Was I out of order or bus driver

[Alwaysbekind2014]

DD age 5, has mutiple disabilities including organ failures she has a special chair although she can walk is mobile for short periods of time. However she is attached to IV bags for 16 hours.
This morning we had a hospital appointment but we had to take her attached to things as nothing has finished yet.
So at the bus stop there is 1 stroller and is with daughter in chair.
Bus arrives and I needed to get on it there was no way we could of waited. The stroller managed to get on first but as she was getting on I did shout over to driver there’s a wheelchair, as there was another stroller already on. He didn’t care and then once I got to door I asked if we could get on, he said only if we didn’t block the aisle which we would of as at this point the lady had parked by the other stroller and wasn’t moving.
This is a London bus that clearly states pushchairs much make room for wheelchairs and they have priority.
Anyway so he shut the doors and I took a photo of the front of the bus.
He then re opened the doors and told us to get on and asked the strollers to make room he then shouted and slammed his door to his seat area on front of my 5 year old that it’s a pushchair and it isn’t my job.
In the end the aisle was blocked and I stood with chair by bars holding on. ( visible equipment attached to the back )

Wheelchairs have priority by law.
If I started having a discussion with someone about whose need was greater my 12 year old would be having a distressing meltdown about all the messing about. I don't have time for any of that.

tbh if your child is 5 and in a pram it could have just looked like to the mother you had 5 year old in a pram, she might not have noticed the medical equipment. on tfl it says rhe drivers cant make a pram get off the bus.

So you feel that you and your 12 year going on a cinema trip trump the need of a mum taking her baby to the doctors who doesn't have the option of a taxi due to money?

I have a disabled Nan, I'm positive that when younger and using public transport with my Grandad to go for a coffee or shopping she wouldn't have thought that way.

gilmoregal my 12 year old will probably never go to a cinema ever .
Stop trying to argue that disabled people shouldn't use the reasonable adjustment they have fought for. It's a disablist argument.

The pushchair owners shouldn't have needed to be asked. I'm sorry this happened 😕 you should still complain

That's your 12 year old though, I know a ten year old wheelchair user who absolutely can she goes to mainstream school etc and once older could definitely use public transport to do things such as attend college/university.

I absolutely do not mean to be disablist I was just pointing out that sometimes another persons need could be greater than a disabled person. Isn't that being truly inclusive?

YANBU. Bus driver and buggy users who did not fold up or get off were being unreasonable.

Why, on these threads is there someone who always comes on to argue that there are exceptions as to why a wheelchair user shouldn't automatically have priority. I genuinely can't imagine ever having the audacity to March onto a bus with my buggy and start quizzing someone in a wheelchair about where they were going so I could argue that I deserved the space more!
2 kids in and a big buggy, I've always managed to fold mine down, even when they were babies.

By law wheelchair users have priority - pushchair owners can always fold down their chairs to make room . No you are not being unreasonable .

Being inclusive is making sure that people are able to access the reasonable adjustment that has been provided for them without someone trying to guilt trip them.

I will say again though, I've never seen a wheelchair user on a bus since having a pram but if I did I wouldn't get on or would get off and wait for the next bus if I could ie. wasn't in a rush to docs etc.

gilmoregirl No, you have to vacate the wheelchair/pushchair space regardless of your reason for being on the bus.

So a wheelchair user going to do their shopping or a parent and child in wheelchair going to the cinema should take priority over a parent taking their baby to a hospital appt, urgent care centre, doctors?

Yes. You can't have wishy washy laws based on who needs to go where. How the hell do you enforce that? The law is clear that wheelchair users get priority. End of.

If child is that poorly, call an ambulance.

London buses are very clearly labelled.

Buggies must make rooms for wheel chair users and a sign wheelchair priority.
To the last questioning my 5 year old could of just been in a pushchair her chair looks nothing like a normal stroller and I had adviced nicely before hand that it was a wheelchair what should I do
Whip her T shirt off so everyone can see her 3 tubes that are keeping her alive ?

no need to be sarcastic!! im saying she might not have realised. believe it or not most people are too busy in there own lives

you could have explained to her whilst you were both waiting.

YADNBU

I’m genuinely sorry that you even have to ask. The bus driver was rude and so were the buggy owners who didn’t move or fold them.

Wheelchairs always have priority. It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter if the wheelchair user is an adult or a child. It doesn’t matter where they’re going or why. A parent with a buggy can fold the buggy and hold the child. If they’ve chosen a buggy that can’t fold that’s their problem. Nothing in the world gives a buggy priority over a wheelchair (I’m considering special needs buggies as wheelchairs for bus priority purposes)

gilmoregal

What part of “it’s a wheelchair space” do you not grasp?

So you feel that you and your 12 year going on a cinema trip trump the need of a mum taking her baby to the doctors who doesn't have the option of a taxi due to money?

If the 12 year old is in a wheelchair then yes. The mum can fold her buggy and hold her baby.

I absolutely do not mean to be disablist

Yet you are.

You do realise that yoh wouldn't have a space for a pushchair if those with disabilities hadn't fought for a long time for them which pushchairs have piggy backed onto.

I find London buses awful, I once had to wait for 4 before I could get on in my wheelchair because they were full of buggies.
Having said that, I now walk a bit (using the buggy as a push along is handy for balance!) and I live in fear of not being able to get on or being turfed off because I literally cannot stand and wait for the next bus due to my disability. I would be more than happy for a bus driver to fold up my buggy for me, but I can't do it myself due to my disability and apparently they aren't insured/allowed to give any help. Thankfully the one time it has happened a helpful gentleman got the buggy for me!

I think I’ve seen it all now. According to some people, wheelchair users have to justify to non wheelchair users about why they need the wheelchair space?! I wonder what these people who cannot afford a fold up pram and cannot use a sling would have done if wheelchair users hadn’t fought so hard for the space on the bus?

The vast majority of parents could use a simple ring sling for the amount of time it takes to fold a pushchair. Wheelchairs always have priority.

Op I am so pissed off on your behalf. Please get in touch with their employers.

gil I know you are playing devils advocate and am not ganging up on you but anyway my response would be, if someone without enough money for a taxi was in such a genuine emergency that they couldn't wait for the next bus, they should probably call an ambulance as a previous poster said, or have a friend/neighbour take them to hospital. Let's face it the person who doesn't want to move their buggy for the wheelchair user is likely late doing something more mundane like going to the dentist, or dropping their child at nursery so they can go to work - so stressful for them possibly, but just a normal occasional stress.

For the person in the wheelchair just the act of getting on the bus might be stressful - is the ramp going to work, will my chair go up easily, will there be any space, will people all be watching as I do this etc etc etc . Obviously some of this applies to pushchairs but those parents can have the option of using a baby carrier, buying a small fold up buggy, walking instead of using the bus and as I said before they only have to experience getting buggy on the bus stress for a few years.

not everyone can use a sling. and no one said having to justify, as it was a stroller not a wheelchair it might have been better mentioning it to the lady as guess what, she might not have been aware!!

It’s not a stroller ... it’s very clearly a Special with not even a resemblance to an average stroller with pumps and lines attached and a hook with a badge on it

Special needs chair that was meant to say
I clearly said before any of us were on the bus but lining up there’s a wheelchair.
We are in London this bus stop has 8 buses that stop there am I mean to stop and discuss every time with people why she will need a wheelchair space on the off chance they will get on the same bus.