AIBU to expect to be a priority getting on a bus in a wheelchair

[Worrysaboutalot]

I am going to start using buses whilst in my power chair.

Apart from wondering how I will physically be able to get on to the bus, I would like to know what is the law regarding prams and wheelchairs.

Do I have priority over a pram or not ?

Can I insist that a pram is folded, so I can get on?

There is only 1 bus every 2 hours between my village and the shopping centre, so I really can't risk being stranded there. On other hand I need to get out of the house too.

Any advice welcome. I am in the North West if that makes any difference.

You should get priority yes. However it's debatable how enforced this is.

If people with prams and pushchairs automatically moved then it would stop bus drivers having such a hard time trying to enforce it.

The other thing to be wary of with such little transport is if the wheelchair spaces are already full (with other elderly/disabled people) then you would have to wait for the next bus.

I remember one time where the bus home from a sea side town got full and my gran couldn't get on. It was the last bus home and would have been at least £20 for a taxi home. Luckily I was working not too far away so went to wait in a cafe and I picked her up once I'd finished work.

I have only had my chair a few weeks. So far I have only been around the village and everyone has been kind.

Or to Asda or cinema with my husband and he watches out for me of course.

I am worried that when I am out on my own further away, people might not be as kind as the village people.

But I have to try. I need to start building my independence. I am lucky enough to be applying for a mobility car which should get here next year...driving license permitting.

However for the next 3 months it is buses or nothing

One thing to consider is the style of bus, my friend has a power chair and sometimes struggled to fit in the wheelchair space as there tended to be a pole designed for the wheelchair user to hold onto but it would always make it hard for her to park in. Also she found some of the older style buses could drop to let her on and they didn’t carry Ramos the driver could bump up a normal chair but her power one was too heavy (not sure if that legal though and all buses should have ramps)

It would be up to the mum whether she lets someone hold her baby or gets off the bus. Most buses have space for 2 wheelchairs so as long as there aren't three wheelchair uses all trying to get on the same bus OP should be fine. I've never seen more than 1 wheelchair user on a bus but there are often multiple mums with buggies.

Depends on the driver, during Covid they are only suppose to be allowing one wheelchair or one pram as I got refused by a bus driver the other day to board the bus because he said he already had one pram
On and was only allowed to take one. Even though there is space for two.

Here's our local operators policy

nxbus.co.uk/files/NX-West-Midlands/Legal-2017/MicrosoftWord-DisabilityandAccessibilityJune2017.pdf

of note:

If a wheelchair user wishes to board the bus and the bay is already occupied :

• the driver will ask passengers to move to allow the passenger using the wheelchair to board.
• If in the first instance this request is not adhered to the driver will give a clear second instruction.
• Should this instruction continue to be ignored the driver will seek guidance via the radio from central control as to whether a company official such as a roadside inspector is available to assist.
• If additional assistance is not readily available the driver will need to make a decision as to whether to proceed, taking into account the reasonableness of the refusal to accede to the request and the overall needs of all passengers and other road users
• The driver cannot compel passengers to move if they refuse to do so and also has a duty of safety to the bus, its passengers and himself / herself. Thus if the situation cannot be resolved through the aforementioned process unfortunately in these circumstances the wheelchair user may need to travel on a subsequent service.

---

Of course if there isn't a subsequent service, than you are shit out of luck.

I live in the sticks and they do enforce the priority, and rightly so. Its a choice of fold the buggy, or get off the bus if a big pram that doesn't fold.

Legally you should be a priority, however it doesn’t always work like that.

There are times where the bus driver will refuse to intervene and if the parent refuses to get off...well there isn’t much you can do

You do have priority and bus drivers will ask passengers to move with prams. However, I've seen people with prams who refuse and the driver can't do anything. I don't blame the driver, many idiotic people about who will kick off...

What if there is already a wheelchair on the bus op? You'd be stuck, you might need a back up plan just in case.

Phone/email the by company. Get something official to show your to if people get arsy. And check the bus style. (Ive noticed around me they've brought a lot of ol' double deckers out of retirement to replace the accessible single deckers on busy routes).

Fwiw.. I used to get a rural bus with a pushchair. People went out of their way to create space and help, as they was 3 buses a day so we all had to get on somehow)

By power chair, do you mean an actual wheelchair that is power assisted. Or a mobility scooter? I don't think mobility scooters have the same rights as wheelchairs. I wouldn't expect a bus driver to move a baby in a pushchair for a mobility scooter but I would for a wheelchair.

