Do you want to sit down on the Overground during rush hour? Then prepare for war

Posted October 4, 2011 in transport  |  98 Comments so far

A few days ago, on an Overground train from Highbury to Kensington, I had a shocking experience – I failed to get a seat.

If you know how crowded the Overground can get at rush hour, this might not sound all that surprising. Believe me, though, I was good at getting seats. I’d learnt the ropes and tend to overanalyse behaviour on public transport, so it had never been a problem. But I’d been away for a few weeks and my seat-acquisition skills had gone beyond rusty – they were useless.

Empty Overground train

Overground trains never look like this during rush hour

So, as a form of therapy, I decided to try to work out the “rules” of the seat-acquisition game on the Overground. Here they are, in illustrated form.

The theatre of conflict

The Overground train arrives and dazed commuters spill on to the platform. Everyone stands aside to let them pass. But this act of kindness is the exception, not the rule. Once you all step into the carriage the competition for seats begins. You are now in a theatre of war.

The theatre of war

The strategic theatre where war is waged

Know your enemies

You share the strategic space of the carriage with many other players. Here’s a brief rundown of who they are:

  • Aspirants – People standing who want to sit down. This includes you.
  • Civilians – People standing who don’t want to sit down, maybe because they’re not going far.
  • Occupants – People currently sitting down. Don’t be fooled though: they’re still in the game.

In a typical combat situation (or “rush hour”) here’s how the players might be distributed across the theatre of conflict.

Populated Overground carriage

Stepping into the arena

Civilians linger near the doors while Aspirants occupy strategic positions nearer the seats. I’ll come to these later. First, here’s an ill-advised opening move that could undermine your whole campaign.

Don’t take the wrong turn

When you first get on the train you might turn towards the divide in between two carriages. Don’t! This is an unforgiving quagmire. Much like Napoleon in Russia, your campaign will come to a crushing, drawn-out end if you venture here.

Here be dragons

There are few seats here so chances of victory are slim. On one side you’re bordered by the crowded doorway, on the other you’re hemmed in by the barren, seatless inter-carriage zone, so withdrawing to another region could prove impossible. Stay well away.

Get into position – but act casual

Get yourself into the long aisle, where the seats are most abundant. This is the fertile valley of the Overground carriage.

But don’t push past people to get here. Try to act casual, like you don’t really want to sit down anyway. As Sun Tzu said, “All warfare is based on deception“. Seem too predatory and you’ll raise the suspicions of other Aspirants, losing the element of surprise. Let them think you’re a disinterested Civilian.

Finding your spot

Find a good place to lurk, but don't appear too keen

A well-chosen spot gives you a tactical advantage over three, maybe four, seats. Take care when picking your spot, and check for things like:

  • Have the seat occupants only just sat down? If so it might be a while before they get off.
  • Can you guess where their occupants might be heading to? For example you can spot BBC people easily (branded building passes, reading Ariel, cooking up ways to irritate the Daily Mail). They’re going all the way to Shepherd’s Bush, so find a new spot.
  • Who else lurks in the same area? If there are pregnant or infirm Aspirants you should move elsewhere – unless, of course, the Overground has completely erased your sense of ethics.
  • Are the Occupants checking the station name or folding up their newspaper? If so then they may be close to departure.

Having found your spot you’re now engaged in a tactical skirmish with other nearby Aspirants. This will play out in a smaller and more manageable space.

Tactical scenario

What it all comes down to - hold your position to capture the flag

Things might seem straightforward from now on – someone will get up, you’ll sit down, mission accomplished. But it’s still too soon for complacency.

Entering end game

This might be the end of your campaign if earlier strategic decisions were sound and luck’s on your side. Other passengers, however, play by their own rules, so there could be some surprises ahead. Here are some end-game scenarios and how to handle them.

1. The Occupant’s Deceit

The Occupant of a contested seat puts their book away. Suddenly you’re interested in nothing else, watching them like a hawk to be sure you’ll bag their seat.

Occupant's deceit

Don't be misled by someone putting their book in their bag. They're not leaving the train - they're just messing with your mind

Distracted, you fail to notice a seat that is legitimately yours becoming empty. An opportunistic Aspirant sneaks in to grab it. Then, to compound your error, the Occupant you’re eyeballing just sits there looking like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth and you’re stuck on your feet. You lose this round.

Don’t let any single Occupant claim your undivided attention – sometimes people put their books away because they’re bored of reading, they want to sleep, or they simply enjoy messing with your mind.

