MBTA Rider Finds Seat

MBTA Rider Finds Seat
June 7, 2007

BOSTON, MA—Philip Stevenson, a 31-year old IT professional from Cambridge found an empty seat on an inbound Red Line train Thursday.

"It's amazing," Stevenson said. "I catch the train near the city so the car is always packed. There's never any empty seats, and when there is it's usually got spilled coffee or something on it."

Added Stevenson, "When I got on today it seemed like the same old thing. Packed train, no seats. But today was different. Today was just…special."

What happened next was an experience Philip will never forgot.

When Stevenson entered the "T" (as its known by local residents), he immediately spotted a vacant seat. "It was like the perfect storm. Someone must have just gotten up and there were no babies or old ladies around. So I took advantage."

But it was the location of the seat that made this such a memorable experience.

Stevenson continued, "The best part was that the seat was right next to the door. So I only had to sit next to one person and on the other side I could rest my arm on the pole. And when I got to my stop I could be the first one off the train."

"I saw the whole thing develop," says Catherine Mayweather, a fellow Red Line commuter who happened to be standing down the aisle at the time. "The guy who was sitting there got off at Kendall. I was going to make a move for the empty seat but right then this other guy gets on the train and beats me to it. It was OK, I was getting off at the next stop anyway."

But Philip isn't shedding any tears for those who missed out on the opportunity. "God knows I've lost out on my share of empty seats. It's part of riding the T. It's usually a pain, but a day like today makes it all worth it."

Will this experience change him?

"Nah," Stevenson shakes his head. "I'm going to be the same T rider I've always been. I mean, maybe I'll tell someone at work the story, but you can't ride the T and expect a seat every day. You'll just end up being disappointed."

But for today at least, disappointment is the farthest thing from Philip Stevenson's mind.