Heavily pregnant woman denied DART seat by man who said ‘he was there first’

“Is chivalry dead?”

It’s a question that’s again being asked because a heavily pregnant woman has spoken about her experience of multiple people refusing to give up their seats for her on the DART and bus throughout her pregnancy. The woman who is seven months pregnant and relies on public transport daily to get to and from work says she’s had multiple bad experiences with members of the public, recalling one interaction in particular. “Every single day I use public transport to get to work. And every single day, the same,” she told Independent.ie. “No reaction from people to give me their seat.” In her final trimester, the woman said she encountered a man who told her “he was there first” when she asked if she could sit down. “Nearly every day, it’s the same situation. I have to directly ask them to give me the seat that is a priority seat for pregnant women, senior citizens, or disabled people. “Just a few weeks ago, on the morning DART, I asked a young man, probably in his early 20s, who was sitting in a priority seat to give me a place because I was pregnant. “He just looked at me and answered that he was there first.” However, the expectant-mum said it was just as much the reaction of others than just the man himself that left her disappointed. The woman said that she was left surprised that others nearby on the DART didn’t react to his comment. Reiterating the same point that many expectant mothers make, this mum-to-be used the platform to explain why she and many others require seats. “People have to understand that it’s not because pregnant women just want to be comfortable. "We need a seat to protect our babies in case the driver has to suddenly break or the bus is involved in an accident.”