2. 360-degree Combat

It’s easy to get a kind of tunnel vision when staring at the same three or four people for so long. You can easily forget that there’s a whole other row of seats immediately behind you.

360 degrees

Overground veterans develop 360-degree perception of their surroundings, much like chameleons

So when a seat behind you becomes vacant, will you be quick to notice? If not then it’s a lost opportunity. The trick here is to somehow know what’s going on behind you without overtly gawping – remember your Sun Tzu. As always on the Overground, subtlety is essential.

Edit: A few people commenting after this was posted mentioned that they look in the window to see the reflections of people behind them. I didn’t know this trick. No wonder I’ve been spending so much time standing

3. The Art of Misdirection

Imagine two Aspirants have equal claim to a seat and the Occupant gets up. Who wins? Sometimes it’s about who acts smartest, not who acts first.

Misdirection

The Occupant's direction of departure can be influenced to your advantage

The departing Occupant decides which door to head towards. Sometimes it’s the nearest door, but on a crowded Overground carriage they’ll usually choose the path of least resistance.

Exploit this to your advantage by shifting your position to create an easy route for them. As they move past, do that “orbiting” kind of motion that people do in busy spaces, spinning around them so you switch places while gracefully intruding between the seat and your thwarted enemy.

Get it right and you’ll effortlessly drop into their seat while looking like a helpful and polite person, and not the scheming and conniving seat-fancier you are.

A final note – and a confession

This guide should help you achieve comfort on the Overground, but I must confess that my last few journeys have been spent standing up, so maybe I’m not the best teacher. Maybe I’ve lost the hunger, the brutality, the sharpness of wit that’s needed to compete on these trains. The truth is that I don’t need that hunger any more – my company is moving next weekend, to an office 20 minutes’ walk from my house. I’m pretty happy about this.

So while my days as an Overground commuter are over, yours may be only just beginning. If so, be careful out there – and don’t let the war for seats escalate any more than it has to. Enough blood has been shed.

Edit: There’s now a follow-up to this post, about the Geneva Convention of public transport – the sacrosanct, unspoken rules that we all must obey


98 comments so far.  Post a comment

  1. YoungM
    October 7, 2011 at 11:30 am [ Permalink

    JK – I can see your point, but it is blindingly obvious you do not work in London nor live there (and if you do it’s not been for a long amount of time). I am a lady myself but I know it’s dog eat dog on the tube. We have all been working long hours. And if men had to stand instead of women then men would never get a seat. That really wouldn’t be fair. Gone are the days of carefree travel in and out of London. The world has changed.

  2. phild500
    October 7, 2011 at 11:54 am [ Permalink

    With the old Rude Boy express trains it was always thinking why did i get on the train at all and I am safer standing up. The new trains ahve muddied this thinking and, as a result, this excellent summary of seat strategy is a welcome addition to the Overground travellers arsenal.

  3. Ols
    October 7, 2011 at 1:13 pm [ Permalink

    Brilliant.

    Need to do one on the war to get that magazine (usually Stylist and Shortlist) that someone nearby has almost finished. There will be lots of people with their eyes on the prize. I say it’s about getting the eye contact as soon as they’ve put it down and asking for it quickly

  4. Misslistmaker
    October 7, 2011 at 4:39 pm [ Permalink

    A man after my own heart. Seat acquisition is not laughing matter. Think you might relate to some of this…..

    http://listsonthenothernline.blogspot.com/2011/04/tube-behaviour-amuses-me.html

  5. Jordan
    October 7, 2011 at 5:45 pm [ Permalink

    I was about to say that another way to get a seat is to get pregnant, which is infinitely easier if you are female. But although the axiom is that both gentlemen and women should give up their seats for a pregnant woman it happens less and less. I always offer my seat, but I must confess I have gotten it wrong once and took an ear-full for insulting an overweight and dis-proportioned woman carrying lot’s of weight in her abdominal area. It strikes fear in you and you spend the first 2 minutes trying trying to subtly work out if they are indeed pregnant, whilst during this 2 minutes you are feeling shameful at taking so long to offer your seat also.

    Pregnant women, please wear the ‘Baby on Board’ badges. Over-weight women, please wear the ‘I’m just fat’ badges.

  6. October 9, 2011 at 12:32 pm [ Permalink

    I must confess I often keep an eye out for people who are desperate to sit down so I can steal vacant seats just to annoy them (this works especially well if I’m getting off in just 1 stop anyway).

