Giving up Seat on Disney Buses

[kaytieeldr]

Ha! For a second I was worried that I was the only one riding the discourTeous service.

That's funny. I read this today, too, and recalled the ONLY three times I got a seat on a crowded T vehicle (should be noted I generally use at least a cane for walking assistance):
1) Green Line: Another disabled passenger pretty much demanded that somebody get up and give me a seat.
2) T bus: The driver refused to move until I was given a seat.
3) Commuter rail: A conductor approached a group of facing seats and said somebody would have to get up to let me sit. The three men didn't move - the one woman there got up.

It should also be noted: I never asked for a seat or help, these people all took the incentive; and in all three cases, the seating areas were marked "please give up this seat for an elderly or disabled person".

Oh, yeah - I no longer take the T, either

 

[tribus121]

I was brought up to to beleave that a healthy adult should offer there seat to women & senior citizens some people just think that they are more important than others around them

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I used the Disney transportation for the first time last year and was surprised to find that very rarely does anyone give up their seat to women, children, senior citizens, etc. Was anyone else caught off guard by this??

I am a female, 40yo and was always taught to give up your seat to older people, children, etc... Yes I believe in equal rights, etc... But I always thought this was more of a manner issue. My husband too was shocked to see men sitting while women holding babies were left standing on a moving bus.

People seem very surprised when my husband and I give up our seats to others. For instance, I just can't watch a parent trying to hold onto a small infant and a metal bar in a moving bus, while I with nothing in my arms just sit and watch them.

Also, whenever the bus does start filling up I alway make my DS(7) sit on my lap to free up a seat for someone else. Many times there would be a seat for everyone if parents would just set their small children in their laps. Sometimes DD & I scoot over in our seat and share 1-1/2 seats so a smaller child can have a half-seat.

I know that there are a lot of different nationalities visiting Disneyworld, so maybe it's just a cultural difference??

we went last dec and the one time we took a bus we got on and there were no seats we were about to get off when the bus drove away. Dh struggles to hold our 2 year old while standing and holding on
people just started as adult men and woman sat and watched and teenagers
it was pretty sad

 

[Microcell]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1137687



I'm a 38-year-old woman. I NEVER get on a bus expecting anyone to give me a seat.

If I want to sit, I will not get on a crowded bus. I don't mind stepping to the side and waiting for the next bus. After waiting to get a seat, I don't feel I should give a seat to some who made the CHOICE not to wait. (This does not apply to elderly people)

With my heavy three year old falling asleep as I held him waiting at the bus stop, you bet I was going to get on the crowded bus! I was also appalled at the young, healthy, non 35 lb load bearing UDA dancers that did not give up their seat to me. It is common courtesy.

Ther coach took them aside when she realized what happened and gave them a huge earful for doing that to me!

I am bold I suppose though, I have been standing struggling to hold my kid standing on the bus when on came an elderly person. I did tell one of the dancers that trip to stand up (in my best mom voice) to let the elderly person sit!

 

[Nik's Mom]

We have 2 children, both with varrying degrees of disability, so we will wait for the next bus for a seat. I don't expect people to give up their seats for us. Now, if I'm on the train to work, then I would give up my seat to an elderly or disabled. It's not like they can wait for the next train, since they don't run as often as a WDW bus.
But I just don't see why some people believe in giving up a seat just because it's a lady standing. If she's able-bodied, she should be able to stand. Elderly, disabled, carrying a child is a different story though.

 

[dwheatl]

Here's my question. If a bus is crowded and you wait for another, are there always seats on that one? I'm used to city busses, and my experience with them is crowded bus follows crowded bus.
Also, the last post reminded me of a joke. A lady gets on a bus looking very exhausted. A gentleman stands and offers her his seat. She gladly takes it and says, "Thanks for the seat. I'm pregnant and I'm worn out." The gentleman says, "Congratulations, how far along are you?" and she replies, "About twenty minutes!"
Ba dump bum, chh!

 

[LisaS]

Here's my question. If a bus is crowded and you wait for another, are there always seats on that one? I'm used to city busses, and my experience with them is crowded bus follows crowded bus.

If you are waiting for a bus at one of the theme parks, the buses that pull up to your resort's stop will be empty. So instead of being one of the last people squeezing on to a crowded bus, you can step aside and let those who don't mind standing get on the bus in your place. You will then be one of the first to board the next completely empty bus 15 minutes later (and often the wait isn't even that long, especially at park closing).

