You can't sit here

[455driver]

you do get some weird characters on the railway and I dont just mean staff

Oy speak for yourself, I am quite normal*!


* depending on what you class as "normal".

 

[northwichcat]

Maybe the railways have something to learn from airlines? A few years ago I was sitting on the Edinburgh-Heathrow shuttle on a busy morning when an announcement was made: "Please place your bags in the overhead lockers sideways in order to leave space for the remaining passengers".

I'm sure she meant "for the remaining passengers' luggage" but the more literal interpretation gave me a smile on an otherwise dull journey.

I've heard similar announcements on TPE trains saying something like "this train gets very busy by the time it gets to Huddersfield so don't leave items on unused seats."

TPE also have an automated one telling standing passengers to stand as far away from the doors as possible to let more passengers board. It tends to get played out more on Saturday with mostly leisure travellers than with the weekday ones with mainly commuters.

 

[MattRobinson]

Reminds me of the time when my friend and I went to college via Leeds (IIRC, the Metro had an offer on giving away free chocolate bars in Leeds but not in either Wakefield or Huddersfield) and on the FTPX there were a group of business people who refused to give up their seats for the people who'd actually reserved them. They came up with some amazing excuses for why they wouldn't move such as 'it's not reserved because it hasn't got a ticket on the seat' and 'how do you know it's this carriage'/'because it says so on the outside'/'well, I don't know which carriage this is, but I'm not going outside to look'. Sadly, the bloke went to get the guard just as we were getting off, so I don't know the conclusion. Just wish I had filmed it...

 

[northwichcat]

They came up with some amazing excuses for why they wouldn't move such as 'it's not reserved because it hasn't got a ticket on the seat'

Did it have tickets on the seats or had they not been put out or removed by the people who wanted the seats?

a group of business people

Assuming it wasn't FC the passengers who reserved the seats should have said business people aren't allowed in this section of the train.

 

[DarloRich]

Every morning on my train a group of about 6 commuters board the train which is quite busy and they keep empty 4 seats so another group can join them at the next station.

I've heard them say to people when someone has been in these seats "your sitting in the wrong place" and earlier one said to me "You are not allowed to sit here" there was no other seats (other than the four empty ones) but the train was packed and I had to stand for about 70 minutes.

I was wondering what are the rules here, am I allowed to sit down (the seats are not reserved) just this is a daily occurrence and I've paid 4.300 for my ticket and id like a seat if ones available.

My conversation with them would go along the lines of "p*ss off you stupid bast*rds". THEN I would sit there everyday JUST to annoy them.

Although being northern i can do that becuase southerns tend to foul themselves when confronted with a large, annoyed, northern bloke!

bloody idiots

 

[4SRKT]

My conversation with them would go along the lines of "p*ss off you stupid bast*rds". THEN I would sit there everyday JUST to annoy them.

Although being northern i can do that becuase southerns tend to foul themselves when confronted with a large, annoyed, northern bloke!

bloody idiots

Would be most unpleasant though sitting next to them after they'd fouled themselves tho.......

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Sit down in the midsts of these selfish folk.

Then start singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round"

 

[northwichcat]

Sit down in the midsts of these selfish folk.

Then start singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round"

Or "A million green bottles standing on the wall...." and carry it on for a while after!

 

[DarloRich]

Would be most unpleasant though sitting next to them after they'd fouled themselves tho.......

serves them right and ihave a very poor sense of smell!

 

[tsr]

Sit down in the midsts of these selfish folk.

Then start singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round"

Or "A million green bottles standing on the wall...." and carry it on for a while after!

You're just as bad as them (see Byelaws 6 and 7)!

 

[Eagle]

You're just as bad as them (see Byelaws 6 and 7)!

Actually 7(1) says that you are allowed to annoy people by singing if you get the TOC's permission to do so.

Except with written permission from an Operator no person on the railway shall, to the annoyance of any person:

• (i) sing; or
• (ii) use any instrument, article or equipment for the production or reproduction of sound.

 

[northwichcat]

You're just as bad as them (see Byelaws 6 and 7)!

You're allowed to sing if you have the operator's permission e.g. arranging a 'music train'.

 

[Seacook]

For more clarity we should really hear the other side as to why they hold the seats back. Maybe they want them for a group of people who suffer from a similar complaint that makes standing for periods of time painful.

If this is the case then surely these thoughtful gentlemen will offer to give up their own seats to people with a greater need? Giving someone your seat is a little less charitable.

 

[Statto]

Actually 7(1) says that you are allowed to annoy people by singing if you get the TOC's permission to do so.

Love that.

To the OP, personally, if it's possible i'd try & avoid confrontation, but if they say you can't sit here, then ask why, if they don't give a valid reason[like it's reserved, & with Southeastern, it's not likely it'll be reserved anyway] say i'm sitting here anyway & refuse to move, if they still insist on saying you have to move & start getting aggressive then get the Guard if the Guard wont do anything complain to Southeastern about the situation, if they wont do anything go your MP or Media, imo, this amounts to Bullying, because there in a group & feel they can get away with it.