    I must say I only do this if it’s men because a) as I am a woman they won’t have a go and instead just grumble quietly to themselves, and b) as I am a woman they should have done the gentleman-ly thing and offered me the seat.

    Chivalry is DEAD on the tube so I make it my business to rile rude men. *Smiles smugly*

  7. Therese
    October 9, 2011 at 1:43 pm [ Permalink

    These tactics are also very successful on the tube and when on the tube may I recommend aiming to enter the first or last carriage as these are almost always the least crowded.

  8. Aussiemum
    October 10, 2011 at 3:25 am [ Permalink

    Ha ha – very funny!

    I am relieved to see that in all this warfare everyone is agreed that the prize must be sacrificed for someone who may require the seat due to ill health, limited mobility or other restrictions. I live in Australia and was really impressed by the number of people who were willing to offer their seat to me while I was pregnant even before I was showing that much (I guess they could tell by the desperate way that I was hanging on that I was feeling faint and nauseous)!

    On occasion I had young men yell down the packed carriage and ask me if I wanted the vacant seat near them. After that no-one dared to take it before I got there, and the guy usually was offered a seat by another passenger for being such a top bloke.

  9. Jon B
    October 10, 2011 at 6:33 pm [ Permalink

    @Daz October 5, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    If only that byelaw were enforced…

  10. Rational Plan
    October 10, 2011 at 7:28 pm [ Permalink

    While were at it lets have a go at those selfish bastards who think they can block off the spare seat on the evening service out of Waterloo.

    I don’t give a shit if you give me evils for asking to move your coat and what right do you have to use your bloody laptop on 18.30 to Reading.

    Sure you can spread everything you own out about to discourage people sitting next to you, but as that carriage fills up recognise you have lost and accept it gracefully Don’t start humphing out the side of your mouth or once actually pick up the shoulder strap of my bag and flick it over some invisible line, I spent the rest of that trip in silent fury.

  11. October 10, 2011 at 7:31 pm [ Permalink

    Here was my post on my occasional evil streak about people “pretending to leave”: http://onthetube.co.uk/index.php?&id=35

  12. Twickenham Toiler
    October 11, 2011 at 12:43 am [ Permalink

    Great stuff, but a few comments from a seasoned campaign veteran (and lighten uo some of you out there):
    1. No mention of ‘The Drain’. These rules don’t apply there. Think Tokyo transit, all-out war. Chose your spot on the platform, exactly 1 ft (300mm in metric) either side of the position where the doors will open, never the middle. Nobody gets out at Waterloo in the morning, since the train arrives empty, but the evening at Bank is a different matter. The door positions are reasonably accurately set out on the platform, unlike other Underground/Tube stations. However, for years there has been a semi-official graffito at Waterloo on the opposite wall to my favourite spot which says “PAC loop”, whatever that means. Find a similar private indicator. When the train arrives, double your notional body width by spreading your elbows out, briefcase splayed, coat over arm, golfing umbrella prominent (if you have a free corporate one, useless for anything else) – any impediment is legitimate. Don’t hesitate, have your newspaper or book ready, make for the nearest seat and immediately sit down and read it.
    The Golden Rule is – DON’T MAKE EYE CONTACT. Only one stop anyway, so no point getting up.
    One stop unless, of course, you are a rare tourist who has ill-advisedly ventured down to the depths – I’ve seen a few lost souls get to Bank, realise they were on the wrong line, and have to go back to Waterloo. Easy to spot, but don’t spoil our mutual pleasure by informing them they are not on the Central (or “red”) Line, especially if they are travelling Canadians, since it enlivens a dull morning.
    2. Overground – I disagree with your tactic on carriage ends. There are two useful methods. Similar rules apply.
    Method A: Again, stand where you know the doors will open, but also pick a spot at the rear of the fifth carriage, so if the train is magically shortened from 8 to 4 carriages without any announcement you are not forced to scurry back to the first available door with half the remaining passengers (sorry, “customers”). You will get on, they will not.
    Don’t live in St Margarets, Wandsworth or similar minor interludes, since only one train stops every 4 days at your station and you all try to get on at the same time every morning and off again in the evening. Better to head the opposite way to the next major interchange and catch the train back from there (this “Bishops’s Move” also holds true on the Northern Line for the “Bank vs. Charing X Branch” gambit as well).
    Head for a carriage end but with dividing doors to the adjoining carriage, and insist on passing on through, apologising to those who are moving up towards the doors to get off in the next couple of stops (a variant of the “revolving door/rotation” technique).
    DON’T at any cost shout “Move down inside” since they just might, and that would defeat your purpose.
    Lurk at the back near the communicating doors and pounce when ready (use “aggressive hovering”), as soon as Occupants start move forwards to get off. The other rules about Occupants now come into force, but you will have no other Civilians or Aspirants in play.
    Method B: Alternatively, enter the carriage behind your intended location and come through the dividing doors to occupy the same position. But be warned, this is a “Knight’s Move” and requires speed and flexibility, and no baggage. It does not work if a seasoned player has adopted Method A. They will prevent you from getting into the carriage proper and you will spend the rest of an uncomfortably noisy and draughty journey in the gap between the carriages standing on the moving plates. This is especially interesting to watch on the approach into Waterloo.
    And, yes – “Know your Enemy” (Clausewitz). Hover near regular travellers who get off at the station after yours. Eventually they may smile and offer you their seat when about to leave, which outflanks other Aspirants. Possession is nine tenths of the Law.

