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?

Usually where are all these disabled people using the wheelchair space? Never seen it here.

Well in that case Usually let's hope the bus companies start putting some sort of gate around the W/C space and also that discriminative law gets changed?

So you think bus companies should cordon off the space so only a wheelchair user can access it Yes, absolutely. Hotel rooms and taxis >there's always plenty about, not just one. Low level counters > brilliant idea!

Well, you never know? I'm sure if women's rights can be pushed aside for you know what (won't start about that on here) then maybe some peoples comforts could be pushed aside for disabled people (another minority group)?

Youre grandma should have got on the bus, i travel on london buses with my dauvhter in her pram and always get off if there is a wheelchair user and i dont mind one bit, to think people that dont even have a pram wouldnt offer to get off is discusting in my opinion, rush hour or not, Its a priority space for a reason.

What London said.

Agreed London

Usually you know exactly what I mean. If you want to carry on stealing W/C users spaces, go for it!

Why do people keep going on about people with invisible disabilities using the wheelchair space? I have one, and I use the priority seat. So I can sit down. Do you think that whenever I see a wheelchair sign I am compelled to go and stand by it because I have a disability?

Hadn't noticed this thread rearing its ugly head for the last couple of days so I dared to hope it had been deleted.
Not because of the OP's subject matter, she was asking a genuine question. But the disabism on here was hideous and I see its still going strong. It was reported and mnhq you've let it stand. Shame on you.

Valleyclouds- it may be law but is not enforceable by the bus driver atm.
The procedure for all London bus drivers is to call the garage an inform them they could not accommodate the wheelchair, whereupon the garage will try to inform driver behind to make space on his approaching bus.
The driver has no powers to remove people from the area to enforce the law An this is where it gets messy.
Also for those of you that have said the driver should never allow the bus to be so full he can not accommodate the wheelchair user, probably don’t travel on a London bus at rush hour.
We re at the highest traffic/congestion traffic peak in London in the past 15 years due to cycle lanes being built, cross rail being built , congestion is at its highest peak and the buses are rammed to capacity in rush hour.
Also unfortunately people’s manners are also under stress and empathy , they appear lacking in both, also perhaps their morals.The driver asks people to clear the area, and the parents to fold down buggies (that are the size of spaceships) to accommodate wheelchair An quite often they refuse and are very abusive.i have to also add it’s quite often women that are vile to each other over buggy /wheelchair spaces.
It’s impossible to get a police officer out to every person/bus this happens on to enforce any law, good manners or morals.

People are the key here, the world has changed and not for the better as there are a lot of people travelling who believe they are more important or their journey is an can’t spare a few extra minutes.

And on the subject of priority seats, I got on a bus recently, I was using my stick so on that occasion my disability was visible. There were three sets of two priority seats on the bus, each of the three occupied by one elderly lady on one of the seats with her handbag on the vacant seat. I made eye contact with each of them.

I'll leave it to you to guess how many of the women offered me a seat.

Developing a disability has opened my eyes to the shocking disablism that is rife in British society.

Unfortunately some of these comments show how inconvenient people find anyone not fit and healthy!!

You have a perfect right to use the bus at whatever time you need it. Disabled people should not be obliged to use more expensive forms of transport at rush hour or not travel until later. To say this is clearly discrimination.

People using the wheelchair space due to overcrowding should have agreed to move. I would have jumped off as I would have only on that bus due to blocking wheelchair access and I'd recognise I don't have priority to use that space.

No one is saying that wheelchair users shouldn’t have primary access. Just that there are various circumstances where it’s not possible. And that it’s not the fault of the layman that the companies who provide these services do so inadequately.

On a packed bus, The bus driver effectively sells the wheelchair space to passengers who don’t need it for the purpose it's designed for. Should he refuse to do that? Is he allowed to do that?

Should the wheelchair space be locked up until needed by a wheelchair user?

They could do.

On a packed bus, a wheelchair user needs to gets on. Wheelchair user is with his wife and kids. Wheelchair space is unlocked for him. But would other passengers be expected to get off so his wife and kids can get on too? They have no priority for a space over the passengers already on the bus.

It’s not black and white. There are many variables which have been detailed above.

Stagecoach buses state in their conditions of travel that wheelchair users have absolute priority in the wheelchair space and anyone else in the space must vacate it. People travelling with them don't but the wheelchair user does.

Vacate it, yes. But not get off the bus.
There’s so much conflicting information online.
This from the CAB

.

The number of disablist posts that have been allowed to stand on this thread and mine calling out all the disablism is the one that gets deleted. Why am I even surprised anymore?

It’s not disablist to point out that there are other disabilities than being wheelchair bound

The wheelchair space is for wheelchair users.