to think that wheelchairs should be priority on buses?

[mamadivazback]

My DS and I were on the bus today coming home from the town when I noticed a woman I vaguely know to speak to in the queue behind about 8 people with her 6YO DD who is in a narrow childs wheelchair and her DP with 2 year old son in small stroller so we waved, as you do.

Now the bus was about half full and 2 girls got on with their children in pushchairs, one with a very large Emmaljunga type and the other with a stroller and both children were happily sitting up by themselves and looked to be about 18 months old but neither thought to fold their pushchair when the lady tried to get her DD on, she had taken her DS out so she could fold pushchair and all sit together but the bus driver told her she could not get on as there were already 2 pushchairs onboard so she had to wait behind in the rain for the next bus.

I know pushchairs are entitled to use the bus but I thought you had to fold them if a wheelchair user was getting on and was quite shocked when the bus driver refused her a ticket, I spoke to her later on and she said it has happened a few times and it's just bad luck but I really don't think it's fair.

Jolly good.

Ah, not far away then altinkum, you'll do

I'm not that fit but find walking no problem at all, I can even walk uphill

Can't run for toffee tho, had to run for a train yesterday and ended up lloking like a tomato with kids and bags scattered everywhere. The guard was pissing himself laughing

Ironically I'm also from that area.
Being anemic sadly, prevents one enjoying long walks, even with a BMI of 22

'Powers granted to Government under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 enabled the Department for Transport to make regulations allowing wheelchair users to access new buses in safety and in reasonable comfort. No such powers were granted in respect of people using pushchairs.'
Rosie Winterton (2007) Minister of State for Transport

Kaddkaka
thanks for the info.

It would be helpful for pram users of ASD children to have similar rights.

Evil woman, he cackled and I qoute 'i'm 54 and even I can do better than that' as I tried to stop my jeans from falling down whilst hoofing towards the train, my glasses had steamed up as well and could I heck see where I was going .

Luckily I know him so will be able to get my own back at some point

mum0ftw0, yes it was Family Fund. Most helpful. How ol is your youngest? Woul it be possible for you to get a mac major for your DS with ASD?

Altinkum, what woul a blue badge achieve? Blue badges are only for parking cars, not getting the bus with, unless I missed that part.

I think the d has gone 5!!

I think there might be a biscuit crumb under it Dev ';)

We expect to get a blue badge, but this is after 2 years of investigations, and struggling on buses with small minded people.

5inthebed.
DS with ASD is 4 1/2.
Youngest is 1 1/2

Luckily I don't take buses anymore so don't think we need the special pram, I'm just very careful about not trying to go out and use public transport, heh.
Thankfully I'm able to avoid it all because DH has a car.

I'm really looking forward to getting help with family fund and being free driving myself =D taking my kids anywhere

well lets hope you didn't take the bus to buy your biccies 5

youngwomanwholivesinashoe it came up in an article I was reading discussing this issue. The article was saying that bus companies are caught between a rock and a hard place. They are legally obliged to have an accessible place for wheelchairs and can be sued if they don't, but they don't actually have the power to force prams to be folded. They have to rely on the decency of the pram owners to do it without being told. The author was saying that if prams interferred with wheelchair access then bus companies would have to resort to blanket banning them instead.

Sorry, but a blue badge for a child with ASD is nigh on impossibe to get! Have tried, and failed to get one for DS2. He only gets MRM, if he got HRM he would instantly get one. Are you hoping to get HRM? Even with DS2 needing a special pushchair when we are out I don't get it.

Oh I had advice that it could be applied for with good grounds and poeopl have succeeded in getting them without having HRM.

I only expect to get MR DLA right now, and no mobility as he's under 5 :-/

Are there actually pushciars that dont fold? (not the ginat silver cross jobbies like my mum had)

Silver cross freeway, doesn't fold unless you take it apart (seat/pram unit off chassis) and even then it doesn't actually take up much less space.

I had a hauck infinity, didn't fold as such, you remove the seat and fold the base but then you have the massive hulking seat.
When I used the bus however, I had a little maclaren and a sling, like a sensible person.

Not really rocket science. If you are able-bodied, get your lazy arse out of the way of those who aren't. Simple.

Sorry, haven't read whole thread, but what's all this about folding prams. Not that I am saying people shouldn't but in my experience if you get on a bus with a baby and a toddler, a changing bag, and 5 bags of shopping hanging off the handles, plus the basket underneath is crammed with raincoats, brolly, extra wetwipes etc . . . how the fuck do you fold up the pram?!

Couple of weeks ago I made a complaint for same reason.

The 2 mums already onboard (with umbrella fold pushchhairs and 2 yo - 18 mo children in them) acted as though me and my son weren't there. Bus driver would not come and enforce wording of notice in wheelchair / pushchair area as "it had been a long day and he was nearly finished and didn't want the hassle" (went and spoke to him). I refused to move (could get on bus without need for ramp) so he started turfing everyone off rather than speaking to these 2 mums and saying he'd called the police to resolve it! In the event another bus came along so I got off and got on the one behind. Bus driver yelled an earful as I did this. Complained with reg, id number and description of driver. Bus company followed through their disciplinary procedures but couldn't tell me the outcome.

Was dumbstruck by the behaviour of these 2 women though as would never have acted the same. Bus driver less so.

lol, that's the reality of it whosegotmyeyebrows.
People who're reliant on buses often aren't just going on a day trip, they're doing a weekly shop.
If you have a pram that folds and a child without a mental disorder and some helpful people around, it's usually managable to fold it eventually though, even if everyone is rolling their eyes at home long you're taking to sort it all out.
It's when the pram breaks and you can't fold the pram that the shit hits the fan.
I went through 6 prams with DS1.
The 'fold or you can't get on' business left me in tears at times.

That's why I think there should be more spaces for prams aswell as pushchairs.

*as well as wheelchairs.

This would take pressure off wheelchairs users too, of course.