  13. gusset25
    October 11, 2011 at 3:40 am [ Permalink

    do these tactics also work on the underground? or is there a separate guide?

  14. beckybadluck
    October 11, 2011 at 6:55 am [ Permalink

    I run the gauntlet of up to three trams across Zurich.

    There are single seats on many of the older trams and these are the real prize! People who already have seats regularly make a kind of sliding dash for the single seat when you (who have been standing)think it’s in the bag!

  15. Paul
    October 11, 2011 at 10:49 am [ Permalink

    My own rule is to never sit down on the tube when wearing a suit as the smell from the seat cushions seems to transfer and of course ruins the crease.

    When in casual clothes at the weekend it’s usually tourists and casual commuters who don’t really offer competition for a seat.

  16. Caroline
    October 11, 2011 at 2:03 pm [ Permalink

    Hi,
    I read about your article on the newspaper. I think your viewpoint is very interesting and very useful!
    Can I translate this article into Chinese, so my friend in Taiwan can understand?

  17. Pato
    October 11, 2011 at 3:37 pm [ Permalink

    Love this. A few other points…

    if travelling into town, do not even consider the Banker, they are going all the way!!!

    If it is very busy I just go all in and corner the individual wearing jeans, or most looks like a builder. They rarely travel far on my journey on the District line.

    Always utilise your peripheral vision to keep up the deception of disinterest!

  18. October 11, 2011 at 5:38 pm [ Permalink

    Great guide, when I was working in London I did something very similar. If you travel regularly you can actually learn who will leave when. The trick is to get on at the same time, take the same route and get on using the same doors every day. After a while you will know some people or at least type of people and when they get off.

  19. tmavric
    October 11, 2011 at 5:59 pm [ Permalink

    Try this…
    If looking for a seat,say,southbound at Finchley Road.Departing passingers head off the train to your right(where the exits are).So,stand to the far left of the door you want to enter;(last carriage far end of platform)let them off,and bam!You get a seat.Works for me:)

  20. Betty Power
    October 11, 2011 at 9:54 pm [ Permalink

    Any suggestions re: optimum strategy for classical musicians travelling with cellos? Also, will you be addressing London bus travel next?

  21. Francis Ocloo
    October 12, 2011 at 7:55 am [ Permalink

    Made interesting reading. I laughed over and over again

  22. Francis Ocloo
    October 12, 2011 at 8:11 am [ Permalink

    it made reading interesting

  23. Katie
    October 12, 2011 at 12:56 pm [ Permalink

    Just out of curiosity, how many self-defined ‘gentlemen’ would still give up their seat for a female if it seemed fairly obvious to them that she was transgendered? My experience as a transwoman is that there are not many males who believe in traditional gender roles who would do that. Hardly ‘gentle’ on their part, don’t ya think?

  24. Angel Mireles
    October 12, 2011 at 2:14 pm [ Permalink

    AWESOME: This is a excellent set of strategies!!! Very necessary for living in my dear city! Thanks a lot from Mexico City.

  25. October 12, 2011 at 2:31 pm [ Permalink

    Love it. Getting a seat is, as John Barnes memorably quoth, learning how to ‘hold and give, but do it at the right time’. I never make a ‘never sat on a chair before’ mad dash – how undignified! – and if I lose out on a seat, I never show my disappointment, unless it’s clearly been teefed from my grasp by someone far more devious than me. They can burn in hell.

    I’m also one of those arseholes who likes to toy with people’s emotions by putting my book or magazine away.

