A heavily pregnant journalist has filmed commuters refusing to give her a seat on a crowded Auckland bus.
Brigitte Purcell, with the NZ Herald, said she decided to record travellers ignoring her as she stood because the situation has become a ‘daily occurrence’.
Ms Purcell, who is seven months pregnant, penned an article on Wednesday venting her frustrations and calling for a change in attitude among public transport commuters.
Brigitte Purcell (pictured), an Auckland journalist who is seven months pregnant, filmed commuters refusing to give her a seat on a crowded bus on Wednesday
Ms Purcell (pictured) said she decided to record travellers ignoring her as she stood because the situation has become a ‘daily occurrence’
‘This morning, as I sat at the bus stop, I decided to pull out my phone and film the experience – not necessarily to name and shame people who wouldn’t stand, but to bring to light how common the issue is,’ she said.
Ms Purcell can be seen boarding the bus and looking for a seat, but none are free.
She appears to almost fall as the bus accelerates, forcing her to grab onto a nearby railing.
She pans the priority seating section and notices that all five seats are taken by able-bodied people.
‘One woman notices my presence but decides to look the other way while pretending I don’t have a baby bump right under her nose.’
The reporter penned an article on Wednesday venting her frustrations and calling for a change in attitude among public transport commuters
None of the five people sitting in the priority section offered to give up their seat
‘The woman sitting next to her looks up at me from her phone before turning back to it again. Three others don’t even take their eyes off their phones to register I am there,’ she said.
Ms Purcell slams the attitude of commuters as ‘unacceptable’ and explains that even when she asks to sit down, she feels like she is being rude.
What frustrates her the most though isn’t her own discomfort, but the safety of her baby if the bus was to get into an accident, Ms Purcell said.
Ms Purcell slams the attitude of commuters as ‘unacceptable’ and explains that even when she asks to sit down, she feels like she is being rude