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.

What I'm advocating is helping expectant first time mothers to understand that they may be temporarily unable to walk far or drive after the birth, regardless of the natural birth vision they've convinced themselves of and therefore rely on public transport.
Also spreading the word about baby carriers which are so rare around here they do cause raised eyebrows and discussion.
And somehow making the stupid big prams unfashionable.

Now I know that's not earth-shattering, but if it improves the lives of a few women, for however temporary a time their children are infants, then that's a great thing.
And it would get some of them out of the wheelchair spaces.

Course we have empathy I had 3 c sections and pnd each time. And you know what, while i do empathise, having been there, its not as hard as struggling with a severely brain damaged child day in and day out.
I didnt know that at the time of course. But i also had to fold the double buggy cos there was no choice. But everyone on the bus was used to fo,ding, heaving shopping on and off and appreciated that it took a little extra time at each stop for the mums with shopping. Or elderly people.
Now its all rudeness, impatience and some unpleasantness.
But the good thung is disabled people can now get out and about. There are now buses we can get on instead of being trapped indoors. Hopefully in a few decades we shall be such a familiar sight the staring will have stopped too...

TBH I have a feeling a fair few wheelchair users/carers suffer with depression and other MH issues too.

So I empathise but meh...... these buses are adapted for wheelchair users not the pram hummer brigade so they have a soddin cheek to complain, we all managed years ago, PND, c sections etc weren't any different back then.

I do think drivers should wait longer at stops tho

I know it's not as hard Riven. I'm not saying it is.
I'm saying that easing any struggle is good too, however mild in comparison, and it would benefit the wheelchair users as well.

I very rarely come across wheelchair users on the bus tho and really do think that it's only because of campaigning from disabled people pram huns have things easier.

Round where I live if the pram can't be folded they get kicked off and a ticket issued for the next bus, which is right.

Maryz, I haven't said any otherwise.

I'm not saying struggling mums should get the space, I'm saying we should caution expectant mums against buying enormous prams.

Poor woman here

You mum sounds wonderful. Perhaps all baby shops should be made to offer the service, like a reverse personal shopper.
'I know you want it, but let's be practical'

That is awful Riven. How can such a big City be so unfriendly to the disabled, it must be a daily nightmare for anyone wheelchair bound who has to commute there.

I definitely believe wheelchair over buggy.

I know it can be very difficult especially with young babies. If I had sleeping baby in pram plus shopping and so on I was always looking to see if a wheelchair wanted on so I could get off. If I could when they were young I would use the sling or walk just to avoid this scenario. As a single parent I often walked to the supermarket and back quite a way because that was a simpler option.

I live in the countryside and there is only one bus (every half an hour) that comes through. Often it is an older one which doesn't take wheelchairs or buggies. I think it is awful. Annoying for me but for a wheelchair user? Just wrong. Once when I was on one of the newer accessible ones I heard people discussing how they had to wait an hour and half for an accessible bus, and this was after phoning the bus company to check when the accessible ones would be around. Dreadful.

POG, that's the thing, you don't get customer service in pram shops, you get sales.

Riven, that's terrible service, but I am at the taxi driver!

Enerally i like london buses though and never use the Underground. Drivers always make prams fold. Unlike this city.

Every time I have been to buy a pram I have had great customer services - must have driven the poor sale assistant mad trying to find prams to fit into the boot of a Corsa!

Sirzy, they'll keep trying till they get one you'll buy.

Our pram shop specialises in chav-chariots though, several models of Silver Cross, Emmaljunga etc. in the window.

Nope, I have walked out with nothing before now. But then I know exactly what I want and if they dont have it I dont get it lol

"Surely people do chaotic? Theres whole threads on 'what buggy will fit in such and such a car'"

You'd think so wouldn't you but I didn't. I was young and foolish and, tbh, I didn't use the bus a lot anyway. Most of the places I went were in walking distance. Other times, such as shopping, my ex drove. When DS was a young baby it wasn't too bad because I had a pram with a cot that clipped on and off the chassis. Neither were too heavy so I used to just take it off, fold the chassis and lift both on the bus. It was from him being about 4 months and he stopped fitting in the carrycot that I had problems but I just used to ask someone to hold him while I folded, it was that simple. I've never been the precious "OMG, someone with germs is touching my baby." type.

When DD was born I couldn't afford a McClaren, as much as I'd have liked one, so had to buy a second hand Mothercare double pushchair, so it was just easier to walk. We moved closer to town when DD was three months old so it was never really a problem.

Perhaps what we need to do is encourage pram shops to ask what mode of transport they will be using most to try to ensure that regular pram users are pointed in the easy fold direction.

I know it wouldn't stop problems but it may encourage mums to be to think of an option they hadn't before.

I've just read that link. All I can say is disgusting especially the taxi driver, the ignorant wanker.

There must be enough expertise on the Pushchair threads to put a good guide to buggies together.

There probably is. They could incorporate it into the Mumsnet guide for babies.

Babies: The Mumsnet Guide ~ includes section on how to choose the best pushchair for your needs.

The buggy criteria should always be 'can you fold it one hnaded while holding your shopping with your teeth and the baby under an aem'

NCT could do workshops.

Be better than the 'Squat on a mossy rock and chant your way through labour' nonsense that I got at NCT>
And I speak as a lentil weaver of many years.