I was just on the bus, and offered an older gentleman my seat. He shook his head at me quietly, so I stayed seating. He had no interest. Next thing I knew, the bus driver and several older riders in seats were shouting across the bus for someone to "please give the old man a seat." Of course, they hadn't heard or seen my offer because it was a crammed city bus on a snowy road in Canada. He was extremely embarrassed and waved his hand at them, tucking his head down to avoid further attention. Please, folks, don't make a scene when offering your seat to someone. It's embarrassing for some people to think that they're seen as old or fragile enough to require someone to leave their seat. Offer the seat, of course, but don't start barking at people to move when someone clearly does not want to take seat. It doesn't make you sound like a hero.
Edit: I don't have a solution for "asking" the best way, I'm just saying not to make a scene if you can help it.
