Who Deserves Your Seat and Why?

Who Deserves Your Seat and Why?

Life is interesting, and full of problems. But we do need a solution. And believe me, there is a solution to all problems on earth. Yes, even there is solution to broken relationships! Someone asked this question on Quora. And I have read over hundred answers, but none satisfactorily answered the “Why”.

Now if you were willing to ask me, I would explain to you the situation of the metro trains, and then you will understand who is the Eligible Candidate.

Candidate A: She is a young woman, with a baby. It is quite a difficult task to hold a baby, while travelling. And she also has a bag on her back to add to the weight she is carrying. So, some people would thing she is the right candidate to whom you should offer your seat.

Candidate B: She is an old woman, and she has a walking stick. It shows can barely stand. Old people have contributed to the society, and now it is your turn to show respect to them. Anyone would feel pity for the old lady, and would therefore argue that she deserves the seat.

Candidate C: He is a young man, but physically challenged. It would be difficult for him to stand while travelling. He is holding the crutch for support, and he is more likely to fall when there is sudden acceleration or deceleration, like when suddenly the driver applies the brakes. So it is evident, some would offer him the seat.

Candidate D: He looks like a harassed weary man, from an office duty. The fact he is wearing a tie makes it look like he is into some white collar job. But the holes in his dress and his haggard look, makes it evident how much ill-paid and over-worked he is! At the end of the day, tiredness and fatigue doesn’t see gender, and so some said, he deserves the seat. [Many have commented of him being a Zombie. But zombies do not exist in the real world, if you have common sense and are out of your sci-fi Hollywood fantasies].

Looking into the facts, it is seen that each of them are equally justified to get your seat. Now to answer the question, who should I offer the seat? I will ask, why should I offer the seat? What if I am an ill myself? What if I am tired to the core? What if I am needier than them? In these case, I ought to ignore each of them.

But as I am a young man, and can afford to continue my journey standing, I will give my seat to one of them. And whom, depends on the situation. For that you will have to understand the seating arrangement in the metro train and

The Great Indian Metro Train Reservation System.

There are 6 or 8 coaches in a Metro train in Delhi. Each coach has 50 seats, with 25 seats on each side. The arrangement is as such, shown in the figure 1 below.

Fig 1: Seating arrangement in Delhi Metro Train Coach

1.        1. The seat number 1, 2, 24 and 25 for the top and bottom rows are reserved for the “Senior Citizens & Differently Abled”. This is how the seats look like in real metro train.

Image 1: For seat arrangement plan 1, 2, 24, 25.

2.       2. The seats 3 and 4 of the top row and 15 and 16 of the bottom row are reserved for “Old or Physically challenged”.  Mind it, there is an “or”.

Image 2: Seat arrangement plan 3, 4 (top row) 15, 16 (bottom row)

 3. The seats 8 and 9 of bottom row, and 10 and 11 of top row are reserved for “Ladies”.

Image 3: Seat arrangement plan 8, 9 (bottom row), 10, 11 (top row).

4. And in seats 22 and 23 of either the top or bottom row, you may find a partial reservation, like this: Please offer this seat to someone who needs it more than you do. So we can count half seat for each of the two seats as reserved. There is picture of an old person with walking stick and a woman with child. So, they are better candidates for the reserved seats.

Image 4: Seat arrangement plan 22, 23

So, let’s add up all the reserved seats, and see what percentage of seats are reserved.

1.       For Senior Citizens and Differently Abled: 4 x 2 = 8

2.       For Old or Physically Handicapped: 2 + 2 = 4

3.       For ladies: 2 + 2 = 4

4.       For the needy: ½ + ½ = 1

Total = 8 + 4 + 4 + 1 = 17.

So, 17 out of 50 seats are reserved. That is 34% seats are reserved.

Now some might have an issue that only 4 seats out of 50, that is 8% are reserved for ladies in each coach. There are about 50% women in the population, and the so called pseudo-feminists do not want equality here but reservations.

So, to add a little bit of more reservation to the already heavily reserved system, either the first or the last coach in the metro train is reserved entirely for ladies and men entering the compartment is a punishable offence with a fine of Rs. 200 (maybe they have increased).

Image 5: Ladies compartment, 1^st coach in Yellow Line, New Delhi Metro

So, if the number of coaches in the train is 6, then 1 is reserved for the ladies. That amounts to 16.67% reservation, and another 8% in the remainder of the coaches, making it 24.67% reservation. I think that would satisfy the feminists.

If the number of coaches are 8, then with one coach reserved for ladies, the reservation for the ladies would amount to 12.5%. The overall reservation for the ladies would be 12.5% + 8% = 20.5%

So, the overall reservation in a 6 coach metro train will be, 34% + 16.67% = 50.67%. Now, I can assure you of one fact that the Supreme Court of India has made it illegal in any system to make reservation more than 50%. Here they have exceeded the limit by 0.67%.

However, they will be safe in an 8 coach metro train, as the reservation is 34% + 12.5% = 46.5%, which is within the limits set by our Honourable Supreme Court! And only God can help if there are four coaches and one is reserved for ladies!

Of the passengers who travel by metro, around 1 – 2% are physically handicapped. Around 10 – 15% are old people or senior citizens and around 30% are women. So, if the seating arrangement be considered properly, then all the reserved seats will get filled with the respective candidates with some to spare, if there is no crowding. But we cater a huge population, and our metro train has thrice the number of people travelling than the number of seats available, something like in the image below.

Image 6: Crowded metro train coach in Yellow Line, New Delhi Metro

Now, the crowd is increased mostly by office working people who are in the age range of 20 – 50 years. So, keeping the number of reserved seats and people constant, we can come up with a perfect solution to the above problem in a scenario like the New Delhi Metro.

If I were a sane man, I wouldn’t sit in one of the reserved seats with all these reserved population waiting. So, the rightful candidate would get the seat they are reserved for.

Candidate A: This woman with the child can find her reserved ladies seat, or can go the ladies compartment, with a total of (8% + 16.67%/12.5% + 1%) 25.67%/21.5% reservation. She would easily get a seat.

Candidate B: She is an old woman and therefore will be considered in all the places of reservation, which gives her the maximum reservation of 50.67%/46.5%. She will there get a reserved seat most easily.

Candidate C: He is a physically handicapped young man, and can avail his reservation in a total of (12 + 1) 13 seats out of 50, which is 26%. And as the physically handicapped person travelling in the metro is around 1-2%, so he too will easily get a reserved seat.

Candidate D: This guy, is someone like you and me, who has slogged in his office the entire day. And unfortunately there is no reservation for him. People wouldn’t notice fatigue and tiredness unless you express it out. And by the end of the day, every working person is equally tired.

So, be a Good Samaritan and give your seat to the one who rightfully deserves your seat!