dg, I'm the kind of person who gently announces: "Excuse me, would someone like to give this person a seat?" And if no one responds, I'll say it louder. Usually, though, Portland public transport is pretty nice about that kind of stuff.

I travel into work so early that finding a seat usually isn't a problem. We all have our 'own' seats, in fact.

On the way home it's a different story, and I usually have to stand all the way. At 4pm the trains are often packed with screeching 12 to 14-year-old schoolkids, all seated, who will never, ever offer their seat to someone who might need it. I've sometimes said to a group of them 'will one of you offer this [whoever, old person, pregnant woman] a seat please?' and usually they do, but sooo grudgingly, and the one who gets up is usually mocked by the others.

I remember once standing up to give a pregnant woman my seat. When the seat next to her became free, she put her hand on it to save it for her husband. I stood all the way home. Bitch.

Yeah, Specklet, I'm a coward, I know. But at least I'm a coward with manners.

essexjan, everyone has their "own" seat on the train I catch in the morning, too. It's funny to watch when someone new catches the train and sits in someones seat - they agonise over where to sit and it sets off a whole chain reaction of confusion for the rest of the journey.

I once gave up my seat to an elderly lady, who declined, but then offered the seat to a woman much younger than either of us. Bitch.

I walk to a different station in the afternoon to be sure of a seat - the train comes from the airport at a busy time for flights, so is often full of people who stack their luggage all over the seats adjacent to them. More than once, I have seen people calmly walk up to them and start dumping their luggage on the floor, then sitting on the seat. I wish I had the guts to do things like that.

she put her hand on it to save it for her husband.

I would have sat on her hand, literally, and then when she snatched it away, said "Oh excuse me" and settled into the seat.

They must not have seen her. I know for a fact that not everybody is that much of an arse. I reckon at least half of the people I know would offer their seat.

Only thing worse than bags on seats is feet on seats. Doubly if they're suited middle-aged dudes - you don't look any younger.

Damn. I used to stand on most half-empty subway trains for fear of a pregnant woman stampede at the next stop to whom I wouldn't be able to offer my seat quick enough to avoid my looking like an asshole.

i usually dress as a pregnant woman in order to assure good seating.

PREGNANT WOMAN STAMPEDE, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

People do suck. However, I was impressed with the people NYC when Mum and I visited in 1999. Never did my mum have to stand more than a minute or two before someone gave up his/her seat for her. And that was before she was as stove-up as she is now.