A woman has shared her annoyance after she was ‘yelled at’ by another train passenger for not moving her bag – but she claims she did nothing wrong and the other woman was just ‘rude’
A woman has claimed she was “yelled at” on a train for refusing to move her bag. Taking the train can be a nifty alternative to driving, but it’s not without its hitches. Especially during rush hour, trains can become packed, leaving some passengers standing due to a lack of seats.
It’s generally considered good manners to clear bags from adjacent seats when trains fill up, allowing fellow travellers to sit. Bags can be held or stowed in overhead compartments or on luggage racks under these circumstances. But one woman found herself perplexed when another passenger confronted her for not moving her bag while commuting home from work, and she chose not to oblige their demand.
In a TikTok video, Tasha recounted that she had a “pretty big” bag with her, but upon boarding the train, “loads of seats were available”. She sat in an empty two-seater and didn’t think much of it.
Tasha emphasised that she didn’t place her bag on the neighbouring seat but kept it on her lap, ensuring that if someone needed the space next to her, it was accessible for them to sit.
At the next stop, Tasha encountered a rather peculiar situation when another lady got on the train and sat “right next” to her despite many empty seats. Tasha tried to compact her bag to make more room, but was baffled as to why this woman chose to sit beside her.
Shortly after, while Tasha was unwinding and gazing out of the window, she got an abrupt nudge from the woman, who then began to yell at her to shift her bag.
Reflecting on the incident, Tasha recounted: “I look at her in shock and she goes, ‘Move your f***ing bag’. She came in strong, she was not playing.
“Bear in mind, it’s one of those long bags, and I was literally trying to push it together for the whole journey. It’s not like I’d just dumped my massive bag on my lap.”
Despite Tasha’s apology and attempt to “compress” her bag as neatly as possible, explaining that it was packed full, it wasn’t satisfactory for the irate commuter, who resorted to cursing and escalating her tone, insisting on moving the bag.
Tasha suggested multiple alternative seats, showing the woman where she could sit with ample space.
However, the woman persisted, arguing that it wasn’t about the availability of seats, as Tasha doesn’t “own” them. Things intensified, and after another attempted shove, Tasha reached her limit and decided to relocate herself.
She recounted her fear saying: “I thought, I’m actually scared of you. As much as I want to stand my ground, I’m worried you’re going to do something. I just got my stuff and moved to an empty seat. And not one [other passenger] said a thing, even though I could see people were literally gobsmacked.”
Followers expressed their support for Tasha, lamenting that she was forced to change seats and urging her to inform the British Transport Police about the ordeal.
One commenter posted: “She was absolutely looking to pick a fight with you. I’d call British Transport Police, give them the details of the train. There’s surely CCTV. This is assault, and she can’t get away with it.”
Another sympathiser remarked: “Sadly, there are people in this world who are just so miserable and out to cause hurt for other people. Don’t let people like this get in your head.”
The British Transport Police can be contacted to report various incidents that take place on public transport, such as lost or found items, hate crime, antisocial behaviour, or sexual offences.
For more information, visit the British Transport Police website.
