'I wouldn't give up bus seat for pregnant woman and I had a good reason'

Edinburgh Live

a day ago

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If possible, it's generally considered polite etiquette to offer your seat to someone who requires it more than you do when travelling on crowded public transport. This might include older passengers, individuals with disabilities who struggle to remain standing for extended periods, and expectant mothers.
However, one woman has stood her ground and declined to give up her seat on a crowded bus for a pregnant passenger who boarded after her. The woman insisted she had valid reasons for refusing to move, despite upsetting the expectant mother, and others have actually supported her decision.
In a Reddit post, the 22-year-old woman explained she has an invisible disability that prevents her from standing for lengthy periods, meaning she genuinely required her bus seat.
But when a pregnant woman climbed aboard several stops later, she headed directly towards the young passenger and declared she "needed her seat". The woman outlined her disability and explained she couldn't move, but the expectant mother refused to accept this response - even accusing her of "trying to harm her baby" by declining to budge.
The woman posted: "I was sitting in a seat by the aisle, cramped between a school kid and a man with a massive backpack, when a pregnant woman (not heavily pregnant from what I could see) stepped into the bus. She took one look around, made a beeline for me and told me she needed my seat."
"No polite question, no please, no hello, just the demand to give up my seat. I explained to her that I had a disability and that I struggle standing, and that I would rather not be in pain.
"Without missing a beat, that woman began calling me rude and saying that I was trying to harm her and her baby by refusing to get up."
Eventually, another passenger on the bus offered up their seat, and the expectant mum was able to sit down. But when the woman later stood up to get off the bus, the other traveller couldn't help but make a "snide remark".
She added: "Some other woman then offered her seat, but I could feel for the rest of the ride that that pregnant woman was throwing glares at me. When I got up at my stop, she made a snide remark about how I was surely faking and that I could walk just fine.
"I just hate when some people feel like the world has to bend at their will just because they're pregnant, and especially being so rude about the whole situation. I would've given up my seat no problem if I wasn't disabled."
Those commenting on the post were largely supportive of the poster, with many suggesting the pregnant woman should have approached the schoolchild or the gentleman seated in the same area to ask if they would surrender their seats instead.
One person said: "I know that it sounds a bit strange, but she chose to target you over a school kid and a man? And both the man and the school kid didn't offer their seat to a pregnant woman?"
Another person chimed in: "I feel angry for you. I know how this would feel. I also cannot stand long without being in massive pain, but I use a wheelchair when I go out. If I were forced out of a seat and made to stand, I think I would end up falling down in pain."
Meanwhile, a third individual commented: "Unfortunately, all you can do is ignore rude people to the best of your ability and know that hopefully you'll never see her again! And don't you just love that apparently NONE of the men on the bus stood up and offered her a seat automatically."