‘Shameless!’: Woman berates commuter for using priority seat

A commuter who had just undergone surgery and was heading home on the MTR shared her unpleasant experience of being humiliated for sitting in the priority seat.

Hongkongers are no strangers to arguments over who gets to occupy the priority seat on public transport, as many who sit on it - or as some refer to it as the “humiliation seat” - have been photographed and tried by the court of social media.

The latest incident that sparked an online debate was shared on Threads, with one female netizen saying she was berated by an elderly woman after she sat on the priority seat on the MTR.

The commuter said she was scolded on her way home on the MTR, the day she was discharged from the hospital after going through a surgery that requires general anesthesia.

The woman who felt entitled to the seat asked the commuter to give it up. “Do you know you are on a priority seat? It’s for the elderly, now stand up!” The woman said, while using her fingers to tap on the netizen's phone.

The netizen told the woman she was feeling unwell, yet her explanation fell on deaf ears, with the woman continuing to chide her by saying she “doesn’t look sick and is comfortably using her phone”.

The netizen also shared the video she took capturing the woman reprimanding her. 

“I don't see you using a walking stick! You are shameless to behave in such a way at your age!” The video heard.

Meanwhile, the netizen shared her thoughts on the city’s HK$2 concessionary fare scheme, saying people who worked day and night should be the ones who deserve the seat, as they have paid the full fare instead of the HK$2 the elderly are paying.

“I am all for the government to cancel the HK$2 scheme, or increase the fare [they are required to pay].” was the netizen’s verdict.