Frail woman standing on Sydney train sparks fierce debate

A photograph capturing young people on train seemingly ignoring an elderly woman, who is forced to clutch a handrail for stability, has caused significant outrage and again brought into question the etiquette of riding on public transport.

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A photograph capturing young people ignoring an elderly woman, who is forced to clutch a handrail, on what appears to be a Sydney train has caused significant outrage.

The picture, widely shared on Facebook and Twitter, shows at least four people failing to stand for the woman who has a firm grip on centre rail so she doesn’t fall over when the train comes to a stop.

It is unclear when the image was taken or what route the train was on.

This new example comes just months after a Daily Telegraph investigation revealed how some of Sydney’s bus drivers were refusing to continue on their route until people made room for the elderly.

This picture has surfaced on Facebook showing an elderly woman struggling to stand while several young people remain seated, believed to have been taken on a Sydney train. Picture: Facebook

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However someone purporting to be a parent of one of the young passengers rang Channel 7’s Sunrise this morning to say the elderly woman had actually just left her seat because she was getting off at the next stop.

State Transit chief executive Steffan Faurby said at the time selfish behaviour was becoming increasingly common across the city on trains and buses.

“I’ve seen it myself,” Mr Faurby previously said.

“It appears to be an increasing issue of people not getting up and giving their seats to those who need them, like seniors, people with mobility issues, parents pushing prams and holding children and pregnant women.

“The fact most people are on their mobile phone probably doesn’t help.

“It’s a distraction but may be something to hide behind so they don’t notice if someone else needs the seat more than them.”

A Sydney Trains spokeswoman called on all public transport users to respect vulnerable passengers.

“Sydney Trains encourages all of its passengers to observe appropriate transport etiquette including respecting elderly, disabled or pregnant customers by offering up their seats,” she said.