Someone in your reserved seat

[Morden Via CHX]

but astonished to find a young Asian person in my seat.

what is life

 

[bewildered]

As a regular long distance traveller for work reasons I will always take my booked seat. I'm sorry (and this may sound harsh) but regardless of age or circumstance you shouldn't sit in someone else's seat. If you're elderly or pregnant and you need to have a seat then you'll know this ahead of travelling, thus you should book your own seat and use it. On that note though I had a reservation on a packed EC and an elderly chap was onboard who had his medals on display. I believe a new war memorial had been opened that day. No one moved and I offered him my seat. His response was he was only going to Peterbrough to which I replied "good I won't have to stand up too long". It was at this point he stated he wished more teenagers were like this pleasant teenager. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was 29.

Another instance though that I had fun with was travelling from Newcastle to London a few weeks back. I wasn't in my usual work attire as I'd been doing "mucky" works. I boarded and went in search of my first class seat to find I middle aged business women sat in it. I explained the predicament and her response was "I'm not moving for a student". In front of all the other passengers I had to let her know that "I'm not a student I'm actually 30 years old". She still wouldn't move so the TM shifted her. Unfortunately this was to the seat at the other side of the aisle. During the journey she made a comment to me that it must be nice for the lower class to travel first. Now I don't like to play on my job and what I earn as I find it abhorent. However she'd really rattled me so I did have fun explaining to her what I do for a living. She did go rather quiet then and proceeded to have a rather loud conversation on her mobile phone in the quiet coach. Maybe it'd been a long day and I was grumpy or tired but I went for the jugular and had her told to turn the phone off

 

[jon0844]

People who need a seat and haven't booked one should find priority seats on most trains, although I've been on an EC service where we were allocated priority seats on a train to London from Leeds (didn't think they'd reserve priority seats for the very reason that someone else might have a need for them).

As such, someone claiming to need a seat should still move from a reserved seat (and ideally not sit there in the first place if moving would be awkward) and go for the priority seats that are in effect always reserved for them.

 

[SteveP29]

I had the prime HST seat - they go fast on East Coast now you can pick your own seat.

Would that be seat 63 in coach B (the quiet coach)? my favourite seat btw!

 

[chris89]

As a regular long distance traveller for work reasons I will always take my booked seat. I'm sorry (and this may sound harsh) but regardless of age or circumstance you shouldn't sit in someone else's seat. If you're elderly or pregnant and you need to have a seat then you'll know this ahead of travelling, thus you should book your own seat and use it. On that note though I had a reservation on a packed EC and an elderly chap was onboard who had his medals on display. I believe a new war memorial had been opened that day. No one moved and I offered him my seat. His response was he was only going to Peterbrough to which I replied "good I won't have to stand up too long". It was at this point he stated he wished more teenagers were like this pleasant teenager. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was 29.

Good to hear for that. Sadly my experience with some elderly people, they expect you to move from a seat or to get out of there way, whilst they ignore you if you are a young person (Experience on the bus on Friday)

Another instance though that I had fun with was travelling from Newcastle to London a few weeks back. I wasn't in my usual work attire as I'd been doing "mucky" works. I boarded and went in search of my first class seat to find I middle aged business women sat in it. I explained the predicament and her response was "I'm not moving for a student". In front of all the other passengers I had to let her know that "I'm not a student I'm actually 30 years old". She still wouldn't move so the TM shifted her. Unfortunately this was to the seat at the other side of the aisle. During the journey she made a comment to me that it must be nice for the lower class to travel first. Now I don't like to play on my job and what I earn as I find it abhorent. However she'd really rattled me so I did have fun explaining to her what I do for a living. She did go rather quiet then and proceeded to have a rather loud conversation on her mobile phone in the quiet coach. Maybe it'd been a long day and I was grumpy or tired but I went for the jugular and had her told to turn the phone off

Sounds like she was up herself/ Self entitled to me. I would have done the exact samething, Especially since she mentioned about 'class' as well.

