As the country transitioned into its endemicity, more Malaysians are taking public transport to commute to work or their desired destinations. It’s common for the seats to be fully occupied during peak hours.
We’re pretty sure that you’ve seen bags or random items occupying the seats. While that may be understandable when the train is not in full capacity, doing so when seats are scarce may bring inconvenience to others. Recently, in the Facebook group Penduduk Sungai Petani (PSP), a Malaysian shared an image that shows a seat fully occupied by bags that belong to the woman on the right (of the picture).
According to the caption, the incident took place during the weekend on a train headed to Padang Besar, Perlis from Butterworth, Penang.
“A lot of train users had to stand by the door. I just want this to be a reminder to fellow train users in the future.”
The person who posted the image also reminded people to be more empathetic when taking the trains as the seats are meant for the train users, and not their belongings.
The image has since gone viral on social media and as expected, Malaysians, especially frequent train users, are NOT happy with what they had to see. Most of them could actually relate it to their daily lives and shared their similar experiences.
“Same thing happens at the clinic where they place random items on the chair. I was already not feeling well and they had the audacity to ignore me. They could’ve just placed the items on their laps.”
“I’ve seen a lot of people like this on the train. Selfish. They ignore you even when they know you need the seat. If you’re so afraid of a man seated beside you, then at least allow another woman to have the seat.”
“Some people may look smart with their PhD certificate but in reality, it’s not like that.”
“I am pregnant and I took the train from Perlis the other day. No one bothered to offer me a seat. Some even continued dating.”
In the meantime, some annoyed users made it clear that they would’ve reminded her about the seat on the spot.
“Just tell her that you want the seat and asked her to move the bag politely. If she refuses, just throw her bags out.”
Fellow train users, can you relate to this ‘phenomenon?’ We definitely hope that all train users can be more empathetic and not to occupy other seats for your own convenience.
Also read: RapidKL Announces Last Minute Discontinuation Of Express Bus Services, M’sians Angered