Priority seat

 ( Rapid Transit ) 

After the setup of priority seats in MTR, bus companies started to follow. Priority seats were introduced to the Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) in May 2011, and then followed by Citybus and New World First Bus (NWFB) in June 2012. In accordance with the press releases, the KMB first introduced priority seats to 87 of their buses. In each bus, several priority seats were located at the front of the lower deck. The headrests of such seats are in green with words of "PRIORITY SEAT" and symbols of elderly, disabled, pregnant women, and people with infants or young children to help passengers identify them. Advertisements were also broadcast in order to raise the awareness of passengers to offer seats. Receiving positive and supportive feedback after the 6-month trial, in the year 2012, the KMB decided to have priority seats set up in all of its buses and the headrests of such seats were changed into dark purple.

According to press releases from the government, for the minibus, priority seat is provided at the first single seat near the door. And for the tram, there are a few priority seats offered near the driver in the lower deck. Also, there is priority seating offered by the Cathay Pacific airline, for passengers with disabilities. But since other transportations such as taxi and ferry which usually do not allow standing, there are no specifically designated priority seats.

In the case of the Sapporo Municipal Subway, the seats corresponding to priority seats are labeled as , emphasizing that they are exclusively for vulnerable passengers rather than merely prioritized for them.

In Japan, the first full-scale initiative began on September 15, 1973 (which was then observed as Respect for the Aged Day), when Japanese National Railways (JNR) introduced the concept of shirubā shīto. These were first implemented on the Chūō Line (Rapid) and then gradually extended to the urban lines in Tokyo and Osaka. On the same day, Izuhakone Railway also adopted the "Silver Seat" designation on both its Sunzu and Daiyūzan Lines, using similar symbol designs.

The name "Silver Seat" is said to have originated when JNR first introduced the concept, targeting elderly passengers and distinguishing these seats from regular ones. An employee at JNR headquarters proposed changing the seat upholstery color to set them apart. As a result, they used surplus silver-gray moquette fabric—originally intended for standard-class seats on the 0 Series Shinkansen—which happened to be in stock at the Hamamatsu Works, to upholster the newly designated seats.

At that time, the term "Silver Seat" became widely recognized, and the word shirubā itself, as a Wasei-eigo term referring to the elderly, also entered common usage.For example, shirubā hōmu is another name for a nursing home. The shirubā jinzai sentā is a public-interest organization where elderly people carry out temporary, short-term, or simple jobs under a contract or commission-based system. shirubā wīku refers to a series of holidays around Respect for the Aged Day in September.

Following this, other operators, including major private railway companies, began adopting similar practices. While private railways did not always follow the same seat fabric colors as JNR, many used the same pictograms (symbols) and adopted varied names such as "Silver Seat" or "Priority Seats (for the elderly and physically impaired)".

Initially, these seats were placed at the ends of the first and last cars, on the side opposite the driver's cab. Eventually, however, the practice shifted to designating one end of every car as a priority seating area, expanding the coverage.

From the late 1990s, as the target group for priority seating expanded to include not only the elderly and disabled, but also injured passengers, pregnant women, and those with infants or toddlers, many railway and bus operators began shifting from the elderly-focused term "Silver Seat" to more inclusive labels such as yūsen-seki. In addition, especially among major operators in the Tokyo metropolitan area, some introduced design features like orange-colored hand straps near priority seats—pioneered by Odakyu Electric Railway—or different-colored flooring and handrails to help visually distinguish these areas.

On April 1, 1999, Hankyu Corporation, Kobe Electric Railway, and Nose Electric Railway, all part of the then Hankyu Toho Group (now Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group), abolished the designation of "Priority Seats" and declared all seats as Priority Seats. This initiative aimed to promote moral awareness among passengers and was based on the belief that forcing those in need to specific designated areas was undesirable. Instead, it encouraged a more benevolent mindset, allowing those in need to use the nearest available seat regardless of location.

However, over time, complaints began to emerge from people claiming that others were no longer offering their seats. This prompted Hankyu Corporation to reconsider its all-priority-seating policy at its 2007 shareholders' meeting. As a result, on October 29, 2007, it reverted to having designated Priority Seats. Kobe Electric Railway, Nose Electric Railway, and the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line, which offers through service with Hankyu, followed suit.

The Yokohama Municipal Subway also implemented a policy designating all seats as Priority Seats starting December 1, 2003. However, in response to passenger feedback, the bureau introduced in late July 2012, as a category of highest-priority seating.

In order to help people recognize that the seat is for the pregnant women, the seat will change its color into pink from the back of the seat with a note that says 'This is the seat for a future protagonist' written on the bottom.

The priority seat system in Taiwan originated in the Taiwan in the late 1940s or early 1950s. At that time, there were many consecutive accidents in which elderly people boarded a bus and accidentally fell. Therefore, the Taipei City Government began to plan to set up a priority seat on the bus. On major transportation vehicles, it is provided for those with mobility difficulties or needs.

In the 2010s, the media have reported on disputes and controversies about priority seats, leading everyone to choose to stand, as no one was willing to sit on the priority seat. With the popularization of and social platforms, "social justice warriors" have sometimes tried to Doxing the passengers sitting in priority seats, uncovering their identity.