For all those who won't fold for wheelchairs YABU

[GobbySadcase]

only now it's legally recognised

blows raspberries

Marvellous! Shame people are so self-centred that they have to be legally forced to do the right thing...

I am disgusted that this even happened in the first place. Our local first buses make it very clear that wheelchair users have priority. I've even seen one driver make a woman with pushchair get off because she refused to fold.

That's good news, I used to get the bus as I couldn't drive and would always fold. I had a few pushchairs including one I didn't know how to fold but never took it as Sod's law means that I would've needed to fold it and look silly.

Good. I remember dating a lad in college who used a wheelchair and it was so frustrating trying to get anywhere because of the number of people who wouldn't get out of the fricking allocated wheelchair spaces to make room for him. It wasn't always pushchairs, sometimes just people sitting in those seats who would otherwise have had to stand so he could get on. Pissed me off no end that the drivers wouldn't tell them to MOVE.

It always was law.

The issue is, how does a driver force someone to fold/leave the bus?

It's great news for everyone as we could become wheelchair users at any time

Excellent!
Now that one person has made a stand and won, let's hope that all bus companies change their policies, or if not, that future cases are protested as effectively. One man can be the agent of change, what a shame that he needed to take it to court.

But isn't forcing women off the bus / not allowing them on equally discriminatory?

'The issue is, how does a driver force someone to fold/leave the bus?'

Peer pressure. He asks and if the person is still uncooperative, he refuses to move the bus until they do. Then all the passengers get pissed off with the one who won't fold and make their opinions clear.

Are you seriously suggesting it's only women who use pushchairs, SayCool?

The women have the choice to fold so no ut isn't discrimination towards them

'But isn't forcing women off the bus / not allowing them on equally discriminatory?'

Telling an individual of whichever sex to comply with the law or get off the bus is not discrimination. Same as I have to pack my bow and arrows in an appropriate fashion or be refused access to public transport for carrying an active weapon.

Women/men to be fair to all.

Hurrah!
Saycool
No, it isn't discriminatory. They have other choices that somebody using a wheelchair does not.

The person with the pram can fold and stay on the bus. The wheelchair user has no choice. That is the key difference.

SayCoolNowSayWhip - the point is, the parent has choice. They can chose to buy a pushchair/pram that is easy to fold. Many parents use slings.

A wheelchair user has no choice.

I would love to know where invisible disabilities actually fall in this by law. As i geniunely have no idea. Apparently some bus companies will allow disabled buggy pushers/pushers of disabled buggies to stay on, but it took a lot of googling to find one company that acknowledged this.

You would struggle if you had a Silver cross type pram. With my first baby I had a traditional type pram how would you cope with your shopping and a tiny baby, I would have had to get off the bus. Its difficult for everyone.

It always just reminds me how blooming glad I am to have a car and not need to use buses, which are so bloody difficult to use for the people who need them the most.

Don't even get me started on bus drivers. I have never known such passive aggressive, dangerous-driving bastards as some of the bus drivers round here.

(not all - just a fair few of them)

My children often ask to use the bus on the way back from town and I usually say no because I cannot be arsed to get the buggy on, folding it would be even worse, (non walking baby) and if someone wanted the space for a wheelchair then of COURSE they should have it and I would just take the buggy off and walk the rest of the way.

I can't believe there are people out there who would refuse to let a disabled person have the space.

I don't think large, unfoldable prams should be allowed on buses anyway tbh - if you can afford a Silver Cross coachbuilt pram then you can probably afford your own transport too!

Sonly. U CHOOSE to get such a ridiculous buggy. Wheelchair users don't choose to be disabled. How ridiculous!

No offence - I had a LBC for ds1 and filled it up with shopping all around him as it was so massive. But I would never have tried to take the fucker on a bus

'I can't believe there are people out there who would refuse to let a disabled person have the space'

Hundreds of them, possibly thousands.
It's sad that it's got to the point of court rulings because basic decency and consideration for others is inadequate, but hopefully it will have a huge impact on changing current practice.

I've had that situation, I simply explained that the maclaren major was a buggy for children with disabilities and that my DD has mobility problems.

That was accepted and the non major buggy had to fold.

When we were filling the bay with DS's wheelchair AND the major buggy and a wheelchair user needed to use the bus we folded the major and carried DD to minimise inconvenience to anyone.