Pushchair fight on bus

[Partygal]

After picking my child up from her child minder today, I arrived the bus stop to find two women with buggies waiting.

Knowing that the driver wouldn’t let three of us on, I walked round the corner to the previous stop and got on there.

When it arrived at the next stop, sure enough only mum was allowed on - the other was told to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. I was screamed at and called a cunt and a queue jumper by one mum who tried to shove me off the bus.

I don’t think I did anything wrong, nor did the police when they turned up after being called by the driver.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

I always use the first stop on the route when I’m out with my pram to make sure I get a space.

That isn't the same as walking to a stop, seeing two mums with prams already waiting, then thinking f* them and* *heading to the earlier stop.

This and my pram doesn't fold down either, the seat and chassis are separate and come apart to be folded away.

So many do-gooders on MN today.

If you know you're going to be regularly using public transport, then the onus is on you to buy a suitable pushchair or even sling.

Can't say I'd be quite so congratulatory if someone else deliberately screwed me over for no reason other than they could to be honest, it's different if she went to that stop anyway, but she was the last buggy there, knew she wouldn't be allowed on and then acted in a way that deliberately stopped the other people being able to board the bus so she could.
Though not illegal or 'wrong' as such, and the people involved did totally overreact to what happened (if indeed it did happen) that reaction was the risk the OP took by behaving the way she did, people don't tend to react well to being screwed over by someone else, when you choose to do that you risk that you won't like the response to your actions 🤷🏼‍♀️.
The option was open to the other women, but what OP did was sly and underhanded imo and when you behave like that, you risk the concequences.

YABU. You knew they were waiting at the next stop. You should have folded your buggy when you got on. I think you might be one of those people that likes drama so they have something to talk about. This was a totally unavoidable situation.

Ah but this is MN. every one should have an umbrella type just for the bus and then you just magically hold everything in your arms whilst using jedi mind powers to fold the buggy. Or you dump your kids on randomers, your shooing bags all over the floor and the bus driver stops for 5 minutes at every stop whilst you sort it all out and everyone sits patiently

I don't think that you did anything wrong, good thinking OP.

Don't get on a bus then if it's too much trouble.

I think it’s slightly cheeky seeing as both of the other women will have known she’s technically pushing in, even if it’s clever!

I would have felt a right bitch if I'd done that OP!

I probably would have opted to walk home or at least walk in the direction of home for 30 minutes and get the next bus down the road.

Interesting that it's called 'clever' when you do something deliberately to upset another person. Please don't teach your children to do this!

Just so I've understood... the bus stayed in place at the stop waiting for the police?

How long was it between OP getting on the bus and the police arriving?

What was everyone doing in the meantime?

Was she screaming and shoving you that whole time?

What did the presumably full bus of people think about being made to wait so you could have your buggy bust up?

How did the woman who didn't get on the bus recognise you from outside the bus? She wouldn't have seen you get on, so she looked through the window (presumably high above her) and recognised your head? (I assume your body, buggy and baby would have been obscured by the wall of the bus). A woman she would have only glimpsed in passing as you walked past to another bus stop. It's strange she noticed or remembered you at all.

And then her friend, based on that, boarded the bus, called you the c word and shoved you. And felt strongly enough about it to stay there until the police came, holding up a whole bus of people.

Please come back and explain more

I understand what you're saying, but I disagree because for me it's just OP choosing her inconvenience. It wasn't necessarily the case that someone wouldn't be able to board; they could all have boarded if one person folded their buggy down. OP decided that she would rather take on the inconvenience of walking a bit further than the inconvenience of being the one to fold her buggy, so she did that. I'm not saying she was community paragon of the year, but there's a big difference between going over and above to help people and being a selfish arsehole, which she has been accused of on here. I think she was morally neutral and what she did was fine.

What OP did is the equivalent of wanting to turn left at a roundabout where there's a long queue, so instead of waiting, drive down the 'straight ahead' lane and do a full lap of the roundabout to push in at the front.

Not illegal but definitely not in the spirit and would mark one out as being a CF.

I can't condemn you OP because I've done the same thing myself. I arrived at the bus station with my wheelchair using service user and a couple were there with their pram. The buses on this route are 95% small with only a wheelchair space. While waiting for the bus they made it pretty clear, through conversation with other passengers, that they had no intention of putting the pram down.

Your situation was completely different @PhoenixReincarnated You were anticipating precisely the kind of selfish - and actually illegal - behaviour that many PPs are applauding or excusing.

Your wheelchair user companion had the right to board first and occupy the wheelchair space. But it sounds as though the selfish fuckers with the buggy were just that - selfish fuckers.

So you did the sensible thing.

This thread is very instructive - I can see what people with disabilities have to put up with

You did a clever but very sneaky thing, I can understand why they were peeved especially if they’d waited there for ages. The polite thing would have been to wait for the next bus or fold your buggy but I understand why you chose to do that instead. Obviously no excuse to be shouted and sworn at, ever.

@SofiaSoFar I don't, I drive. But that's besides the point, if I did need to get on a bus my pram doesn't fold down.

Can’t believe some people here! So you’d never shout or swear if someone blatantly pushes in front of you?!

It’s like some parallel universe here sometimes where no one swears or they do the cats bum mouth at others in real life to express their displeasure!

Also seems like OP had no intention ever of waiting for the next bus or folding her pushchair/buggy. Prioritising her time over others.

And I'm sure her life is trotting along nicely, despite what you think of her

Exactly. The other women had the same choices available to them.

Quite. When my kids were young, you had to fold them. Nowhere to put them upright.
I used to struggle with a double buggy, shopping and two toddlers, as did others, but we survived.🙄

When we were young (50s and 60s) DB and I were transported in a massive Silver Cross pram. There was no way of getting that bastard on a bus, so we only went to places within walking distance. You could take it on trains, but it had to go in the guard's van.

Children are a part of society and people need to be more accepting, but they are not entitled to the wheelchair space, regardless of the mum being disabled. That's not how it works. It is for wheelchair users.

Haven't RTFT but a lot of people seem disbelieving of the police thing.

I called the police in the street once, and they turned up while I was still on the phone. (Smallish town, presumably a car was already near my location.)

I can see a situation where a bus driver calls the police, says "I have violent passengers on board causing a disturbance", pulls in and waits, and the police attend quite quickly. Doesn't seem unbelievable at all.

How would you have felt if someone did that to you

I would probably shrug and think fair play to her. There is some serious emotional overinvestment in this. Some of you sound like you would be seething for weeks.