To trhinkl that it is madness to allow buggies on buses?

[mrsruffallo]

I think wherever possible (i.e older babies onwards) buggies should be folded up. I am so tired of these oversized contraptions being pushed through the aisles, banging passengers thighs and shoulders as the squeeze talong a narrow aisle. I have had my ankles knocked todday and somehow had to squeeze against another passenger along the crowded aisle to make room for yet another buggy.
Theworst thing I have witnesses was a wheeelchair user being denied access onto the bus because there was already a buggy in the wheelchair space. The buggy owner didn't offer to fold up and got off a few stops later.

Acksurly, my pushchair takes up two seats. Three at a push.

The same number that I and my offspring would take up without the pushchair.

Perhaps move for a ban on toddlers on the buses? Then my family would never take up seats other people could've sat on.

I am generally of the opinion that a buggy is not a baby, and that the baby has the right to safe carriage and space but the buggy does not, it is a piece of luggage. As such a large piece of luggage, people should think if it is really, truly necessary to take it with them - and generally I think that people don't make that assessment enough. It is perfectly possible for most people to take a baby safely on the bus without taking a buggy, or to fold the buggy before they get on, as is necessary on most of the hourly routes round here where there is a divided stair entrance.

I have seen trouble after trouble when it comes to getting buggies on buses, being a regular bus user and parent without a car. Including women coming to blows over who got the space when they could both have had it if they'd have folded their buggies. I have yet to come across a situation where I've needed to take a buggy on the bus or train myself, so I can't help but wonder how many buggies on buses are truly necessary, and think if everyone asked themselves that question before going out, there'd be much more space for those who needed it, and much less resentment as well.

YABU OP, however that being said, if my dd is awake i will take her out of the buggy to fold it, and for the first 4 months i kept her in a sling, but i will not wake my sleeping daughter.

I do have a serious issue with parents who get on the bus with a foldable empty buggy and a child who is walking next to them, park the buggy in the wheelchair space and then go to the back of the bus with the child, i'm sorry if there is no one in the buggy fold the darn thing up.

Our buses have a wheelchair space and a buggy space and i would obviously vacate the wheelchair space in favour of a wheelchair user, unfortunately it is also a sevice that runs to one of the country's busiest airports and so most of the time these areas are kindly taken up with people's luggage [hangry]

There s a very sensible approa h to pushchairs here. Anyone with a pram/stroller etc boards the bus in the middle, straight into the designated area and doesn't have to pay. That way there's no struggling down aisles.

I've not yet been in a situation where there hasn't been enough room for all wheel bearing passengers, so far so good.

Wondering how much of the time it is truly necessary to take a buggy is not 'I didn't use one so I don't see why others do' now is it. It's wondering how many are truly necessary.

And what is wrong with folding it before you get on?

It can be very tiring if not painful on the arms to carry a baby who is about 10months old (even younger). If you are trying to carry shopping it is even harder. We don't have low floor buses so would fold at the bus stop but its is still difficult to hold the baby, avoid your shopping tipping out into the puddles and collapse the pushchair at the same time. Even more difficult to carry it all on the bus. So tbh I don't think many people would take a push chair just for the hell of it.

Rivenwithoutabingle very well said

We have far far far fewer easily reachable local ameinaties (or however you spell it) now so walking is often not an option as demonstrated by one of the posts up thread

Another poster has said it and no ones seems to think it's a vaild point:
Not everyone gets to choose their buggy, not everyone can afford to hop off and wait for the next bus and if you HAVE to use the bus because you are, to put it bluntly too poor to have a PC at home to shop on line, or a car to go shopping in you are also far more likely to use public transport with said "unsuitable" buggy

Riven, move to Brighton - all their buses are fully accessable and have LOADS of room for wheelchairs and buggies alike, and are VERY regular - even here in worthing the two main routes are 100% low floor buses and every 10 minutes, because people like me complained about the lack of disabled access. Partially because both parents and disabled action groups repeatedly complained about having inaccessable services

I did join in the hardest hit campaign and I may not be demonstrating but I do write repeatedly to various ministers, my MP and MEP. I don't only care about stuff that directly affect my immediate circumstances, ya know, cause we can support causes because we care rather than because we're affected so while I do understand where you're coming from Riven, it's a bit silly to suggest that all parents are simply riding the coat tails of disabled actavists...

