to think buses should have 'child priority' seats....

[ThatBloodyWoman]

fitted with seatbelts?

I find it extraordinary that there are such tight controls when it comes to children travelling in cars,yet a parent is expected to get on a bus,and grapple with sometimes more than one small child,sometimes a baby.....

Re hidden disabilities, off topic but I think you should be able to apply for a transport priority card which means you are able to confidently ask people to move and the driver would have to back you up.

My ds2 has "hidden disabilities" but for heaven's sake, people won't move for an 8yo in a wheelchair and it's not enforced, so I'm baffled as to how you think they would back up someone with hidden disabilities.

Recently, a court order allowing bus companies to prioritise wheelchair users was overturned. The bus driver does not have to ensure that a person using a chair gets on over a buggy user, or that a buggy user can be asked to be moved in favour of a wheelchair user. Until we get equality for those that really need it, then no, I'm not in favour of this and find it sad that people would rather consider this than equal rights for those who are permantly disabled and disadvantaged by society.

The elderly need them far more. Children are less likely to break bones when jolted around and stumble. Would be nice though to have seatbelts but I double many people would use them. I've been on coaches and no one used the belts!

Poor bus drivers though.... They need to concentrate on driving this big bus full of unsecured passengers, not be distracted refereeing who gets to sit where!

That's appalling they don't enforce it. The buses I ride have great big signs stating wheelchair users have priority and I have always got off the bus and waited for another one if I was in the space with my buggy - not before asking for a ticket from the driver to show Id already paid - but still

(Yes I could fold and stay on but the buses are so packed where I live that it's not possible not to take a few eyes out and break a few legs doing that so I just get off)

I think I'll run a campaign for priority bus seats for all who have osteoporosis or other bone disease ...
Original idea of seatbelts is good though

How about seatbelt extenders for larger passengers?

Fares would also go up to cover costs of fitting/maintaining belts. And would the onus be on the driver to ensure they are being worn?

Re hidden disabilities, off topic but I think you should be able to apply for a transport priority card which means you are able to confidently ask people to move and the driver would have to back you up.

Brilliant idea. The public transport version of a blue badge.

I'm surprised buses haven't been fitted with seatbelts already and standing passengers banned.

They did ban standing upstairs on buses

When I was younger I spent many a packed journey standing on the stairs and the upper deck. Was brilliant fun seeing if I could make the journey upright and get off the bus in time ramming through other passengers before the bus pulled off again

The recent court ruling re buggies not having to vacate the wheelchair space gas seen new types of bus with clearly delineated spaces for each type of user.
The wheelchair Soave us required by law and only a truly unreasonable person would attempt to deny a ire son in a wheelchair their right to use public transport. Chiding to use a buggy that cannot be folded is just that: a personal choice. Ditto for not wanting to take a baby out if a buggy.
The result is less seats for all passengers, including the elderly, vulnerable etc. as a weary commuter in my 50s I am knackered at the end of the day and want a seat!

Out of curiosity does anyone know of a person who has been injured on a bus? I worked as a personal injury lawyer for 10 years and I don't think I came across a single injury caused by an overcrowded bus. I don't think there should be seats put aside for children - when a bus is busy people have to cooperate and exercise common sense.

Bus drivers also have the ultimate say in how many people they allow on their bus and I assume once it gets to a certain number of people standing they can close the doors on the basis of safety.

Ok,so the general consensus on this thread is that IABU.....

I just wonder in that case what might be workable to help parents.
I travel a lot by bus,and there's never been an issue on the buses I get on for wheelchair users getting designated spaces,or elderly people getting priority seats.I know it does happen from what people say on mn,obviously,but ime a few seats with seatbelts would have helped enormously when I folded my buggy.There was a point,like many,when I had a baby in a car seat part of the buggy where it would have been great to strap a seatbelt across to keep it safely on the seat.A time when I had a baby and a toddler too young to safely hold on alone.Or a toddler/older baby with a big pregnant belly and precious little lap.
I'm not different from anyone else,but I am just thinking the availiabilty of belts at times could help people with small children.Not to the detriment of any other priority users,but to hopefully be of help to some of us who struggled at times.
It seems people think there would be unsurmountable issues with doing that though.
I suppose I just find it a bit negative and defeatist,but accept the AIBU ruling.

I work with people with head injuries. Have come across one injury sustained on a bus - an elderly man.

So clearly elderly people could do with more safeguards on buses.

Look there's nothing I can personally do about able bodied people being selfish and not allowing priority users to use their designated spaces,apart from not do it myself and challenge it if I see it and feel able.
But we don't not make rules as a society because certain people within that society flout those rules.

Dawndonna I find the court ruling quite shocking.Presumably appeal is being made against this overturning.I hope so.
I do think though that other groups should be able to put forward suggestions whilst the battle for disabled users equality is still,sadly,ongoing.

Yes, I've seen elderly people fall over when going down bus aisles because they are crowded with people standing. Shaken, cut foreheads etc. Not at all pleasant.
And I've given emergency first aid to a woman who slipped when falling off a bus and broke her femur.
I have never seen a child hurt in 35 years of daily commuting.
As a person who uses four buses a day, I would strongly oppose any measures that prioritised children over other bus users. What one person sees as "measures to help parents" other see as "measures that are not required and adversely impact on other bus users".
"struggling at times" - well, we've all been there and done that on public transport, whether with or without children. If you have a child in a buggy on a bus, then you hold onto the buggy. Not sure why that is a problem.

Muggle sorry how do you apply for this card? Someonelse was mentioning a card however i weren't sure if it was something they'd made up!

I'v fallen trying to get into my seat ?? when i was on the bus because i was trying to get a free seat near the back.

80s actually I used to work with a woman total bitch but beside the point! who was injured whilst on a bus. She I think got burned on face or eat, had to have plastic surgery I don't know exact details but she either fell when bus crashed (and had to be recscued in aftermath) or bus caught fire... In London. She didn't like elaborating unsurprising really. She got a good compensation payout still used buses but avoided them.

I meant face and ear not eat!

Oh this woman was young not old. No idea if her bus was overcrowded but she did tell me she was standing up.