Wheelchair vs buggies. Showdown on the bus

[SweetiePi3]

Today wasn't a good day for me. I had to go to the Princess Royal hospital. I waited for the bus, but when it arrived, the ramp wasn't deploying properly.
After the 3rd attempt, I lined up my chair, and as it came out, hanging an inch or so from the ground, I stormed up the ramp and into the bus.
Coming back, I had to change buses. The bus was full with three buggies in the wheelchair space.
The driver opened the back door and told me he had asked them to make space, but they refused.
I put my good foot in the doorway, preventing him from closing it and driving off.
He told them that I was holding the bus hostage until they made space. One mum folded her buggy, and one moved out of the way.
The third still refused, and while I was trying to explain the law to her, over her shouting, her partner started yelling at me.
I asked them what the sign said, but they said they were there first. I told them that the bus went move until I'm on it.
Meanwhile, people were leaving the bus. They gave in and took their buggy off while I boarded the ramp, then came in after me.
The bus driver drove off with the four of us lined up, one folded buggy, the other two, and me

If she hadn't put her foot in the door the bus would have left without her the bus driver used the words hostage and had already whomped out of action by saying he had asked the pushchairs to move but they wouldn't....so what your saying is she should have meekly backed off and waited for another bus.

Brilliant driver we need more of them.

Wheelchairs have priority and the bus driver should have insisted that the buggy was folded and refused to move until space had been made for you. He absolutely shouldn't have driven off and left you.

I will say that it really depends on the pram. Some prams are not very easy to fold on a whim. It also depends on the age of the child in the pram. Newborns are easier to handle than a two year old, but newborn prams tend to be harder to fold up. It can also be quite dangerous having a newly walking baby running loose on a bus with the doors constantly opening and shutting.
I can see both sides, it doesn't necessarily make the mother's selfish.
I tend to walk to most places because I live centrally. Others may have no choice but to use the bus.

Nope completely wrong there is no two sides it isn't a pushchair space it's a wheel chair space that prams use if empty.

If you are going to be using public transport buy a pram you can fold up no excuses.

The parents who don't move are disgusting and selfish.

Good for you I don't drive and always take my buggy on the bus and I would always fold or get off if someone in a wheel chair needed the space it's the law and also the right thing to do! One thing I do wish they had was space to put a folded buggy as they take up almost as much room folded I'm okay now mine is a toddler as it's a smaller buggy but when they are tiny with a carry cot it would probably take up more room folded! Anyway good for you and well done they were very rude.

Good for you OP, although it's shocking that you had to insist so much.

I mean even without a sign saying that wheelchairs take priority, isn't it obvious that they must do? It takes a special type of entitled idiot to refuse to move.

Too late for the wheelchair user who couldn't board the last bus of the day in the howling rain with no other option though.

Until the disabled are properly catered for, you can shove your public transport up your arse. Right up. I want to see headlamps in your mouth.

People with kids in buggies and prams need to stop being such mard arses and just prepare for their journey better.

They have options. They can use a sling or baby carrier. They can buy a foldable stroller to take on public transport instead of massive prams that don't fold down and take up loads of space. They may even be able to walk the remaining distance if there are too many people on to fit a wheelchair in.

Those parents that are able bodied, fit and healthy can juggle a collapsible stroller and a baby and plan for this kind of thing happening.

People with physical disabilities do not have these options. They need their wheelchair to ge and rely on the goodwill of the general public which is option seriously lacking.

• People with physical disabilities do not have these options. They need their wheelchair to get from A to B and rely on the goodwill of the general public which is often seriously lacking.

@Betterbear

Mmm I certainly would not put any baby under 18 months in a pushchair. Mothers should not feel the need to risk their babies health for the sake of others.

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😂😂😂 there are plenty of pushchairs available suitable for newborn babies.

It is not a risk to their health 😂

Get a grip.

How ironic that you are so wary of babies health by not using a stroller that you don't give a shit that someone taking a whacking great pram on public transport might be detrimental to someone that doesn't have great health.

Im frequently on the bus with the buggy, I would have got off and waited for the next bus no questions

With foldable pushchairs like this available there really is no excuses for refusing to make space on public transport for wheelchair users.

If you want to use public transport regularly you should invest in a pushchair and always be prepared to fold it down. Wheelchairs users do not have this choice.

@Betterbear suitable from birth and perfectly adequate for a baby.

The bus driver can say move or get off the bus, and this bus is going nowhere until you do.

What a shit experience. I’m so sorry.

Yes drivers do get it tough sometimes. But

He should not have said that she was the one holding the bus hostage. It’s not really fair to say that and lay blame on her. He should have said he wasn’t driving until she was safely on the bus.

It's not that we want to be militant and demanding, in the big buses there's usually room. I often tell the driver refusing a buggy because I'm already there, that there's room and to allow her on. I usually get a grateful look and whispered thanks. We all have somewhere to go and it's not nice for anyone to be left at the bus stop because someone on board is behaving selfishly.

That’s very fair of you. And as you say he left with you all on the bus so clearly there was enough space in the end! Just some were too inconsiderate to move and make space for everyone.

Exactly! Everyone should be mindful of one another and always make room where possible, while prioritising wheelchairs.
It would help if parents with prams/strollers remember why those spaces even exist.
And it's their problem if they have chosen to travel with a pram that doesn't collapse!

That's it we all have choices whether it's to get a foldable pram use slings etc

The disabled person doesn't have this choice, they would love to not need this space but they don't have that option.

Sorry you experienced this but please remember (not in this case) but sometimes a pushchair is used in place of a wheelchair, we did until mine were 5&3 because dd1 is autistic and needed to be secured into the buggy and dd2 was wayward - I carried dla papers and a letter to prove eligibility (back then they didn't allow pushchairs on all buses anyway). Another friend had twins with cerebral palsy and used a double pushchair until they were nearly 7 because nobody has invented a double wheelchair and they were petite, thankfully one could walk a bit and she has a buggy board arrangement on the wheelchair now. Not everything is always as cut and dry

I agree with you OP

As a single parent of twins this is also why I won't take the bus as folding and juggling 2 babies is impossible

I completely agree with you, a disabled child is just the same as a disabled adult and should have the same rights as the adult.
Who would challenge any buggy mum claiming her childs disability whether true or not. The child should have a disability bus pass the same as an adult.
On boarding the bus the mum could show the driver this pass so he could tell a wheelchair user that the space is occupied by another disabled person.

I imagine (to anyone with any common sense) it would be obvious there's a significant reason for using a buggy in these sorts of situations given the age of the children using them. I certainly wouldn't cause a scene or start demanding proof of disability from anyone.

It's really upto bus drivers to enforce the law regarding discrimination and disability when in charge of a public transport vehicle. Some of them are an absolute waste of space and shrug. It's not acceptable.

How would you like the bus drivers to enforce the law? The most they can do is stop the bus and refuse to move whilst they phone for assistance.

Sadly, the fight between a wheelchair user and pram user isn't the top priority for the police to attend either.

As for 'wastes of spaces who just shrug' - you'd probably shrug aswell if you had to put up with the crap they have to on a daily basis with no back up from management.

Is this Pincess Royal Telford ? If so it's even worse because it's not like London where another bus will be along in 10 mind, you could be waiting an hour or so!