how would you have handled this situation???

Question

I boarded a bus this morning. paid my 1.50 fare..only to find all the seats taken,except for one,I could'nt sit down though,a very obese women was taken up one and a half seats!! should she have paid for two seats?? give me my fare back?or got up and let me sit..I felt discriminated!!! what should I have done?

Answer 1

For a short trip on a city bus, there is no guarantee that every passenger will be promised a place to sit down. You are only assured of transportation. Everyone who boarded the bus after you also had to stand. Some cities add extra busses to the route during rush hours to deal with the overcrowding problem.

However, for airplane flights, you DO have a justified expectation of a seat to yourself. That is why they sell only as many tickets as they have seats. That is also why they charge double for passengers who use up two seats. That assures that everyone will ride in reasonably equal comfort.

So to sum it up, you are paying for TRANSPORTATION on a city bus, not a specific seat. Sorry I don't believe they owe you a refund. The proper thing to do in that situtation is to ride standing up. They often have handles or bars to hold onto for that purpose. When somebody gets off, you can then take that space.

Answer 2

I'm sorry but you weren't discriminated against; you just weren't able to have a seat on the bus. No one hurled insults at you, purposely prevented you from taking a seat or made you stand in the stairwell. No one owes you your fare.

What you should have done is what the rest of us do: Stand up, be polite and gracious to your fellow commuters, then take a seat when one becomes available. If there is someone in greater need of a seat than you (disabled, elderly, etc.) then you direct them to the next available seat, even if it means you don't get that seat.

I'm a woman (45), but gladly give up my seat in many instances because it's the right thing to do. Those who I've offered my seat to always seem surprised and genuinely grateful. I'm always glad it did it.

Answer 3

You should have stood, and politely waited for the bus to stop and discharge someone. Buses sometimes get full - that's the deal. If one more person had gotten on in front of you, you'd be standing anyway, so why are you complaining about an obese woman?

That's the deal with public transit, dude. Sometimes all the seats are taken, and you pay and then have to stand anyway. As a long-time commuter train rider, trust me, you're paying for a ride, not a seat.

Answer 4

So you think you should be given a seat over someone who arrived there first but happened to be overweight?

And should she have gotten up?

You should have sat on the edge of the seat till someone else got off then moved to their seat. She can't help being her size and even if she could that's not your business to comment. This whole thing of making people pay for a second seat is just mean spirited.

If you couldn't see a good seat you should've gotten off and waited for the next bus and hoped for better next time. It's not as if all the passengers were staying put till you got off. You would've gotten a seat eventually.

Better luck next time sir.

Answer 5

I understand how you feel, but you have to take her situation into consideration. She was probably embarrassed about her weight and felt bad that you could not sit down. Put yourself in to her situation, to be morbidly obese is a terrifying place to be in, most morbidly obese persons don't leave their home at all. So be kind and give her a break, at least she is trying and getting out of the house. Just think how much pain you would have caused another human being, if you had ask for her to pay for two seats.
I am glad you did not do that. Hoping you have better luck on your next bus ride.

Answer 6

What an old bitterASS you are. Of course she should've remained seated, obese or not. No, you shouldn't have asked for your fare back... and you stand there and attempt to be a gentlemen. That just pisses me off. I'm not obese by any means but I do know that most obese people suffer from a medical condition or disability that contributed to their obesity to begin with. Show some compassion you prick.

Answer 7

If you're an "old guy" like your profile says, then you should know the proper ettiquete is to let the "lady" sit. Whether she is obese or not, she's still a lady. You paid your fare and you got to ride. You should have stood and let the poor woman alone. If she's obese as you say, she's got her own personal problems. I'm disappointed in you that you'd even ask such a question.

Answer 8

I'm afraid you're the one doing the discriminating. Why should she get up and not someone else. I'm 22 years old, and if I'm on the metro, and someone older than me comes on, I offer my seat. I'm young, I can hang on to that railing, and they need the seat more than I. I do the same thing for someone who's taking the train home after a long day at work. Commuting sucks, we can all make an effort to make it more pleasant for everyone.

Answer 9

Agree. You have no right to have your fare back because everyone standing has paid the same fare and simple payment of it is, sadly, not a guarantee of a seat, especially during rush hour. You need to be assertive, ask several younger people, very politely, if they would give up their seats for you if you are an older person and unable to stand for long periods. Shame them into it. Able-bodied people of either sex should be willing to give up a seat for you.

Answer 10

Sorry, but the obese woman didn't owe you a seat. And if she was very heavy, it might have been more difficult for her to stand than for you. Obesity is a health problem. Many people in our society feel free to discriminate against obese people, but this is not kind or fair.
Actually, from an etiquette point of view, if you are a senior citizen (your name is "old guy" after all) a young person should have offered you their seat.