Another buggy in wheelchair space thread

[MsAR]

I got on the bus at the same time as a wheelchair user was queuing to do so. The driver told the wheelchair user there wasn't room, so I quickly checked and saw it was a buggy and a shopping trolley in the space.

The driver told the wheelchair user there would be another bus in a few minutes and they didn't seem to mind and weren't particularly insistent about getting on.

Was I being unreasonable to step in at this point and tell the driver that the person with the buggy should get off as wheelchairs have priority? He was pretty annoyed when I did, and kept repeating that there wasn't space.

I'm in London, and there are clear signs on every bus stating this is the case. I've often had to get off a bus when a wheelchair needed to get on and would never question if asked to do so.

Would it also be unreasonable for me to complain to TFL? I know I'm being a busy body but the driver's attitude really irritated me! I'd like the mumsnet jury to help me decide what to do, if anything.

sun i have a disability and i would/do still move out of the disabled spot!
Sad that people are going to bringing up kids thinking that having kids is the same as being disabled
You will only need the pram/pushchair for a short time. People in wheelchairs don't have that option.
Disgraceful.

witsender wow, that is vile!

Meandmy You're missing the point to suit your own agenda. It's a wheelchair space. It's for people protected by the law. If you're in a wheelchair, it's YOUR space. It's not a buggy space. It's really very simple. People are muddying the waters by being selfish. It's a wheelchair space.

Headofthehive, by definition disabilities are long term. Much more long term than having a small baby. And for most people they certainly are permanent.

Me - I think it was you who made that 'jokey' comment about being glad your youngest won't need his buggy soon. Not much empathy shown there.

The Equality Act 2010 is very clear on what constitutes a disability.

Meandmy, if you feel that strongly about unwell buggy users being catered for, why don't you start a campaign for buggy spaces? But don't assume that they should have priority over wheelchair users for wheelchair users' spaces.

What if a mum has IBS and needs to get home because otherwise she will shit herself? What if she is in too much pain to fold her pram down?

Augusta The "entitled to the wheelchair space" brigade get asked that over and over on these threads but funnily enough, they never reply.

I guess she will have to announce to everyone on the bus she has IBS.

Oh FFS. I can't be arsed to look it up but how many seats are there on a standard bus? Why can't she ask one of the other passengers for a seat and a hand?

Yes long term, but not always permanent.
It's rather irrelevant though, if they have a wheelchair it doesn't matter if it's permanent. It's at that point it's important.

You ain't winning this one with me. Yesterday, my 15 year old daughter had to fucking beg for a seat for her mother with crutches on a tube. I'm bed bound today.

It's still a wheelchair space. Ask for another seat.

It's a wheelchair space.

It's a wheelchair space.

It's a wheelchair space.

My dad is very badly disabled. He's got worse. I used to love taking him out on the bus, but with kids at school, we have to allow about 1 and a half hours or more travel time to get into town because of the wheelchair (20 mins to a non wheelchair) Now he has a swollen leg. I'm terrified someone is going to bash it. I've accidently knocked it (gently) and he's burst into tears. He thinks I don't want to go out with him any more, i'm too scared to go on the bus with him because of buggies. I'm not talking about the teeny tiny babies, SN buggies, babies on oxygen/feeding tubes my dad isn't too happy about turfing them off, i'm talking about the ones sitting in the seats with the buggies empty. Then there's the drivers who ignore requests for a ramp. Then there's the people that get too close and I get too close to them to get them away from his legs.
Then we have a twat of a driver insisting that the disabled pick up point at the garage isn't for wheelchairs. It's for rail replacement only and start doing weird gestures (basil fawlty) and we have to go to the non-accessable bus stop.

Exactly Purple and the last time I looked at it looking after small children or babies wasn't an impairment according to the Act.

As someone who suffers severely with IBS, MeandMy you are getting ridiculous now. What if what if what if!!

What if people had a more empathetic attitude to others with disabilities, the world would be a better place. What if people who are struggling actually opened their mouth and communicated with people about it, then I'm sure allowances would be made. It's simple really.

Why haven't you campaigned for buggy spaces for you and your boys? Why haven't you got off your arse and done something for other parents?

This thread is disgusting and some people ought to be bloody ashamed of themselves.

All this "what if" bollocks. Tough shit, that's what. The space is a wheelchair space for wheelchairs. It's there because disabled people campaigned for them.

I can't believe that people are so bloody selfish. You chose to have a kid, you chose to buy a non-folding buggy (God knows why) so you deal with the consequences of that when a wheelchair user needs the wheelchair space.

My DP has severe ulcerative colitis. My poor, lovely partner has soiled himself in public. He's doing a bit better now on medication fortunately but when he needs to go, he needs to GO. He would still not steal a wheelchair space because he knows the humiliation and wouldn't wish it on another human being. He's not a saint, just a very average human being who doesn't play top trumps. He has a right to other things e.g. he has a radar key for disabled toilets. He doesn't ride roughshod over other people's rights.

Threads like this are really depressing because it just confirms how shit prop with disabilities are viewed by some

I have taken bus 4 times with DD who was in an pushchair. She wears a helmet and had leg splints on, so relatively obvious not a typical 4 year old.
On 3 occasions out of 4 encountered issues from bus driver saying no can't get on pushchair there. Another passenger with pushchair making passive aggressive comments before on bus as we were ahead in queue.
Last occasion on bus for 10 mins in wheelchair space and mum dad and 4 kids, 1 in massive pram get on. She was not told no by driver even though no room for her pram. She sees us in space and for 10 minutes she refused to sit and stood in middle of bus staring at us being intimidating. Finally sits down and continues to do the same for another 20 mins all cause we were in wheelchair space with a sn pushchair!

I will try my best to never take bus now especially as DD is now in a bigger wheelchair as I know the same thing would happen!

Ours has a bar to come down and lock the wheelchair in place. It's a shame it isn't lockable so the driver has to unlock it to release the space. Thus preventing misuse, and protecting it for a wheelchair.