Wheelchair user on the bus

[Penguinpower]

Yesterday I was taking my grandmother (in a wheelchair) to hospital on the bus (London bus) and unfortunately it was rush hour as appointment was 9.10

When the bus turned up it was completely rammed and no way we could get on. The bus driver yelled down the bus that people needed to get off to let the wheelchair on and he would give people a ticket so they could get on another bus for free. Unsurprisingly people did not want to do this, a couple of people did but most people ignored and my grandma was uncomfortable with the situation and told the bus driver not to worry. The next bus that came was also rammed and so I called a taxi.

So this is more of a WWYD but do you think people should get off to let wheelchair on or not? I’m in 2 minds as around 10 people would have to get off to let us on and they could then get on other buses easier. As easier for them to squeeze on. However, they have paid for the bus and as it is rush hour they would most likely be heading to work as no one would choose to be on that busy a bus if they didn’t have to be.

My grandma doesn’t think they should have to get off and I think I probably agree but the bus driver obviously thought they should. So what do you think?

Can you not arrange transport to the hospital as your grandmother is in a wheelchair?

Personally I think the wheelchair space should remain empty unless occupied and the bus should not fill to a capacity that it requires people to leave to accommodate a space for those it was intended for.

Hospital transport or a taxi would have been easier at rush hour. Those ten people may not have got room in the next bus. You said it was J am packed or been late for work.

Yes, use hospital transport for your grandmother to avoid the problem.

I think your grandmother has priority over the wheelchair space at the front and whoever is occupying it needs to make way for her unless they too are in a wheelchair.

At least the driver was offering onward tickets, where I live they won't give you one and their official policy is that it's first come first served and if you have to pay twice then it's your own fault for leaving the bus. It's shit as it deliberately pits users against one another. I was on the bus last week with the pushchair and another lady with a pushchair wanted to get on so I shoved up to make room for her. A few stops later there was a man in a wheelchair and both of us collapsed our pushchairs, the man and his wife were thrilled as they said the bus before had someone who refused to move. Only trouble was that there was only room for one pushchair in the luggage rack so they other mum had hers in there as it was bigger than mine and DD sat on this man's knee while I stood in the little gap holding onto my collapsed pushchair. It's proof though that if everyone works together then there's room for us all.

For appointment is there not patient transport or dial-a-ride or something?

Wheelchair Users have priority by LAW

A bus driver who does not ensure the space is cleared for you is breaking that law.

There is no reasonable/unreasonable

Unfortunately bus drivers flaut this law persistently and so have to be challenged but as no one wants to start arguing in the street with a bus driver and they KNOW this they get away with it all the time.

Yes they should have all moved, or in fact not stood in the wheelchair space in the first place. If you choose to stand in an area clearly reserved for wheelchair users then you must expect to be asked to move if necessary. I am not surprised that no one moved, sadly.

It's no good saying that people need to get to work, you had to get to a medical appointment which is just as valid a reason to be travelling! And of course there could easily be a wheelchair user who needs to commute to work during rush hour.

People banging on about hospital transport are deliberately missing the point And having used it once I'd never do it by choice again.

The point is : She SHOULD have got on the bus

Have you ever tried using patient transport? You have to book well in advance and they often won’t cover the early or late appointment slots as they can’t get you there. You often need to allow hours, literally, before and after the appointment. Not much fun sitting on hard seats in a drafts hospital for hours, especially if you have to do it regularly.

You absolutely should have got on the bus!

I think your grandma should have priority wheelchair space and whoever's occupying that space should have got off

Hospital transport can be very slow, it could easily have been too early a start as it has to pick up lots of people.

Dial-A-Ride don't do hospital appointments

I was told that the bus driver could phone their HQ and arrange a taxi (at the bus companies expense )
You'd have to look into this but worth investigating (and maybe print off if it IS the case)

But , travelling at rush hour is taking a chance TBH, I can appreciate that many people won't get off .
Maybe some of them are Hospital Staff themselves who know they have to get to work or those wards and clinics won;t happen?

I would feel the same as OP's grandmother if I were the wheelchair user.

I think they should have got off personally. I would always give wheelchair priority.

@HairyMaclary it's horrendous they pick you up and drop you hours before hours after. I found the process of getting on/off patronising and dehumanising like I was a piece of meat. We were frogmarched by the driver to the department and so couldn't stop for a drink, same on the way back once they called them for pick up we couldn't leave and get a drink because we had to stay put and wait. Rudely bossed around by the driver and felt humiliated and infantilised. Never Again.

its also hospital staff who book these early appointments for disabled patients. Its not just travel that can be a problem either. Disabled /ill people on certain medications can take a while for them to be anywhere near mobile in the mornings.

@HelenaDove or waiting for Domcil Care. Happens ALL the time. They don't listen.

If you're travelling by public transport then you know there is always a possibility of being delayed whether that's due to traffic, weather, strikes, or having to make room for someone who has priority. Those are the breaks.

I worked in an outpatient clinic and when we knew someone was coming in by patient transport we didn't worry too much about whether they were there by their appointment time because we knew it was dependent on when the service could pick them up. Unfortunately this often meant that when they did arrive they would have to wait to be slotted in to a clinic already in full swing. Then when they'd be seen we would have to ring the transport service and let them know Patient XXX is ready to be picked up, the patient would have to wait until the service got to their name on the waiting list and got transport to them. We would sometimes have people who'd been seen at 11am and we're still waiting for transport at 4pm. Luckily our manager was a kindly sort and would get us to make them cups of tea/coffee, she would also send down to the kitchens for a sandwich pack for them, and bring them a lap blanket if it was chilly as our waiting room had an automatic door leading directly outside. Still crap though to have to waste your whole day for the sake of a 20 minute appointment.

If they're standing in the wheelchair space they should get off.
Its the space for wheelchairs, that others are only allowed to use if there is no wheelchair there or a wheelchair waiting to get on.

@Bimgy85 why do you think there is a designated wheelchair space on buses? Can you have a little think about that and see if you can work out why?

Your attitude is disgusting by the way.

Other passengers should move out the wheelchair area, either getting off and the driver giving them a free ticket, or if possible squeezing into another area of the bus.

As an individual obviously it can feel frustrating to have to get off, everyone is trying to get to work, but remember that the person in the wheelchair has to face these difficulties every time they want to travel, and that is why they have laws to give priority to wheelchair users in the wheelchair space.

Your gran should be able to use public transport as much as anybody else and shouldn't be told to use the patient transport service, which can mean hours of driving round people's houses to fill the transport minibus.

Tbh I would have stayed on the bus as just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn't mean they're more entitled to be on the bus than I am

That is exactly what the priority space means, that a wheelchair user gets priority for that space and if you are not in a wheelchair then you have to move.

Wheelchair user has priority.