#priority seating

優先席 (Priority seat) - sinsin08051

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I’m sure you are all familiar with the priority seats in public transport. In China, the common categories are (by order): elderly people, weak people, people with illness, people with disabilities, pregnant women. (Although the definition of weak and illness is very vague) In France, I noticed what’s listed on top is disabled war veterans(I created the icon since there’s only word descriptions), followed by blind people and injured workers, with elderly people over the age of 75 in the end(very precise!) While I was searching more information on priority seats, I found out that in Bangkok, Thailand, the first place on the priority list are reserved for monks. I can’t help but wonder if the difference of the categories and their specific orders also also says something about each society, about their value and organisation. Putting veterans forward emphasis the idea of a nation, while reserving place for monks shows respect and the connections Buddhism has with the Thai State and Thai culture? In China, we are educated from a young age to respect the elderly and always offer seats to them in public transport, yet nowadays you also see people from younger generation questioning/ignoring this “rule”, which also indicates the evolution of traditional values and the influence of other cultures.

While elderly priority seats are always left open, pregnancy seating is NEVER open, even when the train isn’t crowded and even when the seats are clearly labeled.

I'm always too scared to ask people to vacate a priority seat when I take public transportation. I have an "invisible" disability that severely impacts my motor control (Tourette Syndrome) and I'm afraid of the ridicule I'll face since I'm not in a wheelchair or using crutches. This coupled with my social anxiety makes it pretty impossible for me to ask. So please, if you are able bodied, leave the priority seats open for people who need it but may find it difficult to ask.