No seats on Taiwanese trains even with seat no?

I read this from the virtualtourist.com by agc dtd 17 Apr 2007 :

鈥irtualtourist.com/m/鈥?/a>

Train passegers take note. Although there is a ';Seat no.'; printed, it is usually treated like an ink smudge because the locals don%26#39;t give a damn about seat numbers.

I bought a train ticket to Hualien from Keelung station. Looking at the seat number, I thought to myself I can finally sit down and relax, but when I boarded the train, all the seats have been taken!!! I asked a local(who is also standing) about this and he told me that this is very normal.

So the next time you see a seat that you fancy, rush in and take it, it%26#39;s yours!

f.y.i this tip applies to Taiwanese buses as well.

Taiwan Destination Experts, pls comment - is this true?

No seats on Taiwanese trains even with seat no?

Ignore that post, sounds like the Mr Cheong, for some reason, has an axe to grind. One can buy two types of tix, 1.seats allocated 2. dicounted %26#39;free seats%26#39; tix, meaning no seat number allocated. People with free seats type of tix are allowed to take up a seat as long as it is not allocated to another, once somebody shows up with a tix with the seat number, that person has to give up the seat.So, of course it is quite normal that the seat your are allocated is taken up by somebody who%26#39;ve boarded before you, just show that person your tix n they would let you have your seat.

BTW, nobody allocate seats for buses, imagine getting a seat number on a SBS bus! That fella is just venting for no rhyme reason.

No seats on Taiwanese trains even with seat no?

This is how to do the decades-old train-seat dance: People with standing or non-reserved seating tickets will move around the seats on the train, occupying whatever seat is empty, and promptly move when the seat ';owner'; boards (somewhere along the route). All it takes is for the ';owner'; to show up and give a friendly nod, polite smile or puzzled look, and the other passenger will move to another seat without a word. I%26#39;ve never heard of anyone refusing to give up a seat that has been purchased by another. (I don%26#39;t see how they%26#39;d get away it, as every train has a conductor on board, walking up and down the aisle.)

We%26#39;ve even taught other forum members how to do this, in case they%26#39;re unable to buy reserved seating.

That said, I can understand how a visitor would be bewildered (and I have seen their looks of anxiety upon arriving at their seats to find them occupied!) and cannot expect a visitor to know all this (without checking first on TA, of course! ^_^).

It is normal practice for people with standing room only tickets to occupy any unoccupied seats, but they will vacate the seat as soon as you show them your ticket and tell them that the seat belongs to you. To say that Taiwanese treat seat assignments as ';ink smudge'; is grossly inappropriate.

Welcome to Taiwan, Joyful08!

While the article was an exaggeration, this is the ';passenger dance'; U%26#39;ll experience in travelling Taiwan train - the allocated seat type.

I (%26amp; my travelling group) was among those commuters bewildered. Sigh. :-)

In Nov 08, we boarded our train. I had 4 assigned-seats tixs in my hand. 2 pairs of local youngsters were occupying our seats.

After 15 secs of looking sotongy* n tourist blabbering while crowding around our seats, the 1st couple pair was first to surrender the seats.. I let my teen boys take them.

The other pair of 2 gals acted non-chalant though they were obviously aware of our situation.

I continued my approach (firm but friendly still), the gals relentedly caught my gaze (firm but friendly still) - n stood up (shyly I should think). They moved out n hurried to some empty seats in front..

1 of the gals whispered a ';bao qian'; (apology) as she whisked pass me. ';No worries'; I assured.

Lo n behold our seats - warmed n ready!

* Sotong: blur/ bewildered

* Sotongy: in state of being blur n bewilderment

TA :-)

TaipeiDreams.com

%26gt; After 15 secs of looking sotongy* n tourist

%26gt; blabbering while crowding around our seats,

%26gt; the 1st couple pair was first to surrender the seats..

My group %26amp; I were the ones ';looking sotongy* n tourist

blabbering while crowding around our seats';.

TA :-)

TA,

Allow me to add to your wonderful translation: Sotong (malayu) means cuttlfish and accoding to dictionary.com, it should look like this---http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cuttlefish.

In Singaporean context (slang), the Octopus with its bulging eyes translates to a bewildered look.

Maria, since U brought up this topic, here%26#39;s the official word - for the benefit of our dear frens in Taiwan (%26amp; other non-Singaporean):

..................

Sotong (adj)

Derived from the Malay language meaning does not know what is going on. Similar meaning to %26#39;blur%26#39;. (Sotong is the Malay word for octopus which squirts ink and clouds everything.)

Example: This has been going on for months, didn%26#39;t you know? Sotong!

..................

visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home鈥?/a>

TA :-)

Here%26#39;s a true-life joke for U all:

In our Nov 08 trip, a lady stall-owner in Shifen railway stop was telling me how bewlidered n frustrated she was when she was told by a customer that the squid (Hua zi) she%26#39;s selling was ';sotong';! ;-P

She spoke of the various translations of ';squid'; as given by her tourist-customers, but was particularly displeased with the term ';sotong'; - yep, despite my best efforts to explain to her that ';sotong'; is but a Malay term.

Somehow she was flabbergasted at the word ';sotong';, as she related her story over our tea meal in her eatery.

TA :-)

blackheads