Picture this: you're on a bus with some heavy bags, and the bus isn't particularly crowded, would you consider settling your bags into an unoccupied seat? Now, let's say the bus suddenly becomes crowded, and people are left standing. Would you be willing to offer your seat then? Well, this one woman didn't, simply because nobody asked, believing her behavior was perfectly “normal”
Affordable Rides
In a recent Reddit post, a 19-year-old woman living in the US shares that she rides the bus because she can't afford a car, insurance, gas, and other expenses.
On one normal day, she found herself on a bus that wasn't particularly crowded; there were several vacant seats, and no one needed to stand.
Too Heavy To Fit
Right after her shopping trip, the woman found herself burdened with heavy bags that were difficult to carry and barely fit in front of her legs. As a result, she decided to take a seat and occupied the seat next to her with her bags, claiming two seats for herself.
A Seat for the Bags
Since the bus wasn't crowded when she boarded, she didn't see any problem with taking up two seats, especially considering the bags were incredibly heavy and causing her discomfort.
Space Shrinks
The bus ride extended for quite a while, and as time passed, more and more people boarded the bus. Eventually, it became crowded to the point where some people had no choice but to stand.
People or Bags?
Although one might expect that the woman, burdened with heavy bags, would offer the extra seat she took for someone else to sit, she found no good reason to do so. “I didn't ever move my bag or offer the seat to someone,” admits the OP.
After All, No One Asked for a Seat
The 19-year-old continued to provide reasons for not offering a seat to the standing passengers, stating, “In my experience, most people don't want to sit next to strangers anyway and a lot of the time people will end up standing instead of sitting in an empty seat next to someone they don't know. Also, no one said anything to me.”
Confrontation
A person standing on the bus grew increasingly frustrated during the trip watching the woman seating her shopping bags instead of offering the seat to someone else.
Upon reaching the bus station at the last stop, where almost everyone was getting off, one passenger “passive-aggressively told her: "You could have moved your bag and not been inconsiderate and rude. Everyone wants to sit not just you."
“My Behavior Was Normal”
Following the unexpected confrontation, the woman was at a loss for words and didn't know how to respond. “The person who said that never asked me to move my stuff, and if they did I probably would have,” she claims. “So I don't understand how I was being rude?”
“They could have asked during the ride instead of insulting me after it was already done. Busses are also generally first come first serve so I think my behavior was normal.”
Online Backlash
The Reddit community was taken aback by the OP's disregard not only for "bus etiquette" but also for basic "human being etiquette," resulting in the majority of readers giving a "YTA" (You're The A..hole) judgment for taking two seats on the bus.
“Seats are for your A.S!” a full-time bus rider stressed, while another person added, “If your bag didn't pay for fare, it doesn't get a seat. Move. Your. Sh.t.”
“Entitled”
“YTA. You should’ve moved your bags,” agreed a different commenter. “Entitled folks like you make the world worse for the rest of us. Seats are for a.ses, not your groceries. They could’ve easily gone on the floor in front of you.”
It's Common Courtesy
Some took a middle stance and contended that if someone genuinely had heavy bags and needed to place them on a seat, they should still exhibit etiquette and move their belongings when the bus became crowded. One user expressed, “YTA. You don't wait for someone to "ASK" you to do the right thing.”
Another “YTA” voter wrote, “Once the bus started getting more crowded to the point where people were standing, you should have moved your bags. You shouldn't need to be asked to do so; it's just common courtesy.”
Lack of “Human Being Etiquette”
“I don’t even look at it as ‘bus etiquette’. I look at it as ‘human being etiquette.’” one commenter argued. “
“No one should have to ask someone to move their stuff so they can sit down. You’re not the center of the universe - it’s not all about you. YTA 100%”
“Rude”
In response to the OP's argument that she doesn't believe she was being rude and her question, "AITA for taking up 2 seats on a bus?" one Redditor provided a direct and definitive response:
“You saw the bus was full and didn't move your bags. That's exactly what rude a..holes do.”
“Incredibly Selfish”
Many were astounded by the fact that the OP, being old enough to grasp basic courtesy, still failed to “understand that this is incredibly rude and selfish.” They continued. “You cannot use a seat for your stuff while people are standing. You should have cleared the seat without having to be asked.”
Someone else speculated, “I have a feeling this post is the first time OP has ever been held accountable for anything in her life.”
“Mean Behavior”
On the contrary, some individuals were convinced that the 19-year-old was well aware of her actions, expressing their disapproval by questioning, “How are you still making excuses? Your post is already full of them, and yet you’re still repeating that nonsense in the comments.”
“You KNEW you were breaking the social rules, otherwise you wouldn’t have felt the need to state a new ‘reason’ for your behavior every other sentence. Treat others like they are real people, and learn from your mistakes instead of doubling down on being an a..hole about it.”
“Get Over Yourself”
“YTA and you know it,” another person argued. “It's fine to have your stuff on the seat when the bus is empty, but you can use basic courtesy when people are standing without a seat available.”
They continued, “You're even worse for your comment that if they asked you ‘probably would have’ moved your things. Probably? Get over yourself.”
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Source: Reddit
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