To think that buses are a bit pants?

[Hawkmoon269]

Each bus can take 2 buggies. (Unless there are other buses I've not discovered - magic baby friendly buses).

So how do people cope with regular bus use when you have no idea when one will turn up or whether you'll get on! How do people manage to be on time for anything?

Got the bus yesterday (rare for me) and am practically in tears of gratitude for my car today!

worra I could get ds out of the buggy, hold him and fold it with one hand in 30 seconds. And probably do jazz hands and ta daaaa when I'd finished. IF I was on a pavement or stationary bus. On a moving bus - not a chance.

So if there is a kindly stranger to help that's great, but if not...? And as someone else has already said, buses seem to drive past if they've got their quota of buggies so you have no chance to say "hello bus driver, I'm happy to fold my buggy up"

DD started school 4 days after my DS was born by emcs. I don't drive and the school is 4 miles away. It was bus or DD didn't get to school! I also don't have the luxury of choosing which bus to get as we live rurally and the only other option is to get to the school 2 hours too early.

I tended to keep DS in the sling as much as possible. He's 18 months old and I still prefer to sling him if possible. If I had to take the pushchair for any reason (my cs wound reopened for a while and I had to take a pushchair), I'd fold it where necessary. Somebody would hold ds or I'd manage to hold him, fling my bags at the luggage rack and fold the puschair one handed/one footed.

Buses are brilliant. They're how I get from a to b on a daily basis.

All that said, I am currently learning to drive but I'll still use the bus regularly where possible.

I live in London too and no-one has ever refused to hold my baby for 2 mins while I fold and stash a pushchair (I have got exceptionally beautiful DC though, so that might explain it ). I have pissed people off when my muddy pushchair wheels have rubbed on their nice work clothes, but if the tiny luggage space is full it's a case of balance child and folded pushchair

You ask the driver to wait while you fold on the pavement then, if they don't they are an arsehole

Sling. Or in the past when I have taken a phil and teds on the bus I have handed various children to whoever happens to be sitting in the front seats to hold while I fold the pushchair. I really, honestly do NOT see why anybody needs to complain (apart from disabled users who get told their spot is taken by buggies). There is provision for both pushchairs and wheelchairs. The entire bus cannot be for pushchairs so sometimes the space will be full and you have to fold. So prepare for it. The only thing I think buses should change to help would be to reintroduce a decent luggage space so there is somewhere to put folded pushchairs.

I use a ring sling to tuck ds into as soon as I get on/off the bus, which then leaves my hands more or less free to sort out buggy. The ring sling was a godsend at my old address, as the bus service was using coaches. These had virtually no available space for luggage, let alone buggies.

get a maclaren. They are good because you can fold them with one hand, but also because everyone else knows how to, so they will help you.

Drivers do not always wait for you to fold the buggy.
Buggies are not always one-handed fold downs.
Other passengers get annoyed at the delay.
Often there isn't enough space on the bus for the buggy.

It's shit.

Ok, so I kind of need to man up and get on with it then!

I think if the driver stopped for just 15 seconds it would help. Maybe I'm just rubbish at balancing!

I also live in London and have always found people more than helpful.

worra I could get ds out of the buggy, hold him and fold it with one hand in 30 seconds. And probably do jazz hands and ta daaaa when I'd finished. IF I was on a pavement or stationary bus. On a moving bus - not a chance.

Why would you be doing it on a moving bus?

curry that's what I've got. Easy peasy aren't they

I used to use a sling quite often.

Mainly went to things which were within walking distance e.g. doctor's etc is within walking distance, regular playgroups etc. You just accept that anything too far out is impossible to get to unless somebody kind offers you a lift. If you're meeting friends or something and you're late, well, you're just late.

I did use a buggy too and most of the time there was a space or I just folded it. Was a total pain when there was shopping on the buggy or DS was little, but doable. Did thrust him into the arms of strangers a couple of times!

In our area the only buses which would pass you by if they were full came every 8 minutes anyway so it wasn't too long to wait for the next.

I found the key was to get on forcefully and when the driver said I'm sorry... just say I'll fold it down. If you fold on the pavement they often drive off.

worra because I'd rather take him on the bus IN his buggy, or I've got to the bus stop at the same time as the bus (or, heaven forbid, run for it), or because he's snoozing or because keeping him upright and occupied out of the buggy while we wait for a bus is sometimes tricky. Those sorts of reasons!

I don't get why you wouldn't get an easy fold buggy if you get the bus though? Its like buying a buggy that doesn't fit in your boot, surely.

Think easiest way is take child out of buggy whilst waiting for bus, tbh. My ds won't stay in buggy on bus anyway, he wants to be on my lap, looking out the window. Only thing is, I could never do a serious shop this way, i can only manage baby/buggy/1 bag, certainly no more.

Plus our busses are £7.50 for a return which is bloody ridiculous

I've never known a driver to drive off around here because they generally say to the parent, "sorry you'll have to fold it".

Dials in my experience there seems to be a high proportion of arseholes represented by bus drivers, then.

People will always help, if in doubt just shove in lap of non English speaker and smile lots!

Ahh I see OP...that's known as wanting it your way.

It's a bus, not Burger King

I used to be an expert on buggy tetris too I could rearrange them to fit more and more in. Think my record was 3 in one wheelchair space (including a double, so 4 babies).

Unfortunately they changed the rules and due to health and safety they only allow one buggy per bus now. I think this is silly - surely they're safer crammed in because they don't move around as much.

Fold your buggy up?

Don't buy a buggy the size of a Sherman tank just because they are fashionable?

I never folded mine unless I had to. It's more practical that way.

Baby in sling
Take fold up buggy onto bus
Use buggy around town
Fold up buggy & use sling on bus ( at bus stop natch )

I won't disagree with you there Bertie, hence my buzz the oyster quick trick! Bus drivers here (London) can be moody fuckers but they have nothing on the self important, miserable arseholes in Bournemouth where I am from. You also get the rare sexy one up here, the lesser spotted fit bus driver, a rare species but not completely extinct as in other areas!

You see, the other thing that bothers me is this. I have a car. If I need to do food shopping, pick up a bulky parcel, take my car to the vet etc I use my car.

If someone doesn't have a car and relies on buses to get to the supermarket and God forbid has a BABY too then how do they cope? It seems so hard. 1 folding buggy, 1 sleeping baby and 2 bags of shopping (modest amount). Seems really hard. Yes it's possible, yes people do it. But having had a taste of being completely reliant on buses I'm so happy that's not my normal life.

I might start a bus company. That stops for people to fold up buggies and has a friendly bus conductor who will help. Bet I'd do well!

Easy options:

Option 1: use a sling instead
Option 2 : live somewhere with decent public transport so the next bus is only 2 minutes away

Sorry, not very helpful.....