Dad on bus 'look at all these people sitting who won't let a child have a seat'

[Pipistrelle40]

Just that really, he got on with two boys aged about 10 and 8. People looked at each other and laughed. Old enough to stand surely.

tfl.gov.uk/campaign/please-offer-me-a-seat?intcmp=41947

TfL have been trialling these badges but I personally think they will be igored. Like "I am too shy to ask for that seat, I am relying on you reading my badge and then blatantly ignore it" as is the way in London (I'very been here 20 years).

ignored
I've
fat fingers.

The disabled bay doubles as priority seating, there are other priority seats on the bus. There is only one pushchair bay. These seats are fold up/down, if an elderly person is sat on the fold up/down seat you have no where to place the pram. The storage area is filled with a metro magazine fixture.

If you were to place a pram or fold down pushchair on this fixture then it wouldn't be safe once the bus is in motion...

I also travel with twin infants, their pushchair is the size of a regular one, but, it's impossible to remove both infants and fold down the pram? I have no other way to transport then long distance. I have them once per week.

The bus needs to be friendly for all it's users. I don't think I'm being unreadable or acting entitled to want to transport the children in my care in a safe way?

I have waited for the next bus on many occasions, or I have walked further to a bus station and waited until I was first in line to be able to access the pushchair bay.

The pushchair I use for a single child isn't a one that can be folded using one hand. Can I afford a new one? No. I am reliant on public transport.

Could I store a folded pram on the floor? Really?

Okay, so what are you suggesting, Misery?

Priority seats are near the entrance for easy access, because elderly / disabled people often have mobility problems.

Are you saying that they should get up and move down the bus to give you those seats?

I had a travel system when the Dd's were little. Me and my mum went to mothercare and test drove various ones round the store. It left plenty space for people to sit on the seats beside the buggy bay.
The big thing in buggies then was those three wheeled buggies, they had just come out. But they were massive and you could tell they would be a nightmare for getting on a bus.
One Dd's were a bit bigger I bought a Maclaran buggy. Best things ever invented. You can fold down with one hand if needed and they don't take up huge amounts of space in the bus.
Why can't the poster further up stand beside her buggy if it has a dodgy brake ?
Next time you buy a buggy you should try folding it, in store first to see if you can do it yourself.

On buses round here is says please give up these seats for people less able to stand. I guess it depends how people see it. One could think I'm.elderly I need that seat
Another could think standing up holding my baby I might fall so will the baby. Pregnant woman feeling ill/faint/ in pain ect should she give her seat up for someone on crutches for example. People may feel they are in need as much as the next person.

I have also seen alot of people pretend not to see. People with bags on the seat fine you can ask them to move it. But why should you. People are standing your bags there. You should not have to.be asked to.move it.

Misery. What I would do in your situation would be have one child in a sling, and one in a normal buggy that could be folded with one hand leaving one hand free to hold other twin.

Yes, that's what Misery said, Koala. That they should get up and move to the seat behind. But curiously, if bus gets full Misery will then give up seat to another elderly/ disabled person. ?! This means first disabled person struggled to move for nothing! Can someone somewhere please exlain?

Forgot to answer original post.
Sounds like one of those entitled parents. Everything is about them. At that age with no disabilities, physical or mental then no they shouldn't get a seat over someone who is on the bus before them.
If it was a young child, of 3/4 then I would offer my seat to the child or parent to put child on lap as those small children would be endangered in a moving bus. There balance won't have been 100% set yet at that age.

Ah glad to see the elderly bashing has started again hasn't it been something like 24/48hrs since the parking thread where someone was bemoaning an old bloke for err, using a bb space they were entitled too

Had a double buggy for my two DCs. I got a compact one that I could easily get on and off the bus and I mostly chose to walk everywhere before I fell ill. Never dropped any of them. Never lost any of them. Or had a random passenger kidnap them on the occasions I had to fold it down too. It also wasn't fifty years ago so still relevant.

No OP you were NBU to not offer the seat to a sanctimonious tube Dads DCs.

The bus I use has two bays with flip up/down seats. There are also two rows of priority seats. Is it unreasonable for the one elderly passenger in front of me in the queue to sit on the other seat? Rather than sit on the middle flip up/down seat? Lets say it was an empty bus, the queue has elderly person first, me with pram/small infant and then wheelchair user behind.