People are increasingly inconsiderate, be that twonks not folding empty buggies or people spreading their legs half way accross the aise, so what Custy said - seriously if buggy/wheelchair accessablity bugs you, lobby your local bus company and MP rather than bitching at parents

I've bought a sling and will be taking my baby on bus trips to town in one. It's not worth it, when you get glares and stares on the bus with a pushchair. I hate it. Also, will drive everywhere.

Its funny how many cities are promoting bus usage and trying to cut down car traffic with park and rides, yet mothers with pushchairs on buses ARE STILL treated like crap. Well, I'll just add to all those harmful fumes by driving everywhere. Thanks alot to everyone who hates pushchairs on a bus for making me harm my environment.

Standing waiting for a bus on a busy main road carrying a folded buggy and hanging on to one or more small children and bags is not just awkward, it is quite dangerous.

And it's no better if you wait till you're on the bus to get the child(ren) out and fold buggy, since the bus sure as hell won't wait before tearing off and leaving you, your children, and bags lurching around and falling over.

You'll always get uber-parents on here going on about how anyone who can't manage it is incompetent or selfish, but the fact is that a lot of buses just aren't that well designed for buggies, wheelchair-users, or anyone who isn't totally physically fit or carrying anything larger than a handbag.

happenstance- I have never sen a woman with a baby and/or a toddler and shopping not being offered any help whilst she folded up the buggy.
My mother managed with 4 children from 0-6 with buggies and shopping . It can be done.

Sometimes there isn't anyone else to help at the bus stop...

Just because you've never seen it, MrsRuffalo, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I've been blanked even when I asked for help! Well done to your mum for doing it, I catch the bus with 3 under 5, one of whom has to be in a pushchair, and I think that so far I have managed to do it without pissing off any fellow passengers, but it can be very stressful!

I am so SICK of this subject.

Obviously wheelchairs have priority. And yes, if the bus driver would wait for you to fold the buggy, put it in the luggage bit, carry the baby and hold the toddler's hand while you walk down the bus and find a seat so that the children don't fall over, and if everybody on the bus didn't glare and tut because you were holding it up, and if people who were able to WENT UPSTAIRS so there was room for all the people who need to be downstairs then I agree with you. Heaven forbid anyone should try to make anything slightly easier for parents (or, let's face it, mothers).

mrsruffalo - obviously it's not impossible. I'm just saying that it's potentially dangerous and in some ways I'm surprised it's even legal to wander around a moving bus carrying one or more babies / toddlers, considering that you're not allowed to move an inch in a car without them being securely strapped into a specially designed seat.

Okay, have calmed down a bit since yesterday. I think I have noticed that many buggy owning people are becoming less and less considerate to fellow passengers, and the recent refusal to fold down for the wheelchair user shocked me (driver did not insist, just shouted outof the doors that he had two buggies on board and ther was no room for a wheelchair)
You sound very nice, Jessie. My children are at school now and out of buggies, maybe it has made meunsympathetic.

Why, thank you.s

I disagree, I don't think many buggy-owning people are being inconsiderate lately, I think they've just got fed up of having holes bore in their head by other passengers because they've had the nerve to take their newborn baby into the buggy bay which they are pefectly entitled to do! yes it's sad that the wheelchair couldn't get on but don't all tar us with the same brush please? :o In this area many can't take get their prams or wheelchairs on because of people refusing to fold down their trolleys!

people need trolleys too, otherwise how will older/ less able people do shopping? the answer is more accessible busses with more storage space and room for luggage/push chairs, not craming us on like sardines.

i really liked bendy buses, was always room for push chairs/ wheel chairs/ trolleys etc

My Mum's disabled, she uses a trolley and will Always move to the back if a pram or wheelchair gets on despite the struggle. Some disabled parents need their prams too for the support, My mum uses my DC's for support when we're out together. There's spaces allocated at the back for trolleys, not just that but I've been told by a bus driver before but their Insurance only covers buggies & wheelchairs in the buggybay so what would happen if there was an accident? not argumentative, just curious x

I have taken two LOs (newborn and 14 mths) on a bus with a folded double Silver Cross pushchair. I've never had trouble with folding etc because other passengers have always offered to hold this or hold that or help fold or lift to the luggage space. If you have difficulty and cannot hold baby, bags of shopping and fold at the same time, why not ask someone for help okay there are no other passengers. They will always oblige because whatever you are doing, you are holding up the progress of the bus. The first thing to do will be to ask someone to hold the baby, then put the shopping in the luggage space, then fold the puschair and then relax after taking baby back. Whe you reach your stop, you just do everything in reverse. If you don't ask, you don't get. Just remember to say please and thank you! It'll make them feel good because they've done their good deed for the day.