A disabled man has sparked a debate on Reddit after refusing to give up his bus seat to an elderly woman, despite there being other empty priority seats available. The man, who uses a collapsible cane but did not have it on display, boarded the bus and took the first available seat. A few stops later, an elderly woman boarded but declined to sit in any of the vacant seats near the man.
The bus driver asked the woman to sit down for safety reasons, but she refused. This prompted a young woman at the back of the bus to shout at the man for not giving up his seat. The man explained in his post that there were two empty seats next to him, and he saw no reason to move when the woman could have easily sat elsewhere.
He wrote: 'She starts going off on me for not giving the woman my seat specifically. She's entirely blaming me for this lady refusing to sit in any of the available seats.' He added that he is disabled and sometimes needs his cane, but that should not have mattered as there were free seats.
Eventually, the elderly woman sat in one of the other priority seats, but both she and the young woman gave the man 'stink eye'. Later, when a wheelchair user boarded, the man moved and another passenger offered him a seat after seeing his struggle with his cane.
Reddit commenters largely supported the man, arguing that no one should be forced to give up a seat when others are available, especially if they have a hidden disability. One user said: 'I never judge anyone in the first seats of a bus because I do not know their situation.' Another added: 'People need to stop demanding other people's seats! It's first-come, first-served.'