Appears a lot of people who are like that, don't have a ticket or enjoy judging people by how they are dressed (Gladly i've not come acrossed that, when i have had a cheap enough ticket for 1st)

Chris

 

[Goatboy]

Another instance though that I had fun with was travelling from Newcastle to London a few weeks back. I wasn't in my usual work attire as I'd been doing "mucky" works. I boarded and went in search of my first class seat

Why do people seem to think getting in a First Class coach wearing 'mucky' clothing is some sort of badge of honour? Not quite as 'extreme' as the guy a few months ago proudly explaining how he'd been to a festival and 'stank' but its the same sort of thing

Was 'mucky' works clothing really the best thing you could think of to wear on a long journey?! I never dress up for First Class - I'll be travelling First this weekend wearing jeans and probably a hoody - but at least it'll be clean.

 

[Deerfold]

There seem to be a lot of people shocked that someone might be in their reserved seat.

I often catch evening peak EC trains out of Kings X. Usually the vast majority of the seats are reserved but a lot are reserved by season ticket holders to Stevenage or Peterborough and they don't always catch the train. If there's not many seats left by the time I get there I will sit in a reserved seat.

If the holder of the seat reservation turns up I'll move in an instant but I'm not going to stand between carriages for the sake of someone who might not turn up (and when I do this there's usually only a few minutes before the train pulls out).

 

[soil]

Why do people seem to think getting in a First Class coach wearing 'mucky' clothing is some sort of badge of honour? Not quite as 'extreme' as the guy a few months ago proudly explaining how he'd been to a festival and 'stank' but its the same sort of thing

Was 'mucky' works clothing really the best thing you could think of to wear on a long journey?! I never dress up for First Class - I'll be travelling First this weekend wearing jeans and probably a hoody - but at least it'll be clean.

First class is not exclusive. It's public transport, and often cheaper than standard.

 

[noddy1878]

I've only had one notable time where there was a couple in my reserved seats. Had only just made the train at Paddington after a 2 and half hour wait at Lille and was relieved to make the connection.

Anyway I said to them they were in our seats and they insisted they were theirs. Then other people piped up saying FGW had double booked the seats (i've never seen that before but anyway!) I showed them my tickets and they showed me theirs. I then pointed out to them that they were month early! The ticket said March and it was Feb! Needless to say they moved on!

 

[Flamingo]

I've had two people get VERY snotty with me about their seats were double booked, and what kind of unprofessional shower did I work for, and I could bloody well upgrade them to First Class AND they would be writing in demanding an apology and a full refund... Until I asked to see their reservation and had to point out to them they were on the wrong train, they were a day early (silence) and that I wouldn't have noticed until they had pointed it out to me (silence and red faces), but now that they had, their ADVANCE tickets were not actually valid, and they would need to purchase two new ones, would that be cash or card? (the pair in the seats that had been getting accused and harangued were looking like two Cheshire cats at this stage).

I walked off listening to the two of them blaming each other, to everybody's amusement...

 

[tony_mac]

First class is not exclusive. It's public transport, and often cheaper than standard.

The point is that deliberately wearing dirty, stinky, clothes on public transport is anti-social. It doesn't matter which class it is in, but occasionally somebody seems to take pride in doing it in first-class for some reason, but not in standard.

 

[Mark_H]

I'll usually scope out if there's there's another decent table seat nearby, and then say "oh you're in my seat...nevermind, there's one over there" thereby covering myself if my replacement turns out to be booked as well. But equally I'll evict someone (nicely) if the only alternative is squishing into an airline seat.
That said, I recently found a family of 4 had booked 3 seats round a table (presumably the two year old had neither reservation or ticket) and this two year-old was bouncing around in my reserved seat, showing every sign of being mere minutes away from a sugar-induced tantrum. The mother scooped her up into her lap and offered me the seat. I made a swift judgment on how much fun the next two hours would be next to a active toddler sat on a parent's lap, and headed for the nearest free airline seat!