I also think you should be a bit considerate though, the idea of calling the bus company to get in writing that you can kick any baby off the bus seems a bit over the top. If you're just going for a potter around the shopping centre for a bit of freedom then it would be considerate to let someone who needs the journey more than you to stay on the bus even though you "have priority".
Like when you're driving and you have right of way, but you let someone out of a junction, you dont have to, but sometimes its the right thing to do.

I understand where your concern is coming from. It must be extremely daunting for you.
But what you describe seems that the journey you would be making is a rural one and buses are irregular. What makes it okay for you to kick a mother off the bus with her child in the pissing down rain, having already established her place on the bus and paid for her ticket, leaving her stranded with a baby she may not have enough supplies for to last between buses or through the walk? Or a father for that matter.
Yes, legally wheelchair users should and do get priority over pram users, however I do think a bit of awareness and disgretion needs to be used. For example, if the pram user is one stop from their destination and can walk the extra then most people would move. However if there is still half an hour of the journey and the parents getting off would leave them stranded in a muddy field with no other transport, I think its unfair. Presumably, youwould be getting on at that stop because its near amenities for you which you could return to to wait for the next bus

What makes it okay for you to kick a mother off the bus with her child in the pissing down rain, having already established her place on the bus and paid for her ticket, leaving her stranded with a baby she may not have enough supplies for to last between buses or through the walk?

The fact that it is enshrined in law. You acknowledge this yourself. Trying to make the op feel guilty for standing up for her legal rights is really out of order.

Anyone who gets on a bus with a pram needs to be prepared to fold it or get off.

As a back up/alternative is there a dial a ride scheme near to you?

You absolutely have priority and the drivers should enforce that. If they don’t then you should complain.

The only time you wouldn’t get priority is if another wheelchair user (including children in special needs buggies/wheelchairs) is already in the space. Buggies should be folded to allow you to get on, no matter how much the parents might moan.

Parents with buggies can fold the buggy and hold their child. You don’t have the option to fold your wheelchair. If parents can’t or won’t fold the buggy then they should get off the bus to allow you to board.

Strange how the 24% of people who think OP is BU aren’t willing to say why.

Because it's a wheelchair space @Pearsapiece what part of that do you not understand ? I do find it ironic that you used the word awareness....

You absolutely have priority and the drivers should enforce that. If they don’t then you should complain.

And ?

It's long established that bus companies are under no obligation to require their drivers to enforce the law. If you're lucky you might get a days free ticket. (Not much consolation for not getting the last bus admittedly).

The real issue here is that the rights of the less able either don't exist, or where they do exist are unenforceable. DW and I have been together 25 years and she has used a wheelchair all that time and I am happy to state categorically that things are worse now than in 2005.

It's worth speaking to your local bus company to find out their policy and also how regular their spaces are occupied.

It is law that wheelchair users get priority, but some people are very unhelpful. To the point the local bus company here will only allow a pram to remain up in the pram space. They won't allow a second pram to use the wheelchair space - no matter how empty the bus is or how busy the route is - because drivers have been having much trouble getting people to fold prams (and people coming onto the bus to use the second space were always told when getting on only the wheelchair space was available so they may need to fold).

@x2boys it's actually an accessible space...

”I do think a bit of awareness and disgretion needs to be used.”

Oh the irony!

Hi OP,

I use a powerchair and get buses frequently, never had that many issues. Fitting the chair around the pole to get into the space, is a specific turning technique that builds over time. This can be difficult if people take up the small turn room with shopping trollies or bags. The best technique is, where possible, get on at a main stop point, rather than mid route as you are then first on.

Bus Drivers can vary from the lovely and helpful, to the making it very clear they find you annoying without stating anything. No different to cabbies in that respect. Nonetheless they know they have to assist and any shenanigans can be reported to the company

IME if pushchair owners and wheelchair users amicably cooperate there is no reason why both can't ride. I have ridden alongside parents/carers with pushchairs many times.

Don't be nervous, it will become 2nd nature, Good Luck!

We also have wheelchair equipped community transport here (free of charge) and they will pick up and drop off at a time to suit you and it guarantees space. Have you checked for anything similar near you? Might help your peace of mind? We have v infrequent buses too (rural Norfolk) so the community transport scheme is a God send.

It depends very much on the driver. My mum was once almost stranded in York because the driver refused to let her on in her powered chair.

I think you need a back up plan just in case. Either money for a taxi or someone you can call.

You need a plan B in case there's another wheelchair already on the bus - you shouldn't expect to be the only wheelchair user on that bus route.