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Post by 950nancy on Nov 26, 2016 17:19:56 GMT
I would give up my seat to anyone who looked like they needed it. I have taught my children to do the same. It never hurts to offer since you don't know what kind of a day or situation another person has just gone through. I'd be less likely to offer to a child though. I have worked around kids and most of those people have boundless energy and are much more flexible than older people. They are like cats and can sit almost anywhere. We really don't have much for public transportation, but every time we travel, my kids do offer their seat to others.
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
Jul 12, 2014 21:58:10 GMT
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Post by pridemom on Nov 26, 2016 17:31:19 GMT
I have Juvenile RA and so does my daughter. Neither of us look disabled, but standing still for more than 10 minutes is very difficult. I would give my seat to her before expecting her to stand on a moving bus. However, my other kids would be given the stink eye if they didn't offer their seat to anyone who looked to be in need of one. But since my hands often don't work well for gripping when needed on a bus and my shoulders don't let me reach up to hold the bars above, most of the time I'd just keep my seat. If I fell, it would do more damage to me than most people. And my fluffiness would be dangerous to my fellow passengers.
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Post by PNWMom on Nov 26, 2016 17:51:58 GMT
In the US, public transportation is for anyone to use. I've never heard of a bus being just for workers. The bus I catch is a 'express' faster bus which goes from my suburb into the city at rush hour bypassing many of the stops and certain town centres. There are only a small number of these and seats are limited. There are other buses which stop at more stops and/or take a longer route plus designated school buses only for students. It's not that the bus says 'workers only' but IMO kids who don't need to catch it because they're only going 6 stops and not into the city shouldn't take a seat away from someone who, if they can't get on (which happens quite a bit) has to wait another 30 mins for the next express service. SaveSaveYour post makes no sense to me. Kids should take a longer bus with more stops rather than the express that gets them where they need to go faster?? If there is that great of a need, they should make more expresses. Obviously not enough people are getting off at the milk run stops if everyone wants the express. Here in Seattle, many school kids get to their school by city bus--they don't have yellow school buses for high school aged kids, as far as I know (my husband took a metro bus across town to get to his high school and had no other options presented to him). There is a private Catholic school near my work, so my bus generally has a half dozen or so boys in uniform heading to school with me each morning. I am a public transit rider on weekdays and also when we have home Seahawks games on Sundays. My commuter bus to downtown is totally packed with people standing in the aisles every morning, and the downtown bus I catch to go to the top of 'Pill Hill' where my hospital is is also completely packed--to the point where they have to turn people away and tell them to catch the next bus (this route is really frequent--every 10 minutes or less) I had cancer a few years ago, and I would take the commuter bus downtown, then a different downtown bus up the hill to the cancer center. I would carry a bag with my laptop and my Nook and random things to do while I was getting my chemo dose. On the commuter bus, I was offered a seat maybe 30% of the time. On the downtown bus (packed with very low income and/or homeless people either heading to the hospital or riding the bus around it's route to stay out of the rain/weather), I was offered a seat 100% of the time. This when I was slightly decrepit looking with no hair and dark circles around my eyes. I survived the 'standing on the bus' but was intrigued in the different situations between the two groups of people. I was never desperately in *need* of a seat, so I stood and didn't make a fuss about it, but it was interesting to see the differences in attitude anyway. I have advocated for others to get seats--there was a woman with a ~1 year old who caught the bus to downtown for awhile, and it would be full when she got on. She was holding the baby in her arms, and people would ignore her and not get up (young men and women in business attire). I would be standing already (my stop was just before hers), but I'd call out 'can anyone give a seat to the lady with the baby', and always had someone get up. Too bad people have to be shamed into being decent human beings sometimes!
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Post by threegirls on Nov 26, 2016 17:59:15 GMT
I wouldn't think to give up my seat for a child. I would give it up for anyone with a handicap, an old person or an obviously pregnant woman. My husband would give his up for all of the above plus any woman, regardless of her age. He did this on a bus in Bermuda after we shared a pitcher of Rum Swizzles. He later regretted that decision a little bit but we've had many laughs about it! I know this is off topic but the rum swizzles in Bermuda can be wickedly good. You don't realize how much you have had until you stand up!
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Post by sillyrabbit on Nov 26, 2016 18:03:13 GMT
This is one of those situations where it's hard to say. Lots of people are disabled but don't look it. I look completely healthy but have a shit back and can't stand long at all. I would give my seat up for an older person or obviously disabled person but everybody else can stand as well as me. Little kids are out of luck if they can't crawl in someone's lap.
ETA: I would probably give up my seat to a very pregnant woman as well. I remember how off your center of gravity is when you're super pregnant and I'd be afraid she'd fall. Plus, her back probably hurts as bad as mine.
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Post by refugeepea on Nov 26, 2016 18:21:41 GMT
If we are differentiating between very pregnant and pregnant, what about disabilities? My son is obviously disabled but not physically. He can stand on a bus just fine. Just don't give nasty looks for the leash backpack.
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Post by epeanymous on Nov 26, 2016 18:25:25 GMT
I have been a regular public transit rider (subways and busses) in four major cities. It is situational. Absolutely I give up my seat to anyone who is elderly or disabled or generally looks like they are having trouble. Pregnant women too. And, yes, kids, where the situation warrants. As people have suggested, sometimes these trains or busses are whipping around quickly and are crowded--a little kid with a standing parent can get thrown around into people.
I live in Seattle and as pp have said, there is no yellow bus service for high school students. They get a city bus pass. Some of the yellow busses for younger kids take more than an hour each way, require kids to walk more than half a mile across major streets to get to them, and don't have enough seats for all the kids. I don't get the objection to kids on a regular bus--if they pay, they get to ride just like anyone else,
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Nov 27, 2016 3:39:06 GMT
1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. Not for a chid unless they're really struggling to hold on/stand etc - and if that's the case, they're probably really young and travelling with parents. I don't travel on trains very often but I catch buses to work each day. It really annoys me when I see kid (usually 11-17 yrs old) sitting and adults standing. I quite often ask them to give their seat to someone older It's annoying because it says to me lack of respect for adults, plus kids should be on the school bus, not taking up seats on the bus that's heading into the city and is meant for workers. Lots of kids around here take city busses to school because they are quicker than school busses and safer! I would not give my seat up for a kid unless they looked tired. I greatly appreciated being offered a seat on a bus/train when I was pregnant and I would always offer when I see a pregnant woman. Unless it is a ride over 20 minutes I don't mind standing .
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