 

[D1009]

I made a swift judgment on how much fun the next two hours would be next to a active toddler sat on a parent's lap, and headed for the nearest free airline seat!

I'd have gone for a different coach!

 

[Goatboy]

First class is not exclusive. It's public transport, and often cheaper than standard.

You miss my point, it applies equally to standard yet tellingly nobody on here ever seems to take pride in telling everyone how scruffily they dressed before travelling standard. You don't need to dress up to travel but dirty work attire, seriously?

 

[deltic1989]

You miss my point, it applies equally to standard yet tellingly nobody on here ever seems to take pride in telling everyone how scruffily they dressed before travelling standard. You don't need to dress up to travel but dirty work attire, seriously?

I would tend to agree with you, unless the wearer of said garments was returning home from their dirty work. In that case I will let them off .

I have ,in the last week in fact, travelled in dirty work clothes when my lorry broke down in Leeds and had to be recovered, and I was rather a sight, given that I had spent a good hour and a half under the cab trying to rectify the fault myself.
In that instance my choices were limited but it was a 156 then a 158 home Northern all the way, so no FC to disrupt . I did in all fairness though feel rather anti-social.

 

[gavo01]

I don't travel long distance by train that much, I'm more of a local service type user and at weekend for that matter, but I would never sit on a seat that is reserved, unless the train is near empty and I'm only on there for one stop.

It's disrespectful to the people who have taken their time to reserve seats.

 

[Tibbs]

I don't travel long distance by train that much, I'm more of a local service type user and at weekend for that matter, but I would never sit on a seat that is reserved, unless the train is near empty and I'm only on there for one stop.

It's disrespectful to the people who have taken their time to reserve seats.

Even if the reservation is for a station already passed and that person evidently hasn't turned up for the service?

Seems a trifle extreme, but more power to your moral fortitude!

I'll try to sit unreserved if I can, but I'll sit in a reserved seat if I have to. Needless to say I'll move should the person show up!

 

[westv]

I prefer to sit in someone elses reserved seat and get most annoyed when the driver asks me to move so he can get the train moving.

 

[Eagle]

Even if the reservation is for a station already passed and that person evidently hasn't turned up for the service?

Unless you wait alongside a seat for 10 minutes or so, you can't tell if it's a no-show or if the passenger has just gone walkabout to the toilet or shop or something. I've had it happen to me more than once that my reserved seat has been occupied in my brief absence (which happened to coincide with a station call) with the explanation 'I assumed you hadn't turned up'.

 

[Deerfold]

I don't travel long distance by train that much, I'm more of a local service type user and at weekend for that matter, but I would never sit on a seat that is reserved, unless the train is near empty and I'm only on there for one stop.

It's disrespectful to the people who have taken their time to reserve seats.

And how disrepectful is it for people to reserve seats and then not catch that train? I'll stick to moving when asked when there's a sea of unoccupied seats.

 

[Greenback]

Unless you wait alongside a seat for 10 minutes or so, you can't tell if it's a no-show or if the passenger has just gone walkabout to the toilet or shop or something. I've had it happen to me more than once that my reserved seat has been occupied in my brief absence (which happened to coincide with a station call) with the explanation 'I assumed you hadn't turned up'.

As long as the person is prepared to move, then it isn't a great problem.

I usually try and leave something like a magazine or newspaper on the seat (if I am travelling solo) and mention to someone sitting next to me or opposite that I'll be back soon!

 

[ValleyLines142]

It's a really difficult subject, seat reservations! There's definitely pros and cons.

I think that's a good point that Deerfold made about how disrepectful is it for people to reserve seats and then not catch that train.

