Metro, is this any different than the Monsey bus? To me it sounds like a trick. You are calling it a franchise but that only means the route you are taking.
The mayor said that if you want you can make a private bus service and then you can do what you want. Was he just making noise or is there such an option?
I do think that it is a very good point to mention, that it is not a company inforced rule. The passengers sit separately on their own. Even if one passenger tells another to change a seat that has nothing to do with the company.