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 agree with this. I'm a nanny and always discuss buggy options with parents as it relates to public transport. I'm the one who has to use it with your child, so I want something that doesn't take up much space and can fold easily. You don't buy a massive carriage if you plan on having to get the bus.

I used to call those the Range Rover buggies. The parents that would come on and park them horizontally taking up effectively 2 buggy spaces, because their need for aesthetic trumped practicality appeared really entitled.

I did read them, I’d have done the exact same thing as her and wouldn’t have cared less about it. First come, first served.

"Would love to know how many people advocating collapsing buggies on the bus have ever had to do it."

There were no accessible buses where I live until about 2010 so everyone had to fold.

Would you also have gone on social media complaining about it afterwards when the other woman shoved you and called you a cunt?

You put everything other than the baby on the floor while you fold the buggy. Or ask someone to help. If another parent wants the space, they will probably help.

Funny how I always managed when ds was small...

How is anyone going to take a week's worth of grocery shopping on a bus at all? If you don't have a car, you have to go shopping more often, or you get an online delivery.

"How do you expect someone to take a week's worth of grocery shopping home in an umbrella buggy?"

You will not fit a weeks worth of grocery shopping on any pram. My mum had one of those large old fashioned prams where you had a baby in it and a toddler sitting on a seat at the front and a big tray underneath. She still had to go shopping every few days.

This. A million times this.

And it’s not JUST the driver’s responsibility to ensure people with disabilities have their legal right to access public transport like the rest of us.

it is everyone’s responsibility. Even all you pathetic mummies who can’t organise yourselves for using public transport legally.

One of the reasons I stopped using public transport whilst heavily pregnant was because - despite having a very obvious baby bump, and even asking them to wait - the driver would often start driving off before I was seated, causing me to lose my balance.

Considering the only thing I was attempting to do was the basic task of sitting down, I don't know how anyone would be able to remove bags and collapse a pram, whilst holding a baby, then find a seat without risking the safety of themselves, their baby and potentially other passengers, in less time.

I can only assume that 'in my day' people had a lot more patience than they do now.

Of course z wheel chair user takes priority but this demonising women and name calling is awful, public transport should be for everyone

Why so aggressive?

I don't think anyone is arguing that buggies should take priority over wheelchair users?

I said about collapsing the buggy, and yes, I've done it many times. Sometimes with bags of shopping. Not a whole weeks worth, but then I don't know any buggy that could take a weeks worth of shopping. Had to juggle a baby and shopping and buggy before. Mostly people are helpful, a few times I was ignored and had to get on with it myself.

My main issue with using huge buggies is that they take up so much room, and then where there is usually space on our buses for 3 buggies only 2 can fit in because of the huge ones, meaning someone has to wait for the next bus because the huge ones are also a pain to fold down, especially if they're all separate parts.

Do you live somewhere rural? Where I live (city) there would not be nearly enough time to do this before the driver leaves the stop.

Before I get jumped on this is why I have only ever used the carrier on the bus.

I don't think anyone is arguing that buggies should take priority over wheelchair users?

Actually yes they are - if you read through this thread, you'll see a number of posters saying they won't fold, and that they are entitled to travel on buses on the first come first served principle.

Not folding means buggies clog up the wheelchair space, and the aisles. Which basically denies wheelchair users and other passengers with mobility aids (eg @dentydown 's experience upthread) access to buses. It's also illegal under the DDA, and the Equalities Act.

It means that these people - who refuse to fold or argue that the wheelchair user must wait) - DO assume they have priority of people with disabilities. It's a pretty depressing and disgustingly selfish attitude.

People with disabilities don't have the choice. People with prams do.

@Kpo58 No one should be taking a weeks worth of shopping on the bus anyway. There's online delivery available, and previous generations accepted that visiting the shops more frequently was required if they didn't have the means to get it all home in one go. Even big prams wouldn't fit a week's worth of shopping under them.

The space is for wheelchair users. Buggies should be prepared to fold at any moment.

Yes I have 'read through' the thread; I was actually the first commenter (why I am still here is another question entirely 😆).

There have been people saying they won't fold, but I haven't seen anyone saying they will refuse to fold or move if a wheelchair user needed the space.

Personally I have used a bus with a buggy all of one time, when my car broke down, and I had so much stuff I don't think I could have folded it down. But I knew that was my issue, and I wouldn't have hesitated to get off the bus and wait for the next one if a wheelchair user needed the space, or if I was blocking the aisle, etc.

So it is possible to allow wheelchair users to take precedence without folding your pram, as long as you are prepared to move if needed.

This thread wasn't about wheelchair users, however.

No, they should be prepared to fold or MOVE. If yo u think I'd holding new born twins in one arm whilst I fold a pram and juggle a nappy bag and some shopping you're crazy. If you expect me to move, you're perfectly reasonable.

Was DS small in the period since March 2019? Try post covid era twins.

Haha good luck emptying all that into the boys when it's standing room only 😂😂

All those complaining that it’s too hard to fold a buggy and asking how it can possibly be done safely - what are you going to do if a wheelchair user needs the space? Miraculously work out how to do it? Get off the bus? Or are you going to pretend it’s not happening and wait for the bus driver to do absolutely nothing and leave the person stranded at the roadside whilst you go on using the space that you’ve co-opted from someone legally entitled to it?

I commuted for ten years by bus and the vast majority of mums went for 3. That’s what all of this complaining about safety amounts to - “I bought a buggy that can’t be folded easily and so now my baby’s safety takes precedence over everything else”.

There was a wheelchair user carer saying they took their client to another stop after people there with push chairs made it clear they wouldn't be folding or waiting

It's relatively straightforward to fold if people round about you help. Someone needs to hold the baby/toddler, someone the shopping and then you have one hand to hold on with and one hand to fold. If the buggy has a bassinet attachment, it's even easier - just remove the bassinet and put it on the floor until you've folded the buggy. If you have a mobile child/older baby, reins are great for attaching them to the seat until you've folded.

There's only a problem if people refuse to help or if the bus driver/other passengers expect mums to fold their buggies instantly without the smallest delay. Or if you're trying to travel during rush hour with a huge buggy.

Have skimmed thread and can’t see if anyone else has commented that it is mentioned in the Daily Mirror.

Lol, what a knobhead you were. You would have been the idiot trying to push you off the bus if the roles have been reversed. Not only that, but claiming youll wave at them while you drive past...genuinely shows what a horrible, childish twat you are with thay attitude. Karma will come back on this one.

Ooooh maybe the 2 women will see OP’s arse being handed to her!