POLL: When do you stand up for other passengers?

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Whenever I go on public transport and notice an older standing passenger I am always torn as to whether I should offer my seat or not. They may get offended if you offer your seat to them because they believe they are not so old as to require a seat. However if you don't offer your seat, they may think that you have no manners and be offended anyway.
So, what do you do?

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 50 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: When do you stand up for other passengers? (50 votes.)

When do you stand up for other passengers? (Choose 1)
* I always offer my seat - 4% (2)
* Only if it is an elderly person or person with a disability - 42% (21)
* Only if they are standing close to me - 0% (0)
* Only if there are no more seats avaliable - 22% (11)
* Never - 6% (3)
* Other (please describe) - 26% (13)

 

I wonder who voted never?

I always offer my seat to the elderly, the disabled and pregnant women (most of the time just women in general)
Just as I always open doors for people and let people go before me in most things. So there you go, a Shock Jock who cares

 

I voted the single never.

My knees hurt enough as is.

 

A lady or an elderly man or two people travelling together when there's just one free seat nearby.

 

I voted it depends

If I am on crutches I will stand up for someone if I feel I can stand up for most of the journey, example for elderly, pregnant or other disabled passengers. However I would hope that someone else who was able and nearby would have the manners, personally.

If my joints are quite bad however, I won't give up my seat, especially if I'm in a wheelchair at the time!

 

If there seems to be only a few seats left I'll prefer to stand anyhow instead of trying to push myself somewhere, when a lot of people leave I'll take a seat and then hold on to it to the end. Mostly because I can't be bothered to look out for elderly people everytime the bus stops. Finns mind their own buisness most of the time anyway and don't even expect to be given seats.

[ February 11, 2007, 21:01: Message edited by: Morgoroth ]

 

Being one of the 'elderly' I voted other.

I will offer my seat to an obviously disabled person, pregnant woman or an elderly person who looks as if they need it more than I do.

I am not disabled and in reasonable good health and after riding NYC buses and subways for 30 years quite capable of standing.

However I must admit I do not mind at all if one of you youngens offers me a seat.

 

I will give up my seat for elderly or disabled people but never for pregnant women or those with babies......what? Nobody ever did for me!

Besides, just because you are pushing a pram doesn't mean you're ill or something. In fact most of those are fitter than me!

 

Seeing as how I never ride public transport, I see the problem never coming up. But I suppose I would give my seat if I did ride.

 

I no longer ride public transport and when I did it was the university runs so there weren't often any elderly people or pregnant to give it to.

In the off chance that there is a situation I'll grade giving a seat depending on if the person looks like they're managing. Frankly I'd feel offended if somebody offered me their seat since I'm fit as anything and I've found most New Zealanders hold the same attitude. But if there's some old man or woman hobbling along at a snails pace I'll offer my seat unless I'm in for a long journey, someone else can offer and I'm not giving up my prized seat.

 

I've not used public transport in years. If I did though, I'd give my seat up for anyone really. Unless they were a young male like me, I'd give my seat up.

 

It's been eons since I last used public transport, but when I did, I never had to give up my seat, as I took a specific bus in which 99% of the time I was pretty much alone. But in more crowded buses... I just cranked up the sound of my mp3 player to the max, put up my hood, and put up one of those anti-sympathic faces I do so well, and folks didn't even dared approach me, much less give up my seat

 

I give up my seat if I'm in the mood to give it to someone. But most of the time I'm in the mood to offer it to the elderly or disabled.

A question to all of you: How do you give your seat to someone? Do you stand up and ask if they want it or what?

I just ask while sitting. Though not that many have taken my offer up.

 

I would give up my seat for the disabled or elderly - if there were no vacant seats of course.

I am almost never faced with the issue because

(1) On the train I normally sit on the upper level and generally people who I would give my seat up for would not have climbed the stairs in the first place.

(2) On the subway I will normally stand. The seats are so narrow that I will usually only sit if the subway is virtually empty. It is kind of silly really - I don't think I am particularly broad shouldered and yet I require at least one and a quarter seat widths.

 

I almost never do it, but that's typically because I'm sitting in a window seat, so I'd be giving up my seat to the person next to me, who would then give up their seat to the person standing (way too much shuffling around). I get on very early in the bus's route and stay on for an hour, usually working on my laptop at the time (I'm not going to waste an hour each way!), which is another disincentive.

 

It doesn't bother me to stand during transit. I defer to the elderly and to any who are obviously physically distressed due to standing.

If an elderly passenger is offended by your offer, let it be known that you meant no offense and drop it.

 

I've given up my seat for all sorts of people, generally elderly folks. Sometimes I've moved so that people who weren't regulars on the train - i.e., not daily commuters - could sit together.

Only once while I was pregnant was the train crowded enough that I couldn't get a seat, and then I had people practically forcing me to sit down!

 

@WiZinc
When I offer people my seat I generally ask while sitting down because I too have noticed that people don't really accept when you stand up and ask...

I find myself agreeing with the majority of you, but I would like to ask an additional question (since I didn't make the poll very well -_-;; ). If, say, you are sitting near the back of the bus/train carriage and there aren't any seats left, but an elderly person gets on, do you offer your seat even though you're "far away"? Or do you only offer your seat when they are closer to you?

 

Ditto. However, if I were in for a long ride, there's no way I would give the seat up, heh. Unless it's a hot girl travelling alone.