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.

Our village offers a Dial-A-Ride or Community Bus service.
Check if it's available in your area.
It could be a useful back up option
www.gov.uk/community-transport-services-shopmobility

Very curious as to how having friends on standby will help.
How would they be able to get a powered chair into a car?

I have a battery powered wheelchair and it is small with a tight turning circle. I decided to get the chair over a scooter, as I knew chairs had more legal rights to go into shops and public transport.

Thank you to the posters wishing me luck and general good wishes I appreciated it.

To those that think my desire to leave my house for a few hours should rank lower than a mothers right to go out, should give their head a wobble.

I travelled last on the buses when I was able bodied, 10 years ago and I travelled with my baby and 2 yo in a Phil and Ted foldable pram and my 4yo on reins.
I would have always folded the pram and toddler on my lap and baby in a sling from the nappy changing bag.

I chose to be a mother, I didn't chose to be disabled.

Might also be worth seeing if your area has a Ring and Ride service.

Thank you for the link.
I searched and yes there is a Ring and Ride service in my area and I am eligible to use it. So I will register on that as my backup and make sure I have the fare on me

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?

Bloody hell what a ridiculous sob story. Do you not think disabled people also might need supplies? We all chose to become mums and we chose which buggy to buy and should have bought one that was capable of folding. When my mum got on buses 30 years ago there simply wasn't a space for the double buggy - she folded it and corralled two toddlers onto the bus with the shopping bags too.

Hi. I used to support a wheelchair user and we would often go out and about on the buses. It was in Edinburgh, but the buses all had ramps so I would just push him right on with no bother.

The buses all had signs up saying that wheelchair users have priority over the wheelchair space, and that if the prams cannot be folded the bus driver will give you a ticket to continue your journey on the next bus. This is company policy so the drivers were expected to enforce it, although they rarely needed to as most people were decent.

The only thing I would be wary of is that there is only one wheelchair space per bus so it might be a good idea to have a back up plan if possible. We were lucky enough to have a bus service ever twenty minutes where he lived so waiting for the next one was no big deal.

But no, you are definitely not being unreasonable.

That's good Worry
However it's a real pain that bus services get cut because the councils don't get enough money from central government. Hence many things get cut. I won't get on my soapbox as I'll never get off.

The village I used to live in offered a half hourly bus service from 6.30am to 11pm every day of the week except on Sundays (was hourly on Sundays) when I first moved there.
Now it's down to hourly between 7am to 5.30pm & no buses on a Sunday! (Luckily there is a half hourly late running bus service in the next village which is only a 15/20 min walk away)

I don’t have a disability nor does anyone in my immediate family but I could scream for how disability unfriendly this damn country can be, of course you are a priority you didn’t choose to have a disability but people choose babies. I used to get the bus with my baby and either take something easily collapsed or a papoose thing

I think you would have priority unless it’s a pushchair for disabilities. Sometimes I do think it’s not fair if it’s a buggy with a young child and shopping or something because that’s not easy for the parent but it is what it is. My kid has one of those Maclaren pushchairs and I won’t move it if a wheelchair needs on and there is no space. I don’t really use buses so it’s never been an issue.

@QuestionableMouse

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.

That's terrible. It really shouldn't depend on the driver, they should have a company policy on it. I hope your poor mother complained!

In Scotland no you do not have priority. Someone took a bus company to court a good few years ago here and the court ruled no wheelchairs are not priority on buses but maybe different in england

My daughter was on oxygen and often in casts on her legs. Despite this being very obvious the number of times on the bus I was had a go at for refusing to fold the buggy down was mental. It’s as if people think babies can’t be disabled.

@aprilanne

In Scotland no you do not have priority. Someone took a bus company to court a good few years ago here and the court ruled no wheelchairs are not priority on buses but maybe different in england

Definitely not the cause with Lothian buses. No idea about the rest of Scotland though.

