RANT: Bus riders who knowingly hog seats

[BookGal]

You know who you are – someone who knowingly puts his/her bag(s) on the empty bus seat next to him/her…to prevent others from sitting there.

Yes, you will have both seats to yourself… Unfortunately, your actions speak very loudly about your lack of manners, your lack of respect for yourself & others, and a lack of consideration for others.

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[EmmyJane]

BookGal- In the last year, I had an incident on the bus where a man sat next to me and, well, he violated me. Now, I often put a bag next to me unless the bus gets full so I don’t have to worry another situation and feeling uncomfortable. I realize this probably isn’t the case with most people, but remember there are always those situations out there where people have good reasons for what seems rude.

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[anonyme]

I know it’s very un-Seattle to confront any situation directly, but I simply ask them to move their bag. If they don’t, I pick it up, plunk it on their lap – or the floor, and sit down. I’ve also had unsavory experiences on the bus, but that doesn’t give me the right to deny a seat to anyone. Other annoying bus violations are feet on seats people, and eating on the bus.

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[JoB]

anonyme..

there is a huge level of discomfort between unsavory and violation… violation is ample justification for maintaining a safe space.

if bags are blocking the last seat on the bus… then you have to either move them or get up and take your bags with you…

but up to that point.. safety trumps righteous indignation.

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[anonyme]

JoB – I have also been “violated” on the bus, meaning that some guy grabbed me in a private place and shouted the “C” word at me. The driver refused to get involved, BTW, and I had to wait until I got home to make a complaint to Metro. However, that incident does not give me the right to block all and sundry from sitting next to me in a vacant seat. I do occasionally block the seat if someone is extremely drunk or disorderly. I feel that is justified, as they should not be allowed on the bus in that condition to begin with & I have a right to protect myself from an obvious threat – including vomit.

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[JoB]

anonyme…

i was talking about violation of the spirit…

some are affected more than others by the same event.

while you may not feel your safety threatened unless someone is drunk or disorderly… we are still talking about perceptions here.

as long as there are other seats available.. you are not blocking a seat by creating your own personal safety zone.

As you pointed out.. none of us can expect much assistance from the bus driver or other passengers on a crowded bus. It is up to the individual to do what they can to protect themselves..

no matter how rude others think they are being.

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[EmmyJane]

Yeah, I’m not going to apologize for keeping myself safe and comfortable. If there are no other seats available, I ALWAYS move my bag so its not like I’m EVER taking a seat from someone who needs it. Happy for you that you were able to get past it anonyme, but I’m not quite 100% there yet.

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[charlabob]

If the bus is virtually empty, I “block the seat” or put my bags and backpack on the next seat. If the bus fills up, I move the stuff. I’m going to pretend to assume no one thinks this is bad behavior :-)

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[anonyme]

It is absolutely ridiculous to suggest that paying bus patrons should have to seek out any and all vacant seats before daring to ask some seat hog to move their bag. Lately when I ride the bus, every single section contains one person and a separate seat for their bag.

This is public transportation, not a private limo service with reserved seating. If you feel so threatened or unsafe at the prospect of having anyone sit next to you, then you should not be on the bus at all. It is not the responsibility of other riders to intuit your deepest fears or needs. There is no earthly reason why I, or anyone, should have to clamber to the back of the bus and sit with the drunks just because there happens to be one empty seat back there.

Frankly, my spirit feels violated every time I ride Metro, and I am actually hyper-vigilant of space and safety issues. But I don’t have such an inflated sense of entitlement that I feel justified in creating my own private “zone”.

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[JoB]

anonyme..

some people have no choice but public transportation. some people choose public transportation for the environmental good of all.

either way.. they should be entitled to feel safe while riding the bus.

the recent attack on a metro driver illustrates the need for each person to do what they feel they need to do to feel safe.

yes.. i know there are seat hogs.. who by the way have to sit as close to the door as they can get… but there are also people who are simply taking care of themselves.

If you believe the worst about people.. you have to be willing for them to believe the worst about you.. and in some cultures that means attack before you are attacked…not a good thing to wish upon yourself.

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[anonyme]

JoB: Most of your last post was incomprehensible to me, especially the last paragraph. HUH???

