Give up your seat

I'm sat on the train, and an elderly chap gets on two stations up. I wait for a second to see if anybody offers him their seat, and they don't.

I offer him a seat, and he very politely declined!

I've never seen anything like this happen before, as usually it's a race against time to pile onto the train and take your seat from the nearest person, physically disabled or not. It is then their personal mission to hang on to their seat for their life's worth.

This chap wasn't interested and that's fair enough, although it did spark a question in my head.

What's the age and / or physical barrier limit before you offer a person your seat? More importantly, what if they're under that barrier?

Can somebody really be offended by the fact that you're offering them your seat?

"What? Do you think I'm too old to stand? I don't want your pity."

Or do they treat it as it's intended; a polite gesture that should leave you with a greater faith in human nature as a whole.

I can guarantee you that there are people in both camps.