Respect right of others to enjoy the ride

I refer to the report "I'd take a priority seat - gladly" (The New Paper, May 29).

It is unfortunate that these ugly situations, such as quarrelling for a seat on the train, happen repeatedly in Singapore.

In October 2010, my letter about a similar situation appeared in The New Paper under the headline "Everyone pays for ride and is entitled to a seat".

I am 62 years old and whenever I travel within Singapore or elsewhere, I travel at my own risk.

I do not demand things that do not belong to me nor do I demand things that I am not entitled to.

Whenever I am offered a seat by someone else, I graciously thank that person for his or her kindness and accept the seat if I feel I really need it and I say a little prayer for that very kind person.

In principle, the seats in public transport do not belong to me nor are they mine to claim.

Whether we are young, old or pregnant, we all look forward to enjoying the ride whenever we use public transport.

On many occasions, I have personally offered my seat to someone whom I felt needed it more than I did at that point in time.

I willingly made the sacrifice without troubling anyone else.

We must bear in mind that no one has the right to tell anyone to offer his or her seat to someone else.

Embarrassed

I have experienced many similarly ugly incidents on MRT trains and it really embarrassed me to witness them.

This is what I want to tell my compatriots:

Dear people of Singapore, let us live graciously and be good and kind to others.

Since we are all paying passengers, let us respect and grant the other passenger his or her right to enjoy the ride too.

If you really want to travel in comfort, please take a taxi and be willing to bear the cost for your personal comfort.

Gregory G Gomes