I ride the bus for all the reasons you described. The morning express bus seldom has passengers that I would consider so suspect that a private seat is required for protection, and yet this is the time the seat-hogging phenomenon is most apparent. These hogs are probably not nursing some deep psychic hurt that prohibits them from exercising reasonable judgment and/or courtesy. They’re just rude.

You should have a reasonable ‘entitlement’ to feel safe from being attacked on the bus, although there is no guarantee of that. Hogging the seat next to you does not provide that safety. Realistically, you’re in more danger from someone sitting behind you than one next to you, not to mention the guy with the hacking H1-N1 cough across the aisle.

Charlabob, there is nothing bad about your behavior. It is reasonable to place your bag on the seat if the bus is virtually empty. If people are getting on and visibly scanning for diminishing seats, I’d say it’s time to move your stuff. Sounds like you’re just exercising that rarity – common sense.

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[waterworld]

It’s a misdemeanor to occupy more than one seat on the bus, or to interfere “in any way” with use of the service, or to hinder or prevent access to any transit property, including seats. (Also, it’s not permissible to bring a package on the bus that would take up a seat if doing so would displace passengers.) Not that I want to see anyone cited, of course, but no one is allowed to deny another person’s access to a seat. There’s no exception, so far as I can tell, in the Metro Code of Conduct for people who don’t feel safe having someone else in the adjacent seat.

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[PDieter]

Really? that’s priceless. Hogging an extra seat on the bus is just as illegal as having a dog off leash?

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[EmmyJane]

Yep, still don’t feel bad, and still not going to apologize. Thanks for all the insults though.

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[JoB]

anonyme…

i am not sure what i said that wasn’t clear.. but i will gladly be blunt.

as long as there are seats on the bus that you can sit in.. demanding that someone move their stuff so you can sit where you want is just about as self serving as an action gets.

waterworld..

i am pretty sure the violations for molestation or for assault trump the misdemeanor of blocking the seat next to you whether you are on a bus or not.. but as serious as they are.. they are almost impossible to enforce. Try getting a bus driver to intervene or call 911 for you… if you are counting on that.. you are guaranteed to end up a victim.

****

Shame on those of you who are shaming those who have already been victims of this kind of urban crime for trying to create personal safety for themselves.

because you can has nothing to do with whether you should… it really isn’t all about you.

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[waterworld]

JoB: If the person who assaulted you is the one you deny a seat, then I think you are right. I do not think, though, that a person’s status as a victim of a previous attack is a defense to denying someone else a seat. It’s an explanation, but probably not a defense.

I did not post the rule in an attempt to shame anyone. I think it’s helpful to know what the law says, if anything, about our conduct. I don’t care if you break the rule.

I deal with the problem of potential creeps or sexual predators sitting next to me by choosing to sit next to someone who looks non-threatening, instead of taking a seat in an empty row. So if I get on the same bus as you, I’ll be hoping I can get the seat next to you or someone like you.

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[JoB]

waterworld..

i don’t block the seat next to me any more… i don’t ride buses enough during off times to feel threatened these days… and am almost always never alone when i do..

i am afraid i have become that single driver (with dogs) out of necessity… i need to be able to take a quick nap in my car when i get too tired to think straight enough to get myself home:(

Thank god for verizon navigation.. even i can use it and it is really good at telling me where to go. LOL.. I bet there are a few posters here who would love to be able to do that.. though they probably wouldn’t be directing me safely home:)

i am planning on teaching my dogs about buses soon though… i can pretty much guarantee no-one is going to sit next to me on those rides:)

though you would certainly be welcome any time you find me on a bus alone…

***

i should add that i have been the victim of random sexual assault and that it took me years to be able to sit alone anywhere that i didn’t have a wall backing me.. a clear view of anyone who might approach and a weapon in the hand in my coat pocket.

I have great respect for those who can survive an attack and go on with their lives without fear.. but there are many more who find their lives irreparably damaged by an assault and who spend the rest of their lives constantly summoning the courage to navigate public spaces alone.

I don’t think about it much any more but i have had dogs as constant companions now for over 20 years.. the kinds of dogs that make most give me a wide berth when we walk out in public. They go with me nearly every place i go and have recreated a sense of personal safety for me…

i tell every woman i meet who is now afraid to walk alone… get a dog… a big dog. You are too busy to think much about whether or not you are safe and on those rare occasions when someone frightening approaches… a low growl is generally enough to make them back quickly off.

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