anyone else not have a car?

[nailpolish]

just sold mine

feel liberated

most things i go to are within walking distance (paygroup half hr walk, same for shops/friends houses etc) and its fine in this summer weather, but im not sure how bad itll be in the winter - should i just get kitted out for the bad weather and still walk or should i get the bus

but im not sure how easy it is to get on a bus with a toddler, baby and buggy. the buses round here have conductors, and im sure most of them would help to get the buggy folded and onto the bus, but obviously im not going to rely on them, and i dont want other passengers tutting at me for taking ages.

any tips on buses and buggies? and im going to get a new buggy - whats the best one for one-handed folding?

sorry, bit of a ramble

[nailpolish]

playgroup that should be not paygroup

[Fimbo]

NP-when I was in Scotland at Easter, I got the bus over to Dundee from Wormit using Strathtay. It was such a shock to the system, not only did the driver (there was no conductor on the service) offer to get off the bus and help me but an old man actually picked the buggy up without being asked and lifted it off the bus for me - where I am now they would drive off without you rather than offer any help. I don't think you would have any probs. Any MacLaren buggy should be ok.

[Flossam]

NP - is that the interest behind the buggies?!! Well the quinney zapp folds up ridiculously small but it has not basket (what about all my shopping?!!) and is fixed sitting up position.

The one I'm getting, although I can tell you more when/if it arrives, I think weighs about 5 kgs, has a one handed fold down mechanism, and has a huge basket for all my shopping. I'll let you know how I like it when it arrives if you can wait that long? Or shall I do some links for you?

[Janh]

Wormit??

[nailpolish]

good old strathtay!

borrowed a friends buggy today at a barbeque (think it was a quest?) it had a HANDLE for lifting up and down folded! was very impressed by this - showed it to dh (who was all that impressed though)

[moondog]

Np,my sister (Brighton,two small kids) has done the same and feels incredibly liberated as well as much fitter and slimmer.
We manage with one modest car in Wales and rent one occasionally in Turkey which you could do when you really need to. Would still be cheaper than owning one.

Are you ready to declare yourself an earth mother???

[nailpolish]

dh wasnt impressed should i say

[nailpolish]

flossam, would you be able to fold it up with baby tucked under one arm? (let me know when you get it)

md, im getting there, all i need is the pattern for the muesli knitting...

[moondog]

I'll be sending you a mooncup if you're not careful.....

[PeachyClair]

used to commute dail;y by bus with toddler and baby (before ds3). Nightmare TBH. The bus would bounce everywhere, DS's kept banging heads as a result, no seatbelts, bus cancellations (having to walk seven miles in the dark at night in December), not always being the lucky person to get buggy space...

REALLY wanted to be a public transport supporter, but gave up after a year of it and got a car.

[Flossam]

If it is the same as the one I have now, and the buggy is as light as it sounds, theretically yes. Mine already does this, but being as I struggle to lift it without carrying DS it would be completely impossible while carrying him atm - which is why I went on my buggy buying mission!

[nailpolish]

oh god please no

i did pick homegrown tatties from my mums backgarden today, does that count?

[Fimbo]

LOL Janh - yes - Wormit - some strange, strange names for places in Scotland.

NP - I have a quest, its a handy buggy albeit the brakes are not great. I want this but dh will have a tartan fit as it will bring my tally of prams up to 6 for 2 children.

[nailpolish]

that was for md

[RTKangaMummy]

We grew up without a car

neither of my parents can drive

So we went everywhere by walking, bikes, bus or train

It was soooooooooooo exciting to go in a car as a child

NOW We couldn't go anywhere without one as there are no buses here at all no pavement on the road either.

[nailpolish]

fimbo, when i borrowed the quest today i couldnt work out where the breaks were

[Fimbo]

I think you can get a buggy that actually has a strap on it so you can sling it over your shoulder

[moondog]

Yes np,it does! Did dd1 help you?
(Peachy ,shocked at your walking 7 miles story!)

[Cadmum]

I have 3 children (8,6 and 3) and we haven't owned a car for 5 years. 41/2 in London were a breeze as public transport worked if distance was an issue. We would rent twice a year for a holiday.
Living in Canada has been a bit of a nightmare without one and I find myself longing to buy a people-mover. -40 in the winter and +40 in the summer can have that effect on people! Guess I am not really an earth-mother after all...

I love our Maclaren though! DS still fits comfortably and he is a tall 3. A buggy board was simple to attach and worked beautifully. I have now owned the same buggy for 3 1/2 years and I still have people approach me to ask where I bought it. (They are only recently available in North America.)

Best of luck on your new adventures.

[Cadmum]

Ours is not a Quest though... think it is a Techno XT or something to that effect...

[stitch]

nailpolish, i dont know where you live, but personally, i never found buses to be a problem. over here almost all the buses are the sort for disabled people, so rollling a buggy on is no problem. have taken a double urban detour on, which is wider than most side by sides!
walking is not difficult in the winter. the baby will be under the rain cover, and you ant toddler need hoods on your winter coats, and summer waterproofs. and sensible shoes. its actually harder getting in and out of a car/bus etc in the rain as you get the wet bits into the dry bits, iyswim.
congratulations on getting rid of the car!

[Fimbo]

They are those stupid type brakes that you move from side to side, which you are meant to kick with your foot only it never works and I have to do it by hand and even then it never stays in place. My fil knackered the hood on the tube last year as well. Mmm doesn't look good for the quest does it!!

[nailpolish]

oh thats great to hear cadmum, i have a buggyboard for dd1 (she is great at walking, really enjoys it, but i like having the board cos she does get tired occasionally, shes only 2 and a half) and i was worried about buying one and my board wouldnt fit

although if i was getting the bus i wouldnt take the board, but i would still be needing it if i was walking a distance

ramble again!

[stitch]

also, rather than worrying about folding it up easily, id be more concerned about how easy it is to push, as you will be doing that far more.

[nailpolish]

thats true, stitch, id rather walk if i was kitted out properly.