Sydney train passengers ask important question
Sydney’s rail system is in a bit of a shamble with strikes and free rides which are then cancelled within days.
But now, Sydneysiders are debating something that quite probably requires some attention.
A newcomer to the city took to Reddit and shared a photo of the lonely seat on the trains and questioned whether it is okay to ask someone to sit right across from them.
“Recently moved to Sydney and find this a lot where people are standing in the metro, and then there are people who keep bags on the empty seats and show no eagerness to move the bags so someone can sit! I find it disrespectful and frustrating. Is this normal?” the person asked.
Many people responded saying there is no problem in asking the person to remove their items from the seat.
“Normal to do it, but also normal to ask for them to move it and normal for them to have no problem moving it,” one person said.
“People sometimes need a little push to be polite. Like a child that forgets to say thank you. ‘Hey mate, is it cool if I sit here?’ Very rarely will you get a no,” wrote another.
“People here are not disrespectful; they are just a bit careless,” someone else pointed out.
However, others questioned why anyone would sit “knee-to-knee” with a stranger and it is best to ride out the trip either standing or sitting elsewhere.
“To be fair, that specific seat on the city rail trains is an honest no-go. No one sits there if someone is sitting across,” someone commented.
“Nah, there is no way you expect to sit in that seat. You want to play footsies with a stranger?” another wrote.
“It’s gotten worse because of Covid; people think taking more space is more acceptable now,” another pointed out.
“The rules kind of changed with Covid too. Most won’t go for this seat or the middle of three anymore, so the bag thing became a bit more normal,” said another.
Image: Reddit/Shutterstock