Southern Rail: Elderly woman stops mother with baby to take priority seat

A mother carrying her baby in a sling has confronted an elderly woman after being declined to take a first-class seat on a train travelling from London to Brighton. The woman said that the mother did not have a first-class ticket so she could not sit in the carriage. The mother was affected by the Southern Rail strikes.

The mother told the woman she asked her nicely to put the bag on the floor and to respect her as she was carrying a baby. However, the woman told her to respect her elders and betters. The woman also said that the people in the train have paid to sit in the carriage.

In the video posted in Facebook filmed by the train passenger Tyrone Williams, the woman said that she doesn't want a screaming baby sitting next to her. However, the mother replied that her baby was not screaming and he was behaving better than the woman. She also said that she paid her ticket and emphasised that she was on a priority seat.

Another passenger entered the conversation and asked if she had the first-class ticket. The passenger also told her that the priority seat was for the first-class passengers."At the end of the day she's got a baby so she can sit where she wants," another commuter said defending the mother.

As the mother continued to give her arguments, another passenger offered her a seat which she accepted. The man was given an applause for his kind gesture.

"I didn't like the way the lady was being treated so I got my phone out, just in case it got worse," Williams told the Evening Standard. "She was just being spoken to like she was dirt."

Southern Rail spokesperson told The Sun that the passengers should give the priority seats when needed by disabilities, expectant mothers, elderly passengers or those carrying infants.

“Passengers using priority seats in first class should still have a valid first class ticket unless first-class has been declassified due to disruption," Southern Rail spokesperson said.