‘I took London Underground and was floored by what I saw on packed tube’

Commuting in London can be a challenging experience, with crowded tubes and the unspoken rule of avoiding eye contact. It’s even worse when you’re not used to it as part of your every day experience. However, one commuter has criticised fellow passengers for their lack of awareness or deliberate ignorance, insisting that people need to improve their behaviour.

In a post on Reddit’s ‘London’ forum, the commuter described an incident on a “packed tube”. They were using their phone to pass the time during their lengthy commute but remained aware of their surroundings.

They wrote: “However, I do ensure I have awareness of things going on around me, like today I look up and see a very heavily pregnant woman standing and not one person offered her a seat, even those in the priority seats, which happened to be two other women chatting away”.

The commuter went on to offer their seat to the pregnant woman, expressing disbelief at “how ignorant and oblivious some people are,” and labelling them as “so selfish”.

Towards the end of the post, they questioned: “How many others have seen this, and how do you approach it if others should have offered in the priority seats? I wish I had made a point, but I didn’t want to make the lady uncomfortable”.

In response to the post, one commenter stated that they maintain strong boundaries when travelling on the tube.

A passenger in need of a seat due to their health condition has shared their approach while on public transport. They explained: “I need to sit, I’m on ambulatory oxygen with a tank and canula, so it’s pretty obvious there’s something wrong with me. I also have my blue ‘Please Offer Me A Seat’ badge.”

The individual takes a proactive stance by asking for a seat directly, stating: “I don’t bother waiting for people to offer, I go to the nearest priority seat and ask them if I can sit down.”

They always express gratitude and believe in self-advocacy, adding: “I always thank them profusely, but I find being straight up with people and advocating for yourself is the best way to do things. Obviously, I don’t if the person is visibly disabled or has a blue badge.”

They humorously admitted: “I can neither confirm nor deny that I prioritise the people who sit head down, determinedly avoiding looking up”.

Another Londoner defended the city’s commuters, sharing their own experience: “I have a heart condition but no blue badge. I commute every day and had it happen several times in the past that I could feel myself getting close to fainting due to the heat or general lack of oxygen.”

They’ve found fellow passengers accommodating, saying: “When it happens, I will lean down to a person near me and quietly ask if they could let me sit because I’m unwell. Literally never had someone say no. One person even offered me water. People in this city are generally decent, I’d say. Just tired”.

Highlighting the invisibility of some disabilities, one person remarked: “This is the same for so many people, and I think we need to remember that disability is not always visible”.

Addressing misconceptions about commuter behaviour, another wrote: “I may be in a seat with my head down, but that’s not because I’m trying to avoid giving up my seat, that’s because it’s the tube and you’re supposed to avoid social interactions at all costs.

“If someone who clearly needs a seat, like someone who’s pregnant, or with any sort of badge like yours, asked me for my seat, I’d happily give it up, and it makes the whole interaction much easier.”