I refer to the letter 'Politeness a luxury commuters cannot afford' (South China Morning Post, May 4) and the subsequent vitriolic attacks on it.
The letter highlights a problem peculiar to Hong Kong. What is the cause of the 'uncivilised' behaviour that occurs on any KCR and MTR journey? The simple answer is that the majority of commuters have to stand.
Hong Kong parents teach their pre-school children to rush at the entrances of MTR and KCR trains before passengers can alight and to 'reserve' seats for the family. I cannot see how many announcements and how much education can alter this behaviour.
The MTRC and the KCRC may as well remove the few seats from the carriages and, in their place, introduce one or two supervised seating-only carriages.
Priority on their use would be given to senior citizens and the disabled, with normal paying passengers paying an excess fare for usage.
If we want politeness and tolerance to extend to the arena of public transport, the authorities must provide the facilities necessary for a pleasant and comfortable journey.
