a better view out of the window, seats are inward facing. I'll also normally stand on sub surface lines on LU but on deep level lines where headroom is more limited I'll normally take a seat if available.

 

[Trog]

I find the hard ridge at the front of Pendolino seats so uncomfortable, that I would sometimes have to stand even if the carriage was empty apart from myself.

I also have a tight connection where the constant late running of the Pendolino compared to the local I have to change into, means standing at the door opposite the stairs and running each night is a must if I am to avoid having to wait for the next service.

 

[Chrisgr31]

Cue your colleagues now complaining 'I keep getting asked if I'm this sarahj person from some internet forum thingy'

because the alternative for the passengers is to peer at the name badges which are just above the breast!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

To add, I only really sit in vestibules if im on a 171... but then I feel I have to stand if it gets too crowded so more people can get on.

Standing is arguably a better option than sitting on the flip down seats in the vestibules on a Class 171.

On the Class 171s passengers for Crowborough have a horrible habit of standing up early in order to be first out the doors and up the stairs. This avoids them having to queue for the stairs and queue to get out the station in their cars, oh and for those on the bus give them a reasonable chance of catching it before it departs.

The problem is that they are starting to stand earlier and earlier with some people now standing as the train leaves Edenbridge. This is an issue on the 18.08 ex LBG which is 8 carriages long but only 5 fit into Cowden and Eridge. Passengers getting off at these 2 stations either don't realise that the crowds in the vestibules in Carriage 6 aren't getting off at these locations, or cant get through them in time to actually get off at their station and end up on an inadvertent ride to the next stop!

 

[Greenback]

I am convinced that for a lot of passengers, at least on my local trains, standing in the vestibule or near the doors is to ensure they are first off.

Additionally, for a 10-15 minute journey, some people see little point in sitting down. I must say if I'm on an unreserved long journey on a busy service, I have appreciated the occasions when people have offered their seat to me saying 'I'm getting off at the next station anyway'.

 

[yorksrob]

On the Class 171s passengers for Crowborough have a horrible habit of standing up early in order to be first out the doors and up the stairs. This avoids them having to queue for the stairs and queue to get out the station in their cars, oh and for those on the bus give them a reasonable chance of catching it before it departs.

The problem is that they are starting to stand earlier and earlier with some people now standing as the train leaves Edenbridge. This is an issue on the 18.08 ex LBG which is 8 carriages long but only 5 fit into Cowden and Eridge. Passengers getting off at these 2 stations either don't realise that the crowds in the vestibules in Carriage 6 aren't getting off at these locations, or cant get through them in time to actually get off at their station and end up on an inadvertent ride to the next stop!

Standing up ready to get off two stops before your station does seem to be taking things to extremes !

Coming into Leeds from the Woodlesford direction, it's pointless standing up before you get safely over the junction for the mainline as you're likely to get caught out by a long wait for the TPE to pass in the opposite direction.

 

[JB25]

I stand rather than sit because I hate how small the seats are and I hate being crushed up to people on the seats.I also tend to find people don't care you are there and tend to sit on you or parts of your clothing etc.

 

[westv]

I stand rather than sit because I hate how small the seats are and I hate being crushed up to people on the seats.I also tend to find people don't care you are there and tend to sit on you or parts of your clothing etc.

Some seating does seem to be designed for midgets rather than real people.

 

[1e10]

Some seating does seem to be designed for midgets rather than real people.

That's ridiculous! Larger seats would be backward compatible for midgets.

 

[sheff1]

I've had several people insist to me that it's rude to take the aisle seat though, ...

Not as rude as telling other people which seat they should sit in

A window seat on a pacer with the heaters on, on a warm day ? I think not - aisle seat every time for me.

 

[waterlooroader]

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but am I right in assuming that if seats are available but a passenger chooses to stand, the staff on the train cannot make the passenger take a seat?

I only ask as their is a member of staff (Conductor) who works for ATW who often tells people "There are seats available, sit down please"

Obviously I can see her point if passengers are blocking access to the back cab, but is it reasonable to do this for any and all standing passengers?

 

[johntea]

Weirdly I catch a 142 / 144 (or similar) and then a 333 to work each morning and back.

The 142 / 144 people cram onto all available seats, but on the 333 there seems to be an etiquette where people don't want to sit next to other people!

 

[2Dogbox]

Don't forget that a passenger that has to stand up when there are seats available also will have to make sure they are standing against the guards door key switch,or crammed against the door control panel. When asked politely to move they won't as they will be unable to hear due to enormous headphones.

 

[TheWalrus]

I found this was worse when the train is in reverse formation. Everyone gets in first class so stands and leaves an empty standard coach a few coaches down!

 

[island]

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but am I right in assuming that if seats are available but a passenger chooses to stand, the staff on the train cannot make the passenger take a seat?

I only ask as their is a member of staff (Conductor) who works for ATW who often tells people "There are seats available, sit down please"

Obviously I can see her point if passengers are blocking access to the back cab, but is it reasonable to do this for any and all standing passengers?

It might at a stretch come under byelaw 12 (2), but it would be a really great stretch indeed.

 

[Mark_H]

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but am I right in assuming that if seats are available but a passenger chooses to stand, the staff on the train cannot make the passenger take a seat?

I only ask as their is a member of staff (Conductor) who works for ATW who often tells people "There are seats available, sit down please"

Obviously I can see her point if passengers are blocking access to the back cab, but is it reasonable to do this for any and all standing passengers?

They might be able to justify it on safety grounds (Byelaws s12)?

I often see that people entering a crowded train tend to stop at the first standing passenger near the door, at which point the people behind can't even see that there is a decent expanse of aisle (or even spare seats) available to use, and you end up with sardines in the vestibule unnecessarily.

 

[island]

I had this happen on a Virgin service once. Coming down the stairs at the up end of a Pendolino at Birmingham New Street with a lot of people looking to board, and the station work complete sign was given so I hustled on in coach J (I think) along with many others. We filled the aisles in first class and there was someone further down who had just stopped dead because they didn't think there was room to move. So the train manager came along and told people to get out of the carriage or pay for first tickets, quite reasonably. I would have loved to do so, but the way was blocked, so the TM pushed past everyone, got to the start of coach H, told everyone to move down, and they all did. By one carriage. This charade repeated itself three times, and by the time I had actually reached coach E where I was supposed to be, the train had arrived at Birmingham International which was as far as I was going!

 

[charlie873]

I always choose to sit/ stand in the vestibule because I don't like it in the coach...Hooray Henries, crying babies, teenagers talking rubbish, drunks, folks shouting into their phones, etc...

 

[edwin_m]

With regard to people standing in the vestibules and blocking the doors, they probably do this because it is more comfortable and causes less of an obstruction than standing in the aisles. Certainly I'd be a bit miffed if I was in an aisle seat with somebody standing right next to me when there were free seats available.

 

[Mark_H]

With regard to people standing in the vestibules and blocking the doors, they probably do this because it is more comfortable and causes less of an obstruction than standing in the aisles. Certainly I'd be a bit miffed if I was in an aisle seat with somebody standing right next to me when there were free seats available.

Oh, definitely. The vestibule offers somewhere to at least lean. The problem comes when later arrivals don't see past the vestibule to the available aisle space.

 

[ert47]

Oh, definitely. The vestibule offers somewhere to at least lean. The problem comes when later arrivals don't see past the vestibule to the available aisle space.

Standing in the aisle of a packed 3+2 377 is not fun. There is very little to hold on to! If you're tall enough, you can get away with standing in a 2+2 377 - you'll just have to hold onto the luggage rack :roll: