‘Why not ask her?’: Singaporeans debate commuter who posted woman’s bag taking up train seat

SINGAPORE: A netizen voiced out on social media about proper etiquette when riding public transportation. In the post, it was seen that a woman using her smartphone had placed her brown bag beside her, suspectedly making it difficult for the younger girl to sit properly.

This post gained several reactions from other netizens, who then shared their thoughts and opinions. Others claimed what the woman did was really inconsiderate and selfish, and there are far too many people doing such acts nowadays. 

“I often meet people like this, so I tell them ‘Excuse me, can you remove your bag? I’d like to sit down.’ If they refuse, I clarify it’s for the person sitting, not the bag,” a netizen admitted. 

Another netizen shared that often, when things turn violent, these kinds of people like to act as if they are the victim. 

“There’ll always be these selfish, inconsiderate, self-absorbed & entitled everywhere…,” a comment remarked. 

To avoid such kinds of incidents in the future, a netizen suggested that MRT stations should have a Wall of Fame and a Wall of Shame. 

“Those who showed kindness and those who flouted the rules. I’m sure this will spur a positive effect for a more gracious society when travelling by MRT,” the comment stated. 

However, for some, the netizen should have confronted the lady right then and there, instead of posting the concern online. 

“Ask her, why not ask her instead of posting here? Not brave enough to ask in person?” one questioned. 

Another claimed: “I think you must tell her at the right time when you see what is happening in the train.” 

Despite the mixed comments, there are people who thanked the netizen for posting the incident for awareness. 

“Thanks for posting. I hope it created an educational and awareness effect to all those self-centred commuters to be more considerate when taking public transportation,” a comment concluded. 

While commuters may disagree on how such situations should be handled, the basic expectation remains simple: shared spaces should be kept available for everyone.