I agree with a previous poster about the difference between WDW buses and city buses: at WDW, an empty bus pulls up every 15-20 minutes. A city bus might run just once an hour. I wouldn't wait for an hour for the next bus to come along in order to get a seat and wouldn't advise/expect anyone else to do so either. But when an empty bus pulls up every 15 minutes or so, then it isn't such a big deal to wait for the next one. Everybody gets to choose for him or herself whether to get on a crowded bus knowing they will have to stand, or wait for the next one so they can sit even though it means getting back to the resort 15 minutes later.

 

[Sleepy]

I understand the argument that people shouldn't expect a seat, but it saddens me that we don't feel a sense of community as human beings and step in when we can.

Have you ever used public transportation often enough to have the opportunity to notice how people from ALL catagories act toward others? I happen to use bus transportation on a daily basis in a very large city (buses run every 15 minutes and sometimes more often) and most importantly, one of the buses I ride happens to be on a route that is used largely by senior citizens. What I have noticed is I start the route from its beginning point. Stop #2 is literally just around the corner. Instead of walking 20 steps and geting on the bus when it is empty, they wait at stop #2. By the time bus gets to #2, there might be about 2 seats left out of 9. There usually is around 4-5 old people at this stop. They literally hobble to the entrances of the bus, but once on, they make a flying dash to the few seats that are empty. (heaven forbid if 2 of them get to the same seat at the same time. THey do fight and they get really loud about it. Nevermind having a quick solution to the problem. ALL the seats are taken by old people, so there are no seats left to offer according to how most of the peopel on this thread are thinking. (it's not always a matter of age when it comes to who should get the seats). Anyway, It is the most humorous thing I have ever seen. They go from feeble to energetic in a matter of seconds. They are so determined to not give up that seat that they refuse to get up to go validate their bus ticket. They hand it to someone else who is closer to the machine for validation. Nevermind that the old person behind them is using a cane, crutches, a victim of polio, pregnant, has a toddler. It truly is every man for themselves when it comes to HEALTHY old people. Which gets me to my point. IF those old people are going to be inconsiderate to each other and to those who may be younger, but in poor health, it makes it more understandable when a seemingly young healthy man or woman does not want to give up their seat to an older person if they appear to be able to stand. I've even seen old people demand a person out of their seat....a handicapped spot. A lady politely lifted her pantleg and showed the large scar that ran from her ankle to upper calf. The old lady STILL felt she deserved to sit in the seat and she was perfectly able to stand and maintain balance the entire trip. She just wanted to sit down. I'm sure there are plenty of elderly Americans who do the same thing.
As far as young children, they are taught at a very young age to stand and hold onto the bars on the seats. If they don't stand, they sit in the "wasted space" on buses or on the small step up next to the feet of the people sitting.

 

[Marseeya]

I'm with those who believe that if you NEED to sit, you need to take responsibility for yourself to make sure you get seated, whether that means waiting for the next bus, renting a car, or taking a cab. Don't put your comfort or safety in someone else's hands and then whine that they didn't give up their seats. On our recent trip, I'd sprained my ankle and had to sit on the buses because I couldn't stand on a moving bus. So, if the bus stops were packed, we grabbed a cab. I didn't expect one single person to stand for me -- not to mention, I had no idea what kind of hidden disabilities a sitting person may have had anyway.

Now, that said, I never once saw that kind of discourtesy on the buses anyway. In fact, on one rainy night, people went out of their way to make standing people comfortable, to the point of drying off the seats for others, or laying down ponchos so that others (strangers) wouldn't get wet.

 

[alicenwonder99]

I really noticed on our last trip how people wouldn't give up their seats for others. On almost every bus trip, my ds5 got up to give his seat to someone else. I would hold my dd7 on my lap to make more room, too. Or all 3 of us got up to give our seats to others. It's just common courtesy...plain and simple.

In our society of "I've got mine", we need to teach our children to respect others.

Mary

 

[taximomfor4]

I feel like this is not getting heard. On this board, or on the other thread with the same topic. We are NOT being rude just because we put our kids in seats, not standing , OR on our laps (except oldest dd, 11 last year, who stood). Dh has stood, OR I have stood (but not both of us since someone needs free arms to fling out to help our kids, esp. one of our dd's. I just think it's very sad that people assume it's rude to NOT put a child on your lap. Every time I see a family with a 3yo in it's own seat, I assume they might have had similar bus experiences and figured out the safest-seeming way for their family to travel.

Just trying to say that sometimes it's not rudeness, sometimes it is trial and error.

