Woman praised for refusing to give 'priority' train seat to 'elderly' passenger

A woman has been praised in a viral online post after relaying her experience on board a train.

After posting on Reddit, she received support for her actions after deciding not to give up her seat in first class for an older woman who demanded she move.

The woman was travelling from London to Aberdeen and decided to pay for a first class ticket in order to work better during the journey.

After joining the train, she realised her reserved seat was the priority seat in first class. A woman in her 60s then got on the train and demanded that she give her the seat.

Writing on Reddit, she said: "I recently got a train across the UK from London to Aberdeen. It's a seven-hour journey so I booked myself a first-class seat well in advance.”

She added: "I got on the train in London and sat in my seat. The seat they'd assigned me was also the 'priority seat'. Priority seats are the ones at the end of carriages for people with mobility issues due to age or disability. A woman got on after me who was around 60 years old pointed at the sign above my head and, quite rudely, told me to move because she was 'elderly'.

"I told her I'd booked the seat and she'd need to speak to a member of staff to find her one. She pointed out that the train was full and there were no other seats. I apologised but reiterated that I'd booked the seat and wasn't going to move."

The awkward situation continued when a guard came over.

The Reddit post continued: "Eventually, a train guard came over to try to help. The lady had booked a return ticket, but she hadn't reserved a specific seat. For those who don't know how trains work, if you have a ticket but haven't also booked a seat reservation, it means you can travel on a train, but you aren't guaranteed a seat unless there's one available.

"He asked if either of us would consider moving to standard class if he could find us a seat. I again refused, explaining I'd booked the seat well in advance and that I needed it. Eventually, he took the woman to standard class and I assume found her a seat there.

"I felt bad, but I also don't think I needed to put myself in severe discomfort because someone else didn't think ahead and reserve a seat."

The woman was praised for standing her ground and not giving up the seat she had paid extra for a reserved in good time.

One criticised the operating company in the comments section, writing: “The train company are the a******* here. They sold the disability seats as the most expensive seats on the train. Then they tried to get the person who bought those seats to move to standard.”

Another added: “NTA- like you said you reserved the seat and needed it for many valid reasons, the lady isn't entitled to the seat you paid for simply because she is elderly.”

One more commented: “Train attendant here. NTA. You booked and paid for that specific seat. If the lady had specific requirements, she should have booked and stated as such in her reservation.”

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