"I Asked Her to Move Her Bag, but She Insisted, 'Someone Is Sitting Here'"... Woman Reserves Subway Seats for Acquaintances [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] A so-called practice of "remotely reserving a seat"—using a bag to claim an empty seat on a crowded subway and then allowing companions who board several stops later to sit down—has sparked public outrage online. Criticism is mounting against inconsiderate passengers who treat public transportation as their personal property.
A post titled "Isn't this outrageous?" was recently uploaded to an online community. The author, identified only as A, described an absurd experience they had while riding the subway.
According to A, there was exactly one empty seat left in the car when they boarded the train. However, a bag belonging to the passenger in the adjacent seat had been placed on it. When A politely asked the passenger to move the bag so they could sit down, the passenger refused, saying, "Someone is sitting here," and blocked the seat.
As A stood there in disbelief, hesitating over what to do, another passenger who boarded at the next station approached and casually sat in the empty spot, saying, "That's my seat." The companions had not boarded together at the same station. Instead, the passenger had placed the bag there in advance for someone boarding at another station, physically preventing other passengers from using the seat.
A expressed disbelief, saying, "Does it make any sense to reserve a seat in a public subway for someone boarding at another station and prevent a passenger who is already standing from sitting down?"
After hearing the story, online users unleashed harsh criticism. They vented their anger with comments such as, "Is this a chartered train?" "This isn't a café where you can save a seat—remotely reserving one on the subway is exceptionally inconsiderate," "You should have moved the bag and sat down anyway," and "A complete lack of basic public etiquette."
As a general rule, seats on public transportation, including subways and city buses, are for passengers who board first. Placing belongings on a seat to prevent others from sitting down or reserving seats for companions is widely regarded as a major breach of etiquette that inconveniences other passengers.
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