    Where possible, I stand in the middle of the carriage facing both rows of seats. If I’m facing a row, I make sure to angle myself in such a way that the person getting off has enough room, but we’re both blocking the other competitor for their seat, and I can slide in neatly. I look around a bit and check the carriage window reflections, casually smoothing my hair or checking my makeup. Except I’m not; I’m priming myself for the kill.

  26. PJ
    October 12, 2011 at 2:42 pm [ Permalink

    Fart in sum1’s face that shuld do it

  27. Savvyshopper
    October 12, 2011 at 5:05 pm [ Permalink

    Let’s consider the following:
    People who take up more than one seat (not because they’re large but because they think they’ve paid more for their ticket than you – they haven’t!)
    People who want YOU to share their newspaper/magazine by opening it in YOUR FACE! Then proceed to brush your light coloured jacket/coat with newsprint!
    People who have a real problem with their elbows…A guy sat next to me recently who couldn’t stop twitching his elbows – I had to stop reading as I was preparing myself for the next twitch and thought he might knock my Kindle (yes I read one of those) out of my hands.
    People who sit on the outside of a two-seater and then have to move/rearrange everything while you (but it’s not you it’s them!) are holding up everyone getting on the train! And they tut when asked to move – what’s that all about?
    I love commuting really!

  28. philip ross
    October 13, 2011 at 12:40 pm [ Permalink

    now there is a different strategy for an empty or half empty train. Do you sit down in the empty block of four? Not if it is going to fill up, you could be squashed in by three fat blokes, best bet is to find a part occupied block. Ideally with a small person next to you and opposite you. Of course there is the technique for encouraging and discouraging people from sitting next to you. On a train that is always full it becomes an art.

  29. Tom Bridges
    October 13, 2011 at 2:24 pm [ Permalink

    Good article, and agree with every word except the initial positioning. Yes, do aim for the long corridor of seats between door and divide, but stand three quarters of the way along towards the divide. This will give control of the most likely departure route (doorwards) alowing you to follow the traffic into a seat.

  30. Tony
    October 13, 2011 at 2:36 pm [ Permalink

    Super, how does it work with the new Met train. Silverlink sounds scary

  31. October 17, 2011 at 1:29 pm [ Permalink

    I disagree about avoiding the train-door-end of the carriage. If you position yourself right you can have first-in access to as many as four seats, and have competing aspirants on only one side of you. I find this tactic works best. For me, at least.

  32. EF
    October 19, 2011 at 1:06 am [ Permalink

    An excellent guide for those using the overground, although I feel some of these moves may be of a beginner level.

    For the more advanced Aspirant, try stuffing any excess clothing i.e. jumper/large scarf (especially during the winter months) up your blouse or work clothing giving the impression you are indeed pregnant which although morally questionable will secure your seat on most journeys (in addition to many smiles and the occasional chatter). However for the more adventurous man, walk with a stick, no matter your age, enter onto the carriage with a slight limp, this will again secure your comfort throughout your journey however (similar to the aspirational female) may lead to some questioning.

    Happy travelling – see you on the rails my worthy opponents.

  33. EF
    October 19, 2011 at 1:11 am [ Permalink

    I commented before reading your Geneva Convention – I of course am liable to stand trial for my suggestions (or War Crimes), I do apologise.

    See you at the Hague.

  34. Nick
    October 25, 2011 at 3:56 am [ Permalink

    Hey you might wanna drop them a note since it seems lifted from this article without credits

    http://sg.yahoo.matchmove.com/news/article/secret-tactics-to-help-you-get-a-mrt-seat

  35. October 25, 2011 at 4:10 am [ Permalink

    Hmmh… Yahoo seems to have plagiarised your article and pictures for our local public train service (the MRT) over at http://sg.yahoo.matchmove.com/news/article/secret-tactics-to-help-you-get-a-mrt-seat

  36. October 25, 2011 at 5:06 pm [ Permalink

    Just one to alert you about this article, it’s a literally copy-paste of your article. Even with the small attribution at the bottom, I feel it is rather unfair that entire articles be copied, minor references of the Overground changed to the MRT, and a small tiny link at the bottom placed.

  37. October 25, 2011 at 5:08 pm [ Permalink

    Sorry, for my previous comment, I am referring to this:
    http://sg.yahoo.matchmove.com/news/article/secret-tactics-to-help-you-get-a-mrt-se

  38. November 21, 2011 at 3:35 pm [ Permalink

    I regularly travel to London and use the tube / overground as transport to shoots. How will your strategy work whilst carrying a bag or two of camera equipment – or any other you may have..

