Public transit is a necessary evil, like most of travel. It’s nice to have and we appreciate the option, but the actual event of traveling can often be fraught, gross, and you know.

Full of other travelers.

OP is British and was on a commuter train where some of the cars were being dropped and the passengers were being transferred (downsized) into fewer cars.

UK for context. Travelled from London to the seaside, had to change the train on the final leg and all passengers had to move from 10 carriages to 4 meaning that it got super packed.

28C. Middle of nowhere. Next train in 30 min.

When she (and others) tried to get onto the new train they found a traffic jam, and when she asked why people weren’t moving, she was told (repeatedly) that there were children sitting on the floor.

There were approx 20 maybe 30 people still trying to get on Inc me, people on the train were tight but if you are familiar with London trains in rush hour you know there is always space for at least 6 more. I noticed that in one of the carriages people stopped mid way of the aisle.

So approached the entrance, poked my head in and said:

EVE: “Please move down the carriage so more people can get on”

PASSENGERS: “there is no space”

EVE: “I can see there is space at the back, if everyone moved to the back it would open up more space”

PASS: “there is no space, there are children sitting on the floor”

She replied (repeatedly) that she didn’t care, and eventually pushed herself onto the train.

EVE: “well, children need to get up so more people can get on”

PASS: “there is no space” (from all directions from various people but especially from an old woman standing directly in front of me)

EVE: “what do you want me to do? I need to get on this train we all paid for a ticket”

PASS: “there is no space, there are children sitting on the floor”

EVE: “I DONT CARE that there are children sitting on the floor, make them stand!”

Cue more back and forth “children sitting on the floor”

I’m getting antsy as they announced that doors will be closing.

I repeat : ” I don’t care if children are sitting on the floor! I’m getting in” and I got in.

The kids were older, 8-12 years old, and the ride was only about 15 minutes.

Old Woman automatically takes one step back. I have no problem nesting myslef in the corner with my back to everyone.

Old woman: “you just made everyone’s day worse” (lol🤣🤣🤣)

EVE “I don’t care!”

15 min later we arrive at the destination. When I got off I looked back and vast majority of kids that came out the train were 8-12yo.

Some of her mom friends acted as if she was too pushy or rude, but was she?

So, Ranted to 2 of my friends via texted (mums) – both avoided agreeing with me which makes me think both think i’m an a******.

My bf agreed with me

I honestly don’t care than 8yo wants to sit so another human misses the train. Some poor souls didn’t get on at all. IMO people were selfish – no empathy for other person (although u might say I have no empathy for an 8yo – fair)

I think I might be the a****** because my words were short. “I don’t care there are children on the floor”. Some might say that it was hot so I should have understood and prioritise those kids and have more empathy.

tell me – AITA

Reddit is going to give an unbiased reply!

The top comment says she’s not wrong, and also it’s a poor decision in case of emergency.

Not to mention the kids could easily get stepped on, emergency or not.

They say in the old days, children were considered more able to stand and were expected to do so.

Plenty of folks were super grossed out that people let their kids sit on a train floor in the first place.

Which is to say, not everyone is watching out for your kid.

It seems there are myriad reasons not to let your kids sit on the train floor.

But OP definitely wasn’t wrong in trying to not miss her train.