This may be a bad idea, but say for instance there were reservations on a coach from say Cardiff to London. Within 5/10 minutes of leaving Cardiff, so allowing for those people who genuinely have claimed their seat and for those who are finding their seats or have gone to the toilet, maybe the conductor could (if they had time) walk through the train removing seat reservations that have NOT been claimed from Cardiff.

On a slightly different note, one particular problem I also experienced on the 2030 Manchester to Cardiff service three weeks ago was that I had a seat booked, but I went to the toilet near Wem. As is normal, baggage and personal belongings shouldn't be left unattended; this is a problem if you're travelling on your own as you can't exactly take your suitcase into the toilet (as this may cause a security alert! ), so I had to shove all of my hand luggage in overhead racks whilst I went. I came back to my seat as we got to Wem, and if I hadn't have sat down, my seat may have been taken! Luckily it was coming up to 10pm so it wasn't particular busy but say I was on the 1630 or 1730 out of Piccadilly it may have been a problem! (although to contradict that I suppose I could have asked someone to keep my seat as Greenback suggested).

 

[work-traveller]

I take long distance trains every week - peak times. I always board the train 5 minutes or less before departure and never look at the reservations. Only once had to move seats, in which instance I slid across to the adjacent one to accommodate the reservee. From anecdotal observation I'd say more than 50% of reservations end up being 'no-shows'.

 

[Tibbs]

As long as the person is prepared to move, then it isn't a great problem.

I usually try and leave something like a magazine or newspaper on the seat (if I am travelling solo) and mention to someone sitting next to me or opposite that I'll be back soon!

It's the curse of our modern, technological world that my reading materials are now on a device I wouldn't want to leave on my seat!

It's such a pain packing everything up when I want to go to the loo. Maybe I need to pick up a Metro or an Evening Standard to pop on my seat next time...

 

[chris89]

As long as the person is prepared to move, then it isn't a great problem.

I usually try and leave something like a magazine or newspaper on the seat (if I am travelling solo) and mention to someone sitting next to me or opposite that I'll be back soon!

It's the curse of our modern, technological world that my reading materials are now on a device I wouldn't want to leave on my seat!

It's such a pain packing everything up when I want to go to the loo. Maybe I need to pick up a Metro or an Evening Standard to pop on my seat next time...

Can be annoying :-P although even with a tablet and mp3 player I still bring a magazine for the journey.

Quite often I see reserved seats left empty, especially on the Edinburgh/Wolvo/New Street services, mostly after Crewe or Carlisle when it gets busy.

 

[Ivo]

The worst one I've ever known was a guy who showed me his ticket and said his seat was reserved, when I had an Advance for that same seat. It turned out the "reservation" was actually the sales code on his ticket and he hadn't reserved a seat at all :roll:

 

[tsr]

I've come up with an innovative solution: put a copy of a rail enthusiasts' magazine on your seat. That way you are unlikely to find your seat occupied on your return, but if by any rare chance a fellow, over-zealous enthusiast happens to want your seat, simply suggest they "catch the Parly which is literally only 5 minutes behind us".

 

[SS4]

I've come up with an innovative solution: put a copy of a rail enthusiasts' magazine on your seat. That way you are unlikely to find your seat occupied on your return, but if by any rare chance a fellow, over-zealous enthusiast happens to want your seat, simply suggest they "catch the Parly which is literally only 5 minutes behind us".

Wouldn't said enthusiast know there is no such thing behind?

 

[tsr]

Wouldn't said enthusiast know there is no such thing behind?

Convince them by brandishing a mysteriously modified copy of PSUL!

 

[chris89]

I've come up with an innovative solution: put a copy of a rail enthusiasts' magazine on your seat. That way you are unlikely to find your seat occupied on your return, but if by any rare chance a fellow, over-zealous enthusiast happens to want your seat, simply suggest they "catch the Parly which is literally only 5 minutes behind us".

Model Rail seems to do just as good job :-P also seems to stop people sitting next to you as well.