Who should of got of the bus?

[namechangedforthis09]

Posting this for my Dsis so name changed !

My sister was on the bus yesterday with her DS who is ASD and her DD who has hip dysplasia and is currently in a cast (see pic of google) both her children are disabled and get DLA atm.

There was 2 spaces either side for wheelchair/prams. She was in 1 and on the other was a mum with a newborn, half way to were she was going a wheelchair user gets on and the bus driver asks her to fold her pram, she took her DD blanket of and pointed out her child is disabled and if she wasn't a baby would be in a wheelchair herself instead of a buggy & that she was to heavy to lift/hold on the bus with her ASD son also there.

The bus driver didn't know what to do but continued to say she needed to fold up her buggy, when she asked why the other mum couldn't fold hers he said it was safer for Dsis to hold her child as she was older.

In the end the person in the wheelchair asked Dsis to help her into a seat and she could fold the wheelchair, then to top of the other mum got of at the next stop literally 2 minutes up the road!

Dsis has complained about the bus driver because she feels the other mum should have folded her pram and that he totally ignored the fact she had 2 disabled children with her.

So who was actually in the wrong here? The bus company have asked DSis what she would like to happen and I personally think the bus drivers need better training to deal with these situations.

Babies in Spica plasters are incredibly difficult to manoeuvre and incredibly heavy. She shouldn't have had to move. As another PP suggested, get a treat as a wheelchair sign to hang on the buggy.

Other Mum should have folded her buggy. Your niece is beautiful BTW - what a gorgeous smile she's got!

The other mum had a brass neck to watch a disabled person get onto a seat and have to fold her chair, when she could have folded her pram with assistance if necessary. I'd be furious if I saw that

Exactly! And to think she got off at the next stop.

She really was a selfish cow.

I feel for the bus driver.

ControversialFerret the OP said that's a Google pic

could having dla could probably mean a taxi if necessary, thus solving all bus issues

The other mum should have folded the pram. If she was challenged in some way then she should have asked someone else to either hold the baby while she folded the pram or explained why she couldn’t fold the pram and got others to assist. A hell of a lot easier for someone to hold a newborn than a baby with a spica or similar. Obviously the wheelchair user should have remained in the wheelchair. Other mum just taking the piss there.

i wonder what would have happened if both spaces were already taken up with wheelchair users??

I think the Bus driver was between a rock and a hard place in this situation . If I had been the mum with the newborn I would have got off and walked , although in fairness some stops are further away than others and she may have lived a fair way from her bus stop anyway .

Dla would last long if you had to get taxis everywhere. The baby at least will be too young for the mobility side anyway.

@ChippingInLowCarbing the OP states the 2 spaces are designated for a wheelchair user AND a pram. The wheelchair space was being occupied (rightly) by OPs niece.

agree the bus driver is in a difficult position.

could having dla could probably mean a taxi if necessary, thus solving all bus issues

Huh? The problem would be resolved by the mother of the newborn folding the buggy or getting off the bus and walking the last few minutes.

DLA does not cover getting taxis to accommodate parents who can't manage their own pushchairs.

Why on earth should disabl

the newborn - has some sort of priority
the sister - temporarily disabled
and the wheelchair user, who was last on

???? What?
With 2 seats and 3 people jockeying for them what priority did the newborn have over the wheelchair and baby in spica? My mind is boggling.

If both spaces are taken up by wheelchairs then you have to just accept you can’t travel until the next one.

Just like as most buses can only safely transport one wheelchair at a time my son and my nephew can never travel on the same bus even if we are out together as they both use wheelchairs.

both her children are disabled and get DLA atm.

Agh - hit the wrong button. Should have said:

Why on earth should disabled people spend the modest allowance on taxis in this situation?

By that logic the mum of the newborn should have used her maternity pay to pay for a taxi surely?

both her children are disabled and get DLA atm

And your point is? I'm struggling to parse your posts.

Obviously the other mum.

But I really wish bus companies had made a rule of foldable pushchairs only and kept the storage area........we managed just fine in the 90s and adapted around our needs (( foldable buggy with a sling if needed )) now everyone expects big, hummer prams despite not having the means to transport them. Obviously the child in the op will need a large pushchair to support her casts but the cast majority of babies don't.

'ask someone else to hold the baby' - oh yes, this brand new mother should clearly have asked a complete stranger, with unknown illnesses, to hold her most precious belonging in the world.

Considering the amount of threads on here about MIL not being allowed to hold babies I find that very

the newborn - has some sort of priority
no they don't. that mother was in the wrong.

EleanorReally Fri 13-Sep-19 10:06:05
could having dla could probably mean a taxi if necessary, thus solving all bus issues

or maybe the mum of baby could use her CB??
ffs is it bash the disabled week on here. so many threads saying the disabled person should go some where else.

There is a distinction between a pushchair buggy and a pram though, surely? If the ‘new’ mum truly had a newborn, would it not be in a bassinet style pram - would she have had to detach the bassinet and then fold up the wheels separately? Could she do this one handed? Could she trust anyone to hold her newborn? Was she terrified of waking the baby?

It’s a shame that the experienced mum of two did not engage with the new mum, solidarity and all. They could have likely found a better solution.

I think the situation as it’s described meant no one was wholly in the wrong.