 

[ducklite]

I really noticed on our last trip how people wouldn't give up their seats for others. On almost every bus trip, my ds5 got up to give his seat to someone else. I would hold my dd7 on my lap to make more room, too. Or all 3 of us got up to give our seats to others. It's just common courtesy...plain and simple.

In our society of "I've got mine", we need to teach our children to respect others.

Mary

If you had waited for the next bus in order to get seats, would you then feel that you should give them up for others?

Anne

 

[Hef4545]

There should be no question that when someone is struggling to maintain their footing for whatever reason, I will give up my seat. I too am a proud mom of a DS who from early on gave up his seat for someone he felt needed it more than he did. He also holds doors for people and other courtesies. I will also say however, that I get very angry when he does these things and he does not get a thank you. The beast within me wants to say something rude to the offender but I control myself and instead tell my son how proud I am of him. Maybe you can't change the world but you can make a difference for the person you are kind to.

 

[Daisysmom]

There should be no question that when someone is struggling to maintain their footing for whatever reason, I will give up my seat. I too am a proud mom of a DS who from early on gave up his seat for someone he felt needed it more than he did. He also holds doors for people and other courtesies. I will also say however, that I get very angry when he does these things and he does not get a thank you. The beast within me wants to say something rude to the offender but I control myself and instead tell my son how proud I am of him. Maybe you can't change the world but you can make a difference for the person you are kind to.

I agree. My DS is now 27, and a nice man. He learned from me We are role models for our children.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've been surprised, and pleased, to see just the opposite. When I took my 73 yo Mom last year, I was rather nervous because of all the threads I'd read about people not giving up their seats. Not only did people always make sure Mom had a seat, more often than not, someone near that seat would jump up and insist I sit near Mom. I felt the Disney spirit alive and well in that regard. The biggest "problem" I have now is that men often give up their seats to me-I'm 54, not "elderly", but it is nice of them. But then I see pack-mule Mom get on, you know the poor Moms with the stroller, kids, and all the accessories. Often I'm tempted to give up my seat, that was just given up for me, to them, but don't quite know if I should. But what I have been doing is offering to hold as much as possible for them.

 

[kkmauch]

I'll just throw in my .02 on this one...
I am always amazed at how inconsiderate people can be. If you have a small child who can sit on your lap, take them off the seat next to you so that someone else can sit down. Not just elderly, everyone. They pack those busses, especially at park closing. Just pick the kid up and hold them, it's not soooo terrible.
I'd also like to add something about manners. I went to a private college in central Minnesota where we often had to ride a bus between campuses. When we were on the bus we all learned (from the upper classmen-no one wants to be singled out as a freshman) to take our turns getting off the bus. This means you all stay seated (the whole bus doesn't stadn up at once when the bus arrives) and one by one, alternating sides, people stand up and get off the bus. It actually goes faster and no one gets hurt. You also don't have to waste your time standing up waiting to get off the bus.
Anyway, just my .02!

 

[TDC Nala]

most of them have never been taught public bus etiquette, as they have probably never been on a municipal bus in their lives.

Someone want to come up here and teach etiquette to the subway riders, because they'll knock down elderly pregnant women on crutches carrying triplets to get a seat.

 

[ducklite]

Someone want to come up here and teach etiquette to the subway riders, because they'll knock down elderly pregnant women on crutches carrying triplets to get a seat.

When I commuted into NYC I spent a week on crutches after pulling a ligament in my foot in a freak accident. I had one guy actually push me out of his way, then trip over my crutch and curse me out for it. Nice.

Anne

 

[tink55]

I've seen folks turn down seats offered to them (an elderly man who seemed insulted that my husband thought he needed a seat; a young girl who didn't want to sit next to someone she didn't know). I think most riders figure they will have to stand and are prepared for it, or they wouldn't get on. But we still offer seats to anyone who seems like they might appreciate and/or need it more than us.

 

[taximomfor4]

I'll just throw in my .02 on this one...
I am always amazed at how inconsiderate people can be. If you have a small child who can sit on your lap, take them off the seat next to you so that someone else can sit down. Not just elderly, everyone. They pack those busses, especially at park closing. Just pick the kid up and hold them, it's not soooo terrible.
!

See my prior post. We do not put our small children on our laps, and it is not due to lack of manners on our parts. For a fellow bus passenger or a DISboard member to assume so IS rude.

I think many of us here on the DIS read the hot issues threads in order to try to see other people's points of view and explain our own. There are many lessons to be learned from others, and open mindedness and the attempt at understanding are valuable.