 

[matchmaker]

Reminds me of the time when my friend and I went to college via Leeds (IIRC, the Metro had an offer on giving away free chocolate bars in Leeds but not in either Wakefield or Huddersfield) and on the FTPX there were a group of business people who refused to give up their seats for the people who'd actually reserved them. They came up with some amazing excuses for why they wouldn't move such as 'it's not reserved because it hasn't got a ticket on the seat' and 'how do you know it's this carriage'/'because it says so on the outside'/'well, I don't know which carriage this is, but I'm not going outside to look'. Sadly, the bloke went to get the guard just as we were getting off, so I don't know the conclusion. Just wish I had filmed it...

Quite a number of years ago when my sons were aged 12 and 10 we arranged for them to go to their grandparents in Inverness for a holiday (whilst me and the missus went to Paris for a dirty weekend )

I booked them 1st class on the Highland Chieftain from Stirling to Inverness and reserved seats for them. I was quite comfortable with them travelling alone as they were (and still are) very sensible lads.

We took them to the station and as they got onto the train, I could see that a middle-aged couple were sitting in the boys seats........

My 12 year old marched up to them and I could see through the window that he was clearing them out of the seats

After that I'm told that they had a great trip and were treated like royalty by the GNER staff!

 

[Yew]

After that I'm told that they had a great trip and were treated like royalty by the GNER staff!

Is that because they turfed out some annoying passangers, or because it was GNER?

 

[matchmaker]

Is that because they turfed out some annoying passangers, or because it was GNER?

GNER, I think. My older son absolutely loved being served coffee from a real china coffeepot!

 

[exile]

Pretend to be deaf or a foreigner. You don't know what they're saying.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

There isn't really a cut and dried response, as with most things. Some days I would argue the toss and others I wouldn't bother. We all encounter journies that have an element of annoyance and on some occasions we can be the annoyance and quite often don't realise it. It's just a case of doing what you feel like doing at the time - if you don't do it on spec then no point bothering about it as the so called 'next' time may be a totally different situation. Think it's about time this thread was put to bed to be honest.

 

[tsr]

Actually 7(1) says that you are allowed to annoy people by singing if you get the TOC's permission to do so.

Yes, I know. I don't know if Southeastern have that sort of sense of humour, though (or any, for that matter)!

Would a scribbled sticky note from an amused (or equally annoyed) guard qualify as "permission"...? There must be one who can oblige!

 

[Anvil1984]

A large group of the general public seem to believe the onus is on the passengers standing to ask and not to do things on their own accord. Working a rush hour train this evening and noticed when going to the TRTS plunger a lot of people were standing but also a lot had bags on seats. So pre departure and also just after I asked that bags were taken off seats. I go down the train after the first stop and someone is taking a row of 3 seats. 1 for him and 2 for his bags. I.asked him if he heard the announcement and he said he had but no one asked to sit there. I felt like using my powers and charging him per bag but thought better. I gave him a roasting though as its a bugbear

 

[LCC106]

How about singing "Time flies by when I'm the driver of a train..."???

 

[D841 Roebuck]

How about singing "Time flies by when I'm the driver of a train..."???

The Half Man Half Biscuit lyrics, naturally!

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Every morning on my train a group of about 6 commuters board the train which is quite busy and they keep empty 4 seats so another group can join them at the next station.

I've heard them say to people when someone has been in these seats "your sitting in the wrong place" and earlier one said to me "You are not allowed to sit here" there was no other seats (other than the four empty ones) but the train was packed and I had to stand for about 70 minutes.

I was wondering what are the rules here, am I allowed to sit down (the seats are not reserved) just this is a daily occurrence and I've paid 4.300 for my ticket and id like a seat if ones available.

Speaking as a pedant, if anyone said to me "You can't sit here" I'd reply with "Okay, I'll lie down instead" and proceed to sprawl across two seats with my head resting in their lap.

 

[Chapeltom]

I'd blatantly ignore them and sit down regardless then proceed to make a phone call telling whoever was on the end of the line I was surrounded by a bunch of idiots trying to stop people sitting down.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

The Half Man Half Biscuit lyrics, naturally!

...all factually based of course.

 

[ex-railwayman]

Every morning on my train a group of about 6 commuters board the train which is quite busy and they keep empty 4 seats so another group can join them at the next station.
I've heard them say to people when someone has been in these seats "your sitting in the wrong place" and earlier one said to me "You are not allowed to sit here" there was no other seats (other than the four empty ones) but the train was packed and I had to stand for about 70 minutes.
I was wondering what are the rules here, am I allowed to sit down (the seats are not reserved) just this is a daily occurrence and I've paid 4.300 for my ticket and id like a seat if ones available.

Depends who they are, if they're MP's then you're on your own, if they're Senior Police Officers, then getting the BTP involved may be fruitless, you should find out who they are first before you take any legal action against them, you might discover they're all bank managers, in which case the whole train will be on your side.....

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[SS4]

Play the badger, badger , badger song . Guaranteed to annoy XD

 

[NLC1072]

I'd probably answer back; "don't see any reservations on these seats?" followed by the answering of any other questions/statements from them with "And?"

 

[Badger]

Play the badger, badger , badger song . Guaranteed to annoy XD

the bane of my life, that one.