To think it is polite for people with buggies to fold them when a bus is busy

[SilverStreak7]

I suppose this will have mixed replies .

I am not talking of prams with sleeping babies in or even the buggies with sleeping toddlers in but those parents whom have a buggy with say a 4 year old in who is awake and who will not fold down said buggy when a single decker is getting very packed .

The other day I was on a bus and two buggies were on there , one had one of those boards at the back where an older child can stand (I do not know what they are called as never had one) , Now, the child was asleep but that is not the issue ,, The Mother watched an elderly lady slowly go by as this board was sticking out , then another pram tried to leave the bus and only at the last minute (after much struggling by the leaving Mother) did she push up the board ! Ive also seen people refuse to fold them up as a wheelchair wishes to get on .

Just wondering if buses travel faster now than they did in the days when everyone had to fold their buggies?

I folded my buggy this afternoon on the bus and sat DS3 (2.5) beside me and DS4 (3 months) on my lap. DS3 was sitting nicely, not fidgeting at all but I had to hang on to him quite firmly to stop him falling off the seat, especially going round the roundabouts. I feel he is much safer in the buggy where he can be strapped in.

My mum used to fold the buggy at the bus stop before the bus arrived, then carry me and the pram up the steps onto the bus when it arrived. With four other kids. And no hip joint in one side. Dad couldn't help because he was in a wheelchair and therefore couldn't access public transport at all, so he had to stay at home.

If you can't fold your buggy, you need to take the hit. Not expect people with disabilities to give up their hard fought for access to public transport to enable your incompetence.

YAB completely U to expect people to fold buggies when there is no reason to. But yes, the person you mention should have unclipped the buggy board. And people should fold it or get off the bus if someone with a wheelchair needs the space.

I'm not happy to hand my baby to a stranger while I fold the pushchair, but on occasion I've had to. People don't offer to help. It usually involves unpacking everything that's under the pushchair, taking the damn thing apart, while baby screams because she doesn't know what's going on. And 2 other children under 6 needing to be looked after on a busy bus where there may not be a seat. It's not even safe juggling a baby and 2 others if we're all standing.

But - you're right about people with big kids in buggies - why would a 4 year old need a buggy anyway unless they have special needs? Mine have walked everywhere from the age of about 2. What does annoy me is when these people are taking up the buggy space and don't free it up, but watch someone with a newborn and complicated travel system struggle to fold the pram.

bababababoom The OP wasn't saying people should fold buggies if there's no need to, only if the bus is busy and I agree.

It would be impossible for me to fold up my dd pram, but if a wheelchair user needed that space I'd get off the bus I'd expect my fare back though think that's fair enough.
I've not been able to get on the bus before though twice when people have been sat in the pram space seats and I've asked the driver loudly is there not any space for pram. Both times the driver didn't ask people to love to empty seats so I've waited for next one luckily ours are every 10 mins

Move not love

Apologies I've not read the whole thread (inly about half of it) so this point may have been made up thread. I agree wheelchair users have priority but with a newborn in a bassinet, the footprint of the bassinet isn't reduced once the base is folded.
Clearly if the space was needed for a wheelchair I'd get off, but folding wouldn't help in this scenario. Very different from toddler in mclaren buggy IMHO.

I've never understood why people don't do everything they can to make life easy on themselves when it comes to babies/toddlers and public transport. When I lived in London I travelled by bus a lot. My friend and I always did exactly the same thing every time we were getting a bus.

Get to bus-stop.
Stick baby in sling.
Fold buggy.
Get on bus.

It took all the stress out of it. You weren't craning your neck as the bus arrived to see if there was going to be a space or not. You didn't have to squeeze down the aisle and have an argument with someone else with an unfolded buggy. You didn't have to get off when a wheelchair user required use of the space that is intended for them. And you never felt that you were on the bus under sufferance. It just became part of our routine.

I appreciate that not everyone can use slings - back problems etc - but the vast majority of people are capable of finding some sort of solution. There is a huge range of buggies out there - some of which are specifically designed to fold easily and be light to carry. Obviously some people are given a buggy and can't afford to replace it - but a huge number of people on buses with non-folding buggies will have gone out and chosen that particular buggy for whatever reason.

The bottom line is that the space is for wheelchair users. Buggy users are only allowed in it on the basis that they vacate it, by folding or leaving the bus, if it is required for its actual purpose. Given that you could therefore be asked to fold/get off at any time, why not make sure you can do so without a whole lot of stress and panic when it happens?

In the olden days when the busses had steps, I used to hand the baby to the driver while I got the buggy and shopping on to the bus. This was good as he couldnt drive off till i was finished. Then around the time if the introduction of accessible busses they stopped holding baby's (elf safety) and suggested a passenger hold them . There is always someone willing, usually the most terrifying looking stinky people, I preferred to keep hold of the baby and struggle.

