‘I was just trying not to collapse’: European student asks if they were rude after bumping uncle on Singapore bus

SINGAPORE: A post on r/askSingapore from a European student on a year abroad has talked about an experience that’s unfortunately quite commonplace in Singapore.

The original poster told how they had a knee injury and wear a visible knee brace. Boarding a moving bus in a hurry to avoid losing their balance and prevent their kneecap from slipping out, which they described as a genuine concern, they found the priority seats taken and most passengers absorbed in their phones. They moved toward a free seat and accidentally bumped an elderly man who had been dozing in the adjacent seat.

They apologised immediately. He woke up annoyed and said something loudly in Chinese. To de-escalate, they got up and moved to a different empty seat next to another passenger. That passenger then stood up and moved further away to sit next to someone else. Several people stared.

“I didn’t argue back, didn’t make a fuss, and was just trying to not collapse on a bad knee while the bus was moving,” they wrote, asking whether they had committed a serious social faux pas or simply had bad luck.

What Reddit said

Singapore Reddit’s response was swift and exonerating.

“You did nothing wrong. You even apologised. You just ran into a bunch of entitled idiots,” one commenter wrote plainly.

Another offered solidarity through their own experience: “I got told off before by an auntie for giving up my seat to her too slowly. I was legitimately using my phone and didn’t see her when they boarded the bus, only saw her like two or three minutes after, so I offered her my seat and got scolded because they were offended I hadn’t offered it the moment she boarded.”

One netizen was pointed in their response: “Nah, some of our elderly are some of the most miserable and entitled people you’ll ever meet.”

Another tried to be more charitable: “I don’t think you did anything wrong. People might have not noticed the leg brace though.”

One commenter noted the original poster’s luck. Or lack thereof. “Wrong place wrong time. You’re just unfortunate. You encountered some grumpy old man, probably those who loiter around in the day drinking.”