To think it is polite for people with buggies to fold them when a bus is busy

[SilverStreak7]

I suppose this will have mixed replies .

I am not talking of prams with sleeping babies in or even the buggies with sleeping toddlers in but those parents whom have a buggy with say a 4 year old in who is awake and who will not fold down said buggy when a single decker is getting very packed .

The other day I was on a bus and two buggies were on there , one had one of those boards at the back where an older child can stand (I do not know what they are called as never had one) , Now, the child was asleep but that is not the issue ,, The Mother watched an elderly lady slowly go by as this board was sticking out , then another pram tried to leave the bus and only at the last minute (after much struggling by the leaving Mother) did she push up the board ! Ive also seen people refuse to fold them up as a wheelchair wishes to get on .

[SilverStreak7]

Sorry ,, a person in wheelchair wishes to get on

[bearleftmonkeyright]

It can often be more faff and inconvenience to others to fold it up. It is difficult to fold a buggy on a busy bus and supervise a toddler. I think yabu.

[Hegsy]

YANBU, you have no idea how glad I am that we are fortunate enough to have a car for when wse have a baby. No way could I cope with hormones and bus ettiquette. but I really thought wheelchairs had priority over buggies and that the driver HAD to make buggies fold up for wheelchairs?

I could be wrong but I would feel so guilty preventing a disabled person accessing a vital service.

[3birthdaybunnies]

YANBU those boards clip on and off really easily. I have left sleeping babies/toddlers in a buggy on the bus but no need to when they are awake. My nearly 4yr old wouldn't be seen awake in one now anyway - reserved for when he falls asleep in the car.

[SilverStreak7]

Yes , I think wheelchairs do have precedence .. In the event the driver did turn the engine off until the buggy had been folded and the little one stood very nicely with his Mother for rest of the journey,

[waikikamookau]

I was told I had to, by the bus driver.

[WorraLiberty]

YANBU but...

Ive also seen people refuse to fold them up as a wheelchair wishes to get on

These people ^^ get thrown off the bus by the driver.

[AnneUulmelmahay]

[SilverStreak7]

Yes 3birthdaybunnies ,, a sleeping young one is best left asleep but as you say , no need when awake . I do appreciate I only had to use buses a few times when my children were younger but I did fold buggy up and sit my child on my lap in those instances I did use a bus

[SilverStreak7]

Hahaha please do not sit on hands , I realise not everyone will agree so please say your opinion :)

[LyraSilvertongue]

So what about when you have a sleeping baby in a pram and a person in a wheelchair want to get on? Folding the pram wouldn't be an option so weould I have to get off the bus with my baby to make way for the wheelchair? Doesn't seem very fair.

[waikikamookau]

I don't see why a sleeping toddler in a buggy can't be woken to fold the buggy to let anyone on the bus

[SilverStreak7]

I don;t know Lyra. As I said a sleeping baby is somewhat different (in my opinion) and I don;t think anyone with a pram with a sleeping baby in should be made to get off ,, , It is a difficult one granted .

[EmpireBiscuit]

What happens if the pushchair is of a non-folding travel system variety? Do they have to get off?

[Hegsy]

In that event Lyra I would imagine someone on the bus would be willing to help you fold up the pram whilst you hold your sleeping baby. Is it fair that the wheelchair user would have to wait indefinitely for a bus without someone in the wheelchair bit? What if 6 buses go past all with a sleeping baby in a pram? Even with a ten minute bus service that would be an hour a wheelchair user would have to wait.......

[AnneUulmelmahay]

No no not you, silver, you are lovely

The non folder, the ooh the inconvenience-r, now, a diff kettle of fish.

[bearleftmonkeyright]

I was thinking about that sort of situation Lyra, when my older two were little bus drivers would make me fold up my buggy, I had a baby and a two year old even when the bus was not that busy. Mothers do pay to use the bus as well. I do think I am considerate. I would not want to inconvenience anyone but we all want to get where we want to be.

[3birthdaybunnies]

I have passed sleeping child to another passenger in order to fold up buggy but I wouldn't do it unless I needed to - ds isn't the calmest child when woken prematurely from a nap so no need to instigate that on a virtually empty bus for 10mins. Lyra I guess the thing is that you could push your child home, or pass the child to another passenger/ driver while you fold the pushchair. A person in a wheelchair can't just stand up and fold up their wheelchair and pop it on the bus.

[WorraLiberty]

So what about when you have a sleeping baby in a pram and a person in a wheelchair want to get on? Folding the pram wouldn't be an option so weould I have to get off the bus with my baby to make way for the wheelchair? Doesn't seem very fair.

Of course it's an option

You ask a passenger to help you. As a rule, they're normally only too willing.

It's much more of an option than the wheelchair user folding their wheelchair, isn't it?

[NellysKnickers]

It's a difficult one. Some bus drivers are wankers, twice ds2 has bumped his head because I'm folding the buggy and the driver couldn't wait an extra 30 seconds so pulled away. However, its always best to fold it up if you can, although it is a bloody nightmare with two kids, change bag and shopping.

[HeyUGuys]

I use the buses every day, i have ds3 12 weeks with me. At the moment ge is in a carrycot pram, so to fold it i'd have to take the cot off ( 2 hands ) and fold the frame. I couldnt do this while holding ds safely.
Some people dont think about where lo goes while you fold the pushchair, as bus is moving an buggy is tipping backwards as lo is no longer in it.
When ds3 is old enough to stand i will be folding pushchair before we get on the bus, he can stand up while i do it, not only is it fair then for mums with younger babies but also easier for me as i dont have to wait for buses with no pushchairs on.

[Writerwannabe83]

YANBU - Buggies can be very annoying on buses.

When I was younger and took the bus only 2 pushchairs were allowed on at a time. I'm guessing this was safety and convenience reasons, it isn't ideal if in an emergency people need to get off the bus and the aisles were blocked. There was usually a notice up in the buggy/wheelchair area politely asking mothers to fold down their buggies if a wheelchair needed access to the bay. A few moms probably rolled their eyes when they were required to do it, but nobody was going to side with them over the rights of a wheelchair user who had no option but to use the spaces in the bay. I have known bus drivers not let women with pushchairs onto the bus if there were already two on board.

On the flip side, I do feel bad for the mothers because they are in a difficult position. If their child was awake but there was room for them in the parking bay then fine, but if the child was awake and things were tight and people were squashed then yes, I do think it is reasonable to expect them to fold their buggies away - so long as there are seats available on the actual bus for the children to sit on, or seats for the mother to sit own with the child on her lap - saying that though, you'd expect another passenger to give up their seat in this situation to accommodate the mother/child.

[Dobbiesmum]

You're not making way for a wheelchair, you're making way for a person who couldn't get to where they were going unless the space allocated to them on the bus is free.
Just ask someone to help you.

[RedHelenB]

It's a relatively new thing, having space for buggies not to be folded but I didn't drive when my two eldest were a baby & 2 yr old & I managed by using a baby carrier & stroller that folded up. Wheelchairs absolutely take priority over a sleeping baby, often if you move them they drop back to sleep anyway.

[kd73]

Last time I got on a bus a few weeks ago, folded the pushchair so ds could have a seat and found nowhere to store folded buggy. Luckily the bus wasn't busy and I rested it in the area for buggies and wheelchairs but it took up three times the space!!!!!!!!!