    But a brilliant article nonetheless, and certainly made me smile…..

  39. November 21, 2012 at 12:35 pm [ Permalink

    Agree with other comments, it’s all about “the boarding”. If you don’t get off to a good start then it’ll be all up hill from there.

    The post ignores the “spheres of control” that exist on most underground (and other) trains caused by the narrow isle and the fact that aspirants are forced to stand in single file. On the overground train you describe aspirants are free to move around each other so it is impossible to control more than a couple of seats in a crowded carriage. In a narrow isle train you can control a greater number of seats by positioning yourself strategically on the isle.

    Strategies include:

    1. On an un-full train enter the narrow passage between seats and stop at the beginning of the passage thus blocking other aspirants from taking up strategically strong positions in front of occupants who are potentially leaving. By doing this you can control a whole row of seats if no other aspirants are competing from the other end. Strengthen your blocking position giving yourself a reason to “not notice” other aspirants eg by reading. They will know what you are doing and you will know they know what you are doing but the unwritten rules of the tube are that people are not allowed to talk to each other and this may prevent them from asking you to move. If someone does ask if they can move past you feign surprise and move towards the centre of the carriage in front of them (see point 3.)

    2. When forced to move up a narrow carriage only move as far as you have to to make room for the pushy aspirants behind you. This way you retain control of all seats in front of you that don’t have aspirants guarding them.

    3. In a full narrow carriage move to the centre of the carriage and stop between the middle 4 seats. This should give you control over 4 seats as leaving occupants will often “sweep” competing aspirants towards the door and away from the seat they are vacating. Being behind a leaving occupant is strategically very strong. If you can’t control the middle sport the seats you should pay most attention to are the ones between you and the closest door. These are the seats that are most likely to be swept clear as occupants move towards the exit.

    A tip for new players is if you spot a seat that is empty and seemingly surrounded by aspirants then check the seat very carefully before sitting in it as it could have something spilled in it or the neighbour could be someone that you wouldn’t want to sit next to eg homeless.

    And finally always give up your seat to the old, distressed, less able and the pregnant. We are commuters playing a game not animals.

  40. Andy Davis
    November 28, 2012 at 3:45 pm [ Permalink

    LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    WHO ARE YOU MAN?!?! THE TRAIN SEAT SENSEI?!?!

    I love this! This is defo getting shared!

    Thank you sensei for the training!

  41. […] trying to find a seat on the London Overground at rush hour–so much so that Brendan Nelson compares it to war. Brendan Nelson classifies train commuters into three types and gives thorough advice for this […]

  42. January 31, 2013 at 2:33 pm [ Permalink

    When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify
    me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time
    a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment.

    There has to be a means you can remove me from that service?
    Thanks!

  43. February 1, 2013 at 10:05 am [ Permalink

    What email address are the comment notifications being sent to? Please email it to brelson@brelson.com rather than posting it here, in case you get harvested for spam…

  44. February 7, 2013 at 10:14 am [ Permalink

    “Do you want to sit down on the Overground during rush hour?

    Then prepare for war » brelson.com” was in fact seriously engaging and informative!
    Within todays society honestly, that is really hard to do.
    Thank you, Wilburn

  45. April 22, 2013 at 4:34 am [ Permalink

    Hi! Someone in my Myspace group shared this website with us so
    I came to check it out. I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting
    this to my followers! Excellent blog and superb design and style.

  46. July 11, 2013 at 4:13 pm [ Permalink

    haha, fantastic! I am usually an aspirant or civilian but on the underground rather than the overground. Usually it is too busy to be an occupier, but after using strategic moves as you suggested in your post, I do sometimes become one! :)

  47. michael hopkins
    February 6, 2015 at 4:05 pm [ Permalink

    I never forget. I was sleeping in corner seat on central line. Somebody poked me and wake up. I suddenly wake. a pregnant woman angrily showing me the pictures on the window. seat can be offer to disabled, elderly or pregnant person. I stand up and gave my seat with my sleepy eyes. She didn’t even said thank you. Owner of the tube. I have been travelling 23 years and I always give my seat happily those people who need. I never seen aggressive behavior like this. I am very upset with her action.

  48. March 13, 2020 at 11:51 am [ Permalink

    Thanks to London Hunts on twitter, excellent article on how to sit down during rush hour. I esp. love the illustrations. Very good. I m trying to picture which overground trains these are, the First Great Western trains that I use have little settees across the carriage, not long benches long ways. The diagrams lend themselves well to underground carriages though.

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