To be very very angry? (Disabled DS denied wheelchair space on bus - again)

[LifeHope11]

DS (11y) was about to get on the bus with his carer but the driver refused to let them on....shook his head and said 'sorry you can't get on, there are two prams in the space' and then shut the doors and drove off.

DH & I are both livid, this is not the first time this has happened.

DH complained to the bus company.....the first person he spoke to claimed that if there are 2 prams on board they take priority over a wheelchair! That was news to us, and appears to contradict the notices on the wheelchair spaces on the buses which states that priority is given to wheelchairs and anyone else in the space must give way etc. DH refused to accept this response & demanded to speak to a manager who gave him a case number. So we are waiting to hear more.

i feel that our DS has been discriminated against and denied his right to travel freely. Just to be sure, we don't blame the owners of the buggies on the bus....they were never even asked to move & probably were not aware of anything. But I don't want this kind of treatment of the disabled to be acceptable any more and I want things to change.

YANBU. Are you in London?

That's shocking! Surely driver could have asked people with prams to fold them up?

That is awful, I am so sorry for your DS and for you; living with disability is hard enough without all the other ridiculous cr*p that you have to put up with.

I have no constructive advice other than to write to (or email) your MP - this is exactly the kind of issue s/he should be dealing with.

Good luck, and a big fat BOO to the bus company bosses. What twats. (Am assuming that the driver was probably following instructions from his boss rather than acting on his own initiative).

wellwisher - yes, Greater London. Do you think Boris Johnson will want to know?

If you think you've been discriminated against, contact the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. They will give you a standard letter to send to the company. They will also explain the deadlines in case you want to take the matter further (they're quite short so don't leave it too long.)

www.equalityhumanrights.com/

That's shocking.

Probably the driver wanting an easy life! I hope you get a better response than the initial one.

I would be mortified if I found out a driver had stopped a wheelchair user getting on because my buggy was in the space - a buggy can fold, a wheelchair can't.

That's fucking ridiculous, complain to everybody!

cansu - yes you would think so but in our experience it rarely happens. Many buggy owners/parents go out of their way to help us (as do other passengers) but some just sit tight and refuse to move. These people cause me (& other disabled people I am sure) no end of grief.

YANBU

Bloody idiots! What's wrong with one or both pram owners saying, "Hold on Driver, let me just fold this thing so the young boy can get on"? Or the bus driver from asking them to do it?

I was on a bus once with DS in a pushchair and one other mum and pushchair. At one stop, a wheelchair user wanted to get on but the driver said "sorry, we're full" but the other mum and I were already shuffling up for space. I was happy to fold my pushchair if needs be.

We protested but the driver just drove on. As she was getting off the other mum said "I was happy to make space by the way" and the driver just replied "couldn't be doing with all that hassle"

I feel bad that I didn't complain later on.

Shame on the parents for not getting the heck off the bus for your DS!

Please say which bus company this is.

I would certainly complain if I were you. The space is for wheel chair users and buggys are only permitted to use the space when it is not required for a wheel chair.

I have a bad feeling that the bus driver did not want the "hassle" of asking the prams to move. Unfortuneately there are some parents who do believe that the space should be available for buggies just as much as wheel chairs and will give anyone asking them to fold grief. They are the minority though. Most people will move/fold without issue.

Shame the driver couldn't be bothered.

Most likely the bus driver couldn't be bothered to get off his arse and put the ramp down. All the signs say wheelchairs take priority. Sorry your son keeps having to take this shite.

Appalling. So cross for your DS

CharlieUniform - yes, in my experience many (though unfortunately not all) parents with pushchairs/buggies are happy to move & don't even wait to be asked. Unfortunately a few are bloody minded and it is as though many drivers are afraid to confront them/it is easier to bully and disregard people in wheelchairs.

I think that other passengers should be required to vacate the wheelchair space when needed, and if they refuse to move then the driver should take the bus out of action, ie switch the engine off and refuse to move until the space is vacated.

That may sound draconian...but may be the only way to ensure that disabled people's rights are upheld. In my view this is no better than any other kind of discrimination against a minority group and 'zero tolerance' may be the only way to go in order to get the message across that such discrimination is unacceptable now.

It's a shame because DS is absolutely obsessed with transport and loves travelling by bus. He has severe learning difficulties.....he doesn't get to enjoy many things in his life but this is one of them. To be honest though every time I try to travel by bus I am worried that we are going to encounter difficulties like this....sometimes I just can't face it and so DS loses out. I feel very sad that one of his few little pleasures is restricted in this way.

I've seen threads of here by pushchair users who don't think they should give way to wheelchair users.
Possibly seen as too much of a minefield for the driver?

I'm angry on your behalf that your ds at this age gets such messages about how people in society value him!

And those people in the wheelchair space never even got a chance to make room.

And as for that twit telling you that two buggies counts as a wheelchair, don't get me started

YANBU.

Here's a somewhat relevant DM article, which includes the MNHQ solution - that there needs to be space on buses for wheelchairs and buggies. That may be ideal, but as that can't happen overnight, and probably won't happen at all, until then wheelchairs should have priority in wheelchair spaces.

Yabu. How on earth is that discrimination?! He's no more discriminated against than someone with a buggy who couldn't get on because there were already 2 buggys! Surely he just waited for the next bus?! It would have been nice if someone had moved for him, or the bus driver had asked if anyone would mind but you cant positively discriminate against anyone, first come first served surely?

To answer your question, op, yes I do think Boris wants to know. You need to make a formal written complaint and copy it to everyone you can think of (Evening Standard, Metro?) and you should name the route number here too. This is a clear cut case of absolute flouting of procedures by the bus driver - name and shame, I would!!

Mushroom people with babies/small children don't have to use buggies. They can use slings, or carry the children (maybe not ideal but there are other options than buggies). Wheelchair users have no choice but to use their wheelchair. You can't compare the two.

Definitely post a question on the Boris webchat thread. It's absolutely disgraceful treatment.

It's people like Mushroom who think they are entitled.

You are not you silly mare. It clearly says on all buses, that priority is for wheelchairs and that buggy/pram users may be asked to fold them.

Mushroom - the wheelchair spaces are there to provide transport for disabled people. Buggies (or other large luggage) is allowed there as a favour, if the space is not needed for a wheelchair.