Disabled seat on buses

[Spidey66]

So about 10 days ago I tripped over a step and broke my arm. I had a cast on for a week, then it was removed but I still have a sling and am in considerable pain.

I took a brief trip to the high street on the bus for cash today. On the return I got on the bus and sat on the disabled seat nearest the driver. As i was on the inside, my injured left arm was against the window so I felt safe as I feel anxious about others bumping into me, or losing my balance at an emergency stop. I feel I am entitled to use the disabled spot as I have a temporary disability, which given I have a sling is obvious.

An older woman sat next to me on the outside of the seat then a much older lady got on and there didn't appear to be a seat for her. I felt dead guilty (damn you Catholic childhood!) and ended up explaining to her why I wasn't able to stand up for her. As it was, she was fine with my explanation and the lady sat next to me offered her the seat.

So is it is OK for a middle age woman to use a disabled seat because of a broken arm? Noone on the bus made me feel bad except myself but I don't know their thoughts!

God the vitriol being displayed above by those determined to thump the OP for using a seat she was entitled to is unbelievable. Those posters need to address whatever in life is making them so angry rather than tearing chunks out of the OP for no good reason.

I think it’s fine. It’s not safe for you to stand due to risk of balance/someone banging in to you so you should get a seat. If you could easily get to another use that but you shouldn’t be made to stand.

I don’t see anything wrong with you sitting in the priority seat if it was unoccupied, and you’ve admitted you’ve done this even before your broken arm. But the part that makes me cringe for you is then an elderly lady got on and you explained to her why you needed the seat more than her. Wow. That’s got to take some guts to be that selfish and entitled. Broken arm or not I would have got up and given her my seat. You said being elderly doesn’t mean disabled but you also are not disabled either. The old lady could have arthritis, bad eyesight, heart issues etc that weren’t clearly visible. I think you were unreasonable here. You should have just sat in a normal seat further along the bus as by sitting in the priority seat there’s a chance someone with an obvious disability could have got on the bus for instance a blind man. Would you have gotten up then? or explained to him about your arm??

But the elderly woman could also get a cab if she is worried about falling, not saying g she should but she could. Presumably both wanted to take the bus as cabs are more expensive and using them all the time is probably not financially convenient.

Many blind men (if physically healthy) can easily stand on buses. As can many elderly people!

The idea that public transport isn't there to be safe and convenient and that we should instead contribute to lung problems in children, road traffic deaths and global warming by buying a car or just randomly win the lottery to pay for taxis instead of having a sensible, safe, sane, user-friendly public transport system is so very typical of Mumsnet! It reminds me of what is so very wrong with our society.

OP is the one with the injury it's up to her if she required it. I hope you don't go round vetting people's needs for priority seating IRL - they shouldn't have to disclose to you

And yes of course priority seats are for people less able to stand up safely.

Really, though, bus drivers should be allowed by their employers to refrain from moving until everyone has sat down safely and to give people time to get off the bus safely at bus stops.

Sorry but it's OP's arm she knows the situation

Doesn’t disabled mean not being able. Whilst it’s just a short term issue rather than permanent she is not currently able to move around as normal and therefore does have a temporary disability. There are lots of jobs she currently can’t do, currently can’t drive and currently can’t safely stand on a moving bus.

Well you are lucky you have been on buses where a driver will wait for you to sit down before driving off, because most won’t, even when asked, in fact some will deliberately lurch more.

Have you actually bothered to read OPs posts, where she has explained numerous times she knows she is not disabled, but temporarily is vulnerable so needs a priority seat. She has also said she has early onset of osteoporosis, where she could easily become very disabled - you know crumbling spine, regularly breaking bones at the drop of a hat, nothing to worry about it seems, as so many of you seem to think she is making a mountain out of a molehill having another broken arm, did you also miss the part where she explained she had previously broken her other arm.

Many elderly people are quite capable of standing on a bus, and a lot aren’t, but other people on front seats could have offered up their seat to the elderly person, but didn’t, you and many others seem blinkered to thinking only OP should have offered her seat up, which she was more than entitled to sit on.

12 weeks and surgery is bad, 4 to 6 average 10 days precautionary for all arms

What's making me angry?

