![\"Businesswoman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-1400290408.jpg\")
\n\t\tAre you guilty of T-bagging? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tAre you guilty of T-bagging? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The platform flashes on the screen at Euston station<\/a>, but you\u2019ve no need to join the stampede to get on the train<\/a>: you\u2019ve reserved your seat.<\/p>\n But when you make it to your coach, someone is already sitting in the very spot you should be enjoying. Then, they refuse to move.<\/p>\n This unbecoming behaviour isn\u2019t new, but now Metro has given it a name: \u2018T-bagging\u2019.<\/p>\n Get your mind out the gutter \u2013 it\u2019s an abbreviated term for \u2018ticket baggers\u2019 \u2013 who are rife on cross country trains, and opt to sit in a reserved seat<\/a>, sometimes even despite other seating options being available to them.<\/p>\n And we aren\u2019t the only ones who have a problem with them either.<\/p>\n One train traveller, Lydia Wilson, took to TikTok<\/a> to share her frustration with these inconsiderate passengers, in a video that hit nearly 400,000 views.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBest of Metro Deals\t\t\t<\/p>\n Get exclusive\u00a0discounts\u00a0with\u00a0Metro Deals<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 save on getaways and spa days.\u00a0Powered by Wowcher<\/p>\n Bannatyne Spa: Spa day for two with treatments, lunch & prosecco \u2014\u00a0save up to 57%\u00a0off.<\/p>\n Get deal now<\/a><\/p>\n Mystery Escape: Hotel stay with return flights from as low as \u00a392pp \u2014\u00a0save on worldwide holiday packages.<\/p>\n Get deal now<\/a><\/p>\n Beach Retreat (Lanzarote): 4* Lanzarote beach holiday with flights \u2014\u00a0save up to 58%.<\/p>\n Get deal now<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Just a public service announcement, if you\u2019re sat in MY seat that I reserved on a train, I will ask you to move,\u2019 she says. \u2018Don\u2019t look annoyed because funnily enough, you can also reserve a seat for free, or sit in an available one. I will not apologise if you are rude.\u2019<\/p>\n Lydia adds: \u2018As someone who gets the train regularly across the country, it is literally free (to reserve a seat), so move when I ask politely and don\u2019t huff and puff \u2013 it literally says reserved and you chose to ignore that.\u2019<\/p>\n Samuel Ryan, 30, who travels by train frequently from London<\/a> to Manchester<\/a>, thinks people who sit in someone\u2019s reserved seat and refuse to move are completely \u2018entitled\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018If they care so much about having a seat, maybe they should book it for themselves and stop playing the victim,\u2019 he tells Metro. <\/p>\n \u2018It wouldn\u2019t bother me if seats could or couldn\u2019t be reserved in the first place, but as long as the system to book seats is in place, people should respect that.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tDo you avoid sitting in a reserved seat on a train?<\/p>\n Yes, someone booked it, I’ll sit in an unreserved seat or standCheck<\/p>\n No, reservations don’t matter – people sit anywhere anywayCheck<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tSign up to The Getaway Expert, your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro’s travel editor, Alice Murphy.<\/p>\n \u2018When it\u2019s incredibly busy, I would give my reserved seat up if someone truly needed it \u2013 if they\u2019re elderly, pregnant or disabled<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u2018Other than that, being prepared costs nothing.\u2019<\/p>\n For 37-year-old Emily Pomroy-Smith, who lives with chronic pain and invisible disabilities, seat reservations are vital. <\/p>\n \u2018When I travel from Wiltshire<\/a> to London the services can be incredibly busy, and I don\u2019t just want a seat, I need one,\u2019 the business owner tells Metro.<\/p>\n \u2018It would be incredibly stressful if someone refused to move, especially as I don\u2019t want to have to publicly disclose my medical history in order to get a seat. That would be humiliating.\u2019<\/p>\n In fact, Emily finds this behaviour \u2018disrespectful and in some cases, harmful\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018I genuinely don\u2019t see why someone should pay the same or sometimes considerably more if they\u2019ve bought an advance ticket, just to have to stand,\u2019 she adds. \u2018Your poor planning should not be my problem, but on the other hand people should be able to get a seat if they need one regardless of advance reservations.\u2019<\/p>\n Many others have posted similar videos on TikTok, branding t-bagging their \u2018number one pet peeve\u2019. But not everyone takes issue with this, implying train travel is first come, first serve.<\/p>\n \u2018Not gonna lie I judge real hard if someone asks me to move seats. there are clearly enough seats on the train, just find another one it\u2019s not hard. really don\u2019t get it,\u2019 said @bigforeheadahh1.<\/p>\n \u2018If the seat behind is available what is the problem? I cannot believe people are that petty re a specific seat on a train, unless you need a table to work. Should stop all this specific seat nonsense,\u2019 @sabci wrote.<\/p>\n \u2018Unless you get police here to move me, I\u2019m not moving,\u2019 said another. One TikToker even suggested seating should follow the \u2018same rules as a bus\u2019 \u2013 essentially making it a free-for-all, even for long journeys.<\/p>\n How can train travellers deal with \u2018T-baggers\u2019?<\/p>\n When it comes to how you should be handling the situation, multiple train providers suggested seeking out a member of staff who can ask that individual to move.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Great Western Rail<\/a> told Metro: \u2018We recommend any customer who encounters the situation described to contact a member of staff who would then be able to speak to the other customer and ask them to move.\u2019<\/p>\n But, they added they can\u2019t forcibly remove a passenger, as this is something only the police can do. So, there could be a situation where you are sadly made to stand.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re travelling with LNER, you could be entitled to compensation if someone takes your reserved seat. Under its Seat Guarantee Scheme, you can claim money back if a member of staff can\u2019t find you an alternative place to sit.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a one-way ticket, you\u2019ll get a 100% refund, while a return ticket means you\u2019ll get a 50% refund for that half of the journey. Those travelling first class will also get compensation if the alternative seat they\u2019re given is in standard class \u2013 you\u2019ll be refunded the difference between the fare you paid and the standard pricing.<\/p>\n Of course, certain trains, like Greater Anglia, don\u2019t have reserved seating at all, and haven\u2019t for years, which renders the debate null and void on its trains.<\/p>\n Some passengers have chosen to take matters into their own hands, though, with some pretty bold solutions when someone pinches their chair.<\/p>\n \u2018I just go and sit in the 1st class carriage when this happens,\u2019 wrote @stripycurtain. \u2018If they won\u2019t move the person in my seat, they ain\u2019t moving me.\u2019<\/p>\n One mother who fell victim to this had a brilliant response. \u2018Booked a table seat for me and my kids when they were younger, specifically so we were near the toilet. We got on the train and there were people sat there so I sat my kids on their table,\u2019 TikToker Maria John explained. \u2018Never seen people move so fast.\u2019<\/p>\n Another said: \u2018I\u2019ve had this before and put my bag on their table\/on top of theirs and stand as close to them as physically possible and they get so uncomfortable they just give me my seat.\u2019<\/p>\n This article was originally published in September 2025.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow
\nMORE: The \u2018dead zone\u2019 seaside town where tourists can truly switch off \u2014 but locals are fed up<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Dubai influencer \u2018thought strikes were a one-off\u2019 before barrage of emergency alerts on phone<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: What really happens when someone dies on a cruise ship<\/a><\/p>\n