To make a complaint about the bus driver?

[PrettyWisdomous]

I'm really upset I got on the bus but there was a man in a mobility scooter so no space for my son's pushchair so I put him by the door.

At the next stop the driver said "young lady, you can't leave it there, you'll have to fold it or get off the bus." I said that I would fold it and got DS out, a lady said she would hold him for me so I passed him to her and started to fold up the chair. The driver drove off, so I said that he'd have to wait, but he just ignored me, so I sat down and took DS back.

At the next stop, the driver was really arsey and said that I had to get off the bus or fold it, so I said that I was folding it but he drove off & I can't do it while the bus is moving. I said that I'll fold it, but he has to wait, which he wasn't happy with. The lady held DS again and I folded it up and put it on the luggage rack, and said to the driver "a bit of patience never hurt anyone" to which he said that I needed to get some manners?!?!

Anyway, I really hurt my back and now can barely move. I was on my way to a play group and then was going to see my friend, but I'm just going home instead. DP is going to leave work early as I'm not sure how I'm going to care for a young baby (lifting in and out of cot etc) in this much pain.

I could hear other passengers talking to their companions, saying "how did he expect her to do that? What if she'd fallen and smashed her face?" and saying that he was really disrespectful. I'm not unhappy at being asked to fold the pushchair, but wibu to make a complaint about the way the driver spoke to me?

And meanwhile twenty years ago many of us managed to get on buses with toddler and non-walking babies and fold the buggies up without making a song and dance about it.

That was me, 20+ years ago, and it wasn't easy. OK, I managed, but I used to really struggle sometimes with toddler, baby and heavy shopping. I'm glad this part of bringing up small children has become a bit more straightforward - sometimes.

I agree that taking up the space needed for a wheelchair user is disgraceful behaviour. Shame on the poster who thought it was OK. The buses near me have a wheelchair space and a buggy space - sometimes both spaces are used for buggies, but I've never seen anyone refuse to move/fold their buggy if a wheelchair user gets on. Seems to work fine.

It saddens me that the bus driver couldn't have been a bit more considerate. It wouldn't have hurt him to have waited for the OP to finish folding her buggy the first time. However, I don't imagine a complaint to the bus company will help, especially as OP put herself in the wrong by her snarky comment.

Not folding buggies really bothers me. I use buses and purposely found a buggy which would fold quickly. The main problem seems to be not with the buggies but with all the extra stuff people put on them - huge changing bags, loads of shopping etc.

The bottom line is, you can choose whether to get your child used to a sling or not. You can choose the buggy you use. You can choose how much shopping you put on it. You can choose whether you fold it down while you're waiting for the bus. You also most likely chose to have a child.

A disabled person can't choose their disability. And to the person who suggested disabled people should choose smaller chairs - well, they cost thousands and aren't available on the NHS.

YABU.

To the posters saying that they don't understand why she couldn't have folded her buggy whilst the bus was moving,all I can say is that they should try doing that on one of my local buses. The drivers fling them around the corners,slam the brakes on at the last minute,and accelerate suddenly for no apparent reason. I'm sitting down and I get flung about,never mind standing up AND trying to fold a buggy.

Although having said that,I am totally in favour of buggies having to make way for wheelchairs (as a disabled person myself,although not in a wheelchair). I've seen so much nastiness from buggy users towards people in wheelchairs. You'd think that it was the buggy users who campaigned for room on buses for buggies,and they kindly let the wheelchair users use them if they don't need them,rather than the other way round!