Case*

Mrsmrt1981 that's a good policy but that's only a good will gesture by bus company in ours it's just take your chances .they certainly didn't let my wheel chair bound dad on in our area .I remember reading about the case and thinking jesus really .the problem is there is no where to store collapsed buggies like there was In older type buses so parents have not much option it's not thought out when the buses being built

@OwlBeThere

My daughter was on oxygen and often in casts on her legs. Despite this being very obvious the number of times on the bus I was had a go at for refusing to fold the buggy down was mental. It’s as if people think babies can’t be disabled.

I am sorry people didn't understand, of course you couldn't be expected to fold. Your daughter is entitled to use that space.

Of course if another disabled person/child/baby was on the bus before me. I would have to suck it up.

I am grateful to posters here, as now I have a back up plan now with the ring and ride service.

Our local tesco and sainsbury run a local bus service twice a week as we are pretty rural too. See if there is similar where you are. There is no fare to pay and our dial a ride is also free. Our local gp practice volunteers run a shopping trip with wheelchair access which you could investigate

This is true @OwlBeThere my ten year old has a blue badge and we have a mobility car for him under SMI rules ,we have had some funny looks parking in a disability space .

OP in my area they have a door to door service called order of Malta it's a free disability mini bus run by council they take people to where they need to go and come back a few hrs later maybe ask your council hopefully they have a service

I'm in London and have often been asked to get off the bus during busy times because someone in a wheelchair needs the space used by my pushchair, often during commuter hours when I'm in a rush to get somewhere. I would never dream of batting an eyelid at this, people in wheelchairs should always always have priority over pushchairs and I'm glad it's a legal right--you can choose not to use a pushchair but someone who relies on a wheelchair to get around can't suddenly decide to leave it at home one day.

My wonderful grandma spent the majority of her life in a wheelchair so maybe I have a little more insight into the difficulties involved.

It seems that in 2012 a man called Dennis palley took first bus in Leeds to court because he was refused to board the bus after initially winning the case the supreme court over turned case to say no you dont have a right .but in 2017 the same court said that buses should try to end first come first served policy and move towards giving priority to wheel chair users .but again didn't say when this policy must be law ..
In scotland it's still up to individual bus operators but they encourage put wheel chair users first
As I said they dont I my area but well seemingly in Lothian they do which is good

@Worrysaboutalot sorry my post wasn’t in any way helpful to you!! Just a long ago resentment brewing . Apologies and I wish you well on your travels

What you are entitled to expect to happen as outlined in law (or even common decency) isn’t necessarily what actually happens in real life when you’re a person with a disability, although I suspect you know that already.

Your best bet is to contact the bus company in advance of travel on each day that you expect to travel tbh, given your specific circumstances re infrequency of buses, rural location, and lack of funds for taxis. Otherwise - and I do feel bad for saying this given your obvious concern - I fear you do run the risk of getting stuck somewhere when you encounter a wheelchair space filled with a buggy, a parent refusing to fold, and a driver refusing to enforce the folding of the buggy.

It would also be worth you contacting the bus company in advance to check the accessibility of the buses in general. Several posters here have made comments about the availability of ramps etc: having lived in rural locations with similar bus services as you describe, they were not accessible for wheelchair users at all (and still aren’t - the buses in question are still in use on this particular route and they are not even lowered, never mind have ramps or anything). Not all buses are disability friendly I’m afraid, once you’re outside of urban areas.

My daughter was on oxygen and often in casts on her legs. Despite this being very obvious the number of times on the bus I was had a go at for refusing to fold the buggy down was mental. It’s as if people think babies can’t be disabled.

I remember a MN thread where someone said they had a SN child who was on Oxygen. He used a SN buggy rather than a wheelchair and was told by some posters that since it was technically a wheelchair not a buggy she had no more right to the spot than any other buggy. Bloody idiotic. The actual people on the thread who were wheelchair users though didn't share this view and said they wouldn't ever ask her to move.