The new busses are fab, parents with small children have done well out if the disability discrimination legislation, and why not? There is always an assumption that new parents are never going anywhere important and can be messed around, wait for the next one etc.

Folding buggies when shopping is not always so easy. and we have got used to the fact that we probably won't have to with the new busses, so it can be a bit of a surprise., the toddler/ baby is basically ballast. Take them out and the whole thing tips over, shopping all over the floor , added to that many mothers are just knackred , bordering on tears and just don't have the energy.

I sometimes use the bus with my two DCs. DS loves it. And of course, we are encouraged to use public transport.
I put baby DD in a sling and toddler DS walks. Sometimes we buy a small bag of groceries while we're out.
If I HAD to use the bus to get about or do my shopping I would be derranged by the stress of it. I take my hat off to ppl who organise all of that. I used a small buggy once (the walk was too long for the sling) and luckily, no one needed the space, another buggy user boarded and there was room for us all - hurrah! I had the bottom of hebuggy and handles laden with fruit and veg and nappies (I live a glamorous life). It would have been extraordinarily difficult to empty the buggy and fold it while holding a wriggly baby and supervising a toddler. If the bus were crowded it wouldn't have been possible. When there's no room to move it's barely possible to safely get on and off the thing.
If a wheelchair user had boarded I would have done my best. And if someone needs a seat more than I do then they're welcome to it.
But you know what? Sometimes the bus if full. It just is full. And you have to wait for the next one.
Otherwise, every time a bus is full and more ppl are waiting we will need a grading system to determine the "deserving" ppl who can get on and the less so who would be thrown off.

i was on a bus the other day with 1yr old dd in pushchair and got off as a guy in a wheelchair needed to get on. bus driver told him there was no space i was a bit at bus driver and gave up my space as he needed it more than me. its just something i do without thinking, even if its raining. i guess drivers cant ask you to give up your seat? i dont have a long journey though.

Mumom..it doesnt matter if they are knackered. They just need to fold or get off if a wheelchair user gets on..as its a wheelchair space not a buggy space.

It can suck but have done it myself lots..it's just how things are and how the law is too.

And therealamanda..the bus shouldn't be just full to a wheelchair user just because buggies are in space.

And my DD is not in a wheelchair.

It's fine to use the space if its not needed for wheelchair. It's fine of course if wheelchair user decides to let you have it if your child is asleep.

But it isn't fine to expect it and say tough..sometimes the bus is just full.

No, but sometimes buses are fit to bursting with ppl standing. They're filling the whole floor space, even without buggies.
So although that space is to be prioritised for a person in a wheelchair (quite rightly) it is sometimes just chock full of bods.
Then the bus is full.
Similarly (although without the legal issues I guess) the "priority" seats near the front are to be given up to ppl who are "less able" to stand.
But if a couple of wobbly -on- their feet ppl were waiting T the bus stop, I don't imagine the driver should evacuate those seats in an otherwise super crowded bus.

Ting off would definitely be easier than folding e buggy in some situations. I imagine that's what i'd do.
Just wondering what happens if the space is full of ppl standing up.
Has anyone seen that?

'It would be impossible for me to fold up my dd pram'

Having had this excuse thrown at me several times I'm interesting in knowing the answer without having to deal with the R word. Do they make non-folding buggies now? 20 years ago I had a Maclaren double buggy you could fold with one hand while holding a baby under one arm. The shopping went on the ground. Its possible engineers were braineir back then of course and could make folding buggies. So dont they fold anymore? I've noticed many buggies are huge. Some are even the same size as dd's wheelchair for a teeny baby. I'm cos a giant thing on wheels is a burden and takes up room in your house when it cant be folded an.d is a frigging nuisance.

Just out of curiosity, where does a mum pushing a buggy who has her own disability come into your list?

if its full of bodies then they would also need to get off or move back.

Well they'd need to get off, as moving back would not be possible.
Because the bus is full.
I just wonder if anyone's seen that happen. And how it's managed.
Who has to get off?the ppl standing in the space or others who might be more "able"
I would hope and expect that these things "sort themselves out" with ppl recognising it would be best to disembark as they don't have many stops left or are in a better position to walk or whatever.
Some ppl are very considerate. But some much less so, as we've all doubtless seen.
I just wonder if there's a "system"
Must be potentially awkward.

well..the driver shouldn't have allowed so many people on that the wheelchair space was full of standing people, tbh.

"Just out of curiosity, where does a mum pushing a buggy who has her own disability come into your list"

well..where do you think, if she has a disability?

And then how do you get past the crowd on the bus to get baby, shopping, toddler and folded pram off?

This is why ppl avoid public transport (well, one of thereasons)

I don't know. Wouldit depend on her disability?

Well obviously fanjo but it happens a lot.
So I wondered if anyone has ever seen it managed or explain how it might work.
Doesn't have to be you.