I give the wheelchair user my space. I then attempt to access the pushchair bay? I can't because the elderly person has sat in middle flip up/down seat, even though there were 4 other priority seats?

How am the one in the wrong? There was plenty space for all to travel...??

The disabled bay doubles as priority seating, there are other priority seats on the bus. There is only one pushchair bay. These seats are fold up/down, if an elderly person is sat on the fold up/down seat you have no where to place the pram.

Misery, in your first post you said "the majority of buses have to have a disabled bay (and some newer models have a designated pushchair bay) the priority seats are directly behind the pushchair/disabled bay, in order to monitor the child/disabled person you need to sit in a priority seat". You were clearly saying that you wanted to sit there whilst your pram was in the bay; now you are saying it's impossible to put something there is a pram is there. And the pictures on the leaflet you posted clearly show there is room for both. You can't have it both ways.

Misery but I could say that about all.the Mums who choose to place their tanks and own arses in the wheelchair space when the pram bay are empty.

Why should the elderly person have to move so you can have a space when you can just fold the pram down? And leave the poor soul be.

The bus needs to be friendly for all it's users. I don't think I'm being unreadable or acting entitled to want to transport the children in my care in a safe way?

You aren't being prevented from doing so. You can transport them perfectly safely by standing with the chair. You're just being prevented from evicting the elderly and/or disabled person from the seat designated for their use.

There is a speaker on the bus thato says for your child's safety please stay with your pram. which gets ignored

i've seen buses like misery has just posted. Some seats are placed against the side of the bus vertically.
In the situation you have just hypothesised I would have politely asked that person if they minded moving to the empty priority seats a few steps away. Helping them if need be.
But really the chances of this situation arising is probably nil. People generally avoid those flip up/down seats as they are not a secure seat for anyone. I've seen people stand rather than use them.

If we are on the bus, tube or train and someone who is disabled, pregnant, with small baby etc gets on then I get 7 year old DD to sit on my knee - I'm disabled so standing isn't an easy option for me.

On buses and the tube, I'll ask DD to sit on my knee if there are any adults without seats.

However, we commute into London with Southern everyday with a trip that is nearly an hour each way. We get on at one of the early stops, so always get a seat. DD's season ticket is over £2k a year, so I consider her entitled to a seat. If someone with an obvious need gets on then I will ask her to sit on my knee, but not just for any random adult.

For trains out of London, we either get there early to make sure of a seat or she sits in the luggage rack/on the floor until seats are available - lots of people do offer her a seat, but I would never expect them to.

There are different bus models with different layout. It all depends which bus is allocated to the route?

Some have flip up/down seats others are older models with only one disabled bay and the priority seats behind? On many occasions I have waited for another bus. I don't do the allocations :(

Going back even 20 years, it was actually easier to use a fold down pushchair as there was a space to put them. That space no longer exists? Now you would need to fold down said pushchair and store it on the seat next to you...thus taking up two spaces?

I have stood next to the pram on many occasions, it's awful, you are constantly making sure the pushchair doesn't tip or you end up being flung down the aisle?

I speak of recent experience, how many others do?

My children were raised to offer their seats to adults. I was surprised to discover a few years ago (on the internet) that this isn't considered normal anymore. I think what happened is that chiod rearing became more 'liberal' and child centred sometime in the 80's and 90's, and those children are now parents themselves so they expect their own children to be treated as special by everyone else

Yes, I think this is what is happening.

My reservations about the "I teach my children to offer seats to those who need them" method is that
a) it calls on the person sitting down to decide (judge) whether they deem another person deserving of a seat
b) we see upthread that many people get into their seat, put their headphones on & blank out their surroundings

I think if you're in public space it behoves you to be aware of the situation of those you're sharing that space with.

And I think children once they're somewhere between 8 & 10 should be taught that the default is that they offer a seat to any adult standing. Not the default that they remain seated and only offer if they think someone else needs it more than they do. I don't think we should have children judging whether adults deserve a seat.

Misery, I'm even more confused now. You say you give the wheelchair user your space. How can it be your space? It's the wheelchair user's space !!

Striped, I completely agree with everything you've said.

Misery, is there any reason you can't stand, fgs?

if an elderly person is sat on the fold up/down seat you have no where to place the pram

Oh how utterly utterly thoughtless of that elderly person.

You just have to hope that you'll never be that elderly person.