Disability.
Pain.
People's attitudes to the concessions disabled people have fought for over the years.
People's attitudes to disability.
Lack of sleep.
Did I mention pain?

I think it was fine to use the seat, OP. You are obviously injured. It's hardly like some young, fit, non-disabled and non-injured person taking the piss and just not fancying standing up for someone who needs the seat more.

It's actually quite hard to walk around a moving bus with only one functioning arm, and quite easy to lose your balance.

YANBU.

I've also got pain and poor sleep. I know it's temporary but it's still there!

I didn't have a cast last time either but had surgery. For about the millionth time, I'm waiting to hear whether surgery is needed this time. I've got an appointment tomorrow.

I'm not going to take advice from a random person as to whether my arm is bad depending on how many weeks I'm in a cast. I'll go with how I'm feeling and what my xrays reveal and the advice from orthopaedics.

Jeez.

Oh and to add further. I have repeatedly said the lady on the outside seat gave the older lady a seat. She did not go without. I keep having to repeat things. It seems (some) people are just wanting to kick me when I'm down, without bothering to read my posts to ascertain the facts.

Right I'll tell you what is making me angry
Pain
Poor sleep
Inability to carry out everyday activities like preparing and cutting my food, getting dressed, walking the dog, going to the gym, lifting anything heavier than a kettle, using my bike. I don't drive but if I did I wouldn't be able to
People suggesting that because this is not permanent, I should not sit in a priority seat on the bus, even though tfl provide this for those like me who are currently not able to stand
Did I mention pain and poor sleep?

I KNOW this is temporary. I'm not stupid. Are people not allowed to get help if their difficulties are temporary? Surely accessing help on a temporary basis prevents it becoming permanent and then needing even more support? All I wanted to do was sit on a bus for a few stops, I wasn't asking for a package of care and PIP!

And some of us with a visual impairment find our balance especially on moving transport is affected.

Im visually impaired and perfectly capable of standing on buses trains and tubes

Nowadays I have a physical impairment which makes it more difficult but honestly it's easier to stand as someone visually impaired than it is as someone with only one functioning arm.

Are you visually impaired? Or are you just presuming the abilities of visually impaired people? Because honestly I find that a little patronising

Oh and I'm on a sabbatical from work atm. I work in mental health for the NHS. Bad timing really, as I'd get paid sick leave if I wasn't on a sabbatical. I had been planning to use this time to move from London but can't pack and move atm. So I'm not receiving any sick pay from the NHS, but I'm not on benefits either. So the only help I'm requesting is painkillers, hospital appointments and treatment and yes a priority seat on the bus. Is that really an unreasonable expectation for someone with a broken limb?

Those seats are prioritised for people who need it. IMO, if someone gets on who needs it more than you, then yes, you should have got up.

You also have a broken arm, not a broken leg. You could stand and hold on with your good arm.

I’m pregnant, I’ve sat in those seats. I’ve also got up when an elderly person who clearly needs it more has got on.

So yes, YABU.

No I’m not visually impaired. But my grandfather was and he wouldn’t have been able to stand on a moving bus that’s jerking around corners etc. So I was going off my own personal experience of him and his needs. Obviously there are some visually impaired people who would be completely fine standing on a moving bus.

Anyway I was just using blindness as an example of a disability you could clearly SEE someone had if they got on the bus with a mobility cane or guide dog. As opposed to a hidden disability you wouldn’t immediately be aware of.

@TimesRwo and yet again, someone piling in to put the boot in without reading my posts which explain several times why I needed a priority seat.

I have read your posts. I still think you were unreasonable.

This might be a strange concept but it is very possible for people to still think you were unreasonable even after you provide updates to justify your position…mind blowing concept isn’t it?!

Not all visually impaired people have a white cane or a dog 🙄

In fact as a child/young person/adult I was far more likely to get the kind of judge comments that the OP had been getting on here because me being younger than someone else apparently totally outweighed any concept of disabilities in younger people

Which is why the concept that if someone older gets on, because they might have a problem, they should absolutely get a seat, over a younger person who definitely has a problem pisses me off

That kind of ageism is exactly why I know its possible for me to navigate public transport on my feet with a visual impairment, and physical impairment even though it would leave me in pain. Because the concept that an old person is absolutely worse off than me meant some very rude interactions.