that huge buggies should be banned from buses

[donkeyderby]

I was on the bus yesterday, and a woman got on pushing her child in an oversized buggy that took up four fold-up seat spaces.

AIBU to think that if you travel regularly by bus, you should invest in a cheap umbrella-style pushchair that takes only one space up?

Oh, Riven, for our train station, people have been complaining for years!! But they keep refusing to do anything about it, as it would require them closing the station down for however long it would take, and that they refuse to do as it is a busy station! But we keep writing letters! They did actually have a ramp many years ago, but they changed the entrance point, and now it is just stairs. Dh has been complaining for years, before he met me, so that just shows how much they actually really do no give a damn!

We are lucky that all our buses are low liners, and if I need to get the bus, then I do so at a non busy time as I have that option ie not a school run time.

I don't have a cheap little umbrella style buggy, but mine does not take up to much space. When we were choosing it though, I cannot say we ever even took into account if it would be small on the bus. If it would get on the bus, yes, but then, how comfy it looked for ds, how far it reclined, basket size, handle heigh as I'm 5ft 2 and dh is over 6ft.

What does annoy me on the bus, is the people who get on with a buggy, get their child out, then they both walk to the back of the bus, and leave their puschair shoved in a space, at an odd angle, and not even bothered to put a break on, so there is this empty buggy just rolling all over the space!

I am not going to get a cheap little umbrella buggy just for the bus, for a start, if I get the bus I tend to be going to do a reasonable size shop, so I want somewhere to be able to put the majority of the shopping. Or it ends up hanging on the handles, which I hate, and would take up even more space on the bus anyway.

Well, to be fair, when I'm on the bus I am probably not getting look over the size of my buggy, but more because ill have ds in the buggy, dd on my front, and a backpack on my back full of shopping!! I know what I look like and it aint stylish!!

Sprogger, FFS, you should have that newborn in a sling and the toddler in a rucksack! And the pre-schooler ... er ... needs to toughen up! And the shopping could go like this, obviously.

Your total disregard for other bus passengers astounds me. Tut.

We're lucky where I live as our buses easily fit about four or five pushchairs depending on size. I still use an umbrella fold though and would fold if someone in a wheelchair/with a younger baby in a pram came on.

My sis has an oversized buggy for her DD as she has special needs. She's always getting muttered comments from people ('that child's too old to be in a buggy' etc). She said she even got tuts and comments once because she'd given her DD lemonade! It was water......

I wish people would mind their own beeswax and worry about the bigger problems in life. Most people with bigger buggies have them for a reason!

People are supposed to be encouraged onto public transport.

This thread is not very encouraging, I'm going to stick with my car and I can put the buggy of my choice in the boot.

Just to add that when you have your first baby, you often don't realise the differences between buggies etc and often a grandparent will buy you one/someone may give you a second hand one. I had a medium sized buggy that was a PITA when my 1st was very young because I was given it. At least nobody tutted when I just chucked it in my boot!

Goblin Wand, I only just read your whole post and wanted to make clear that I wasn't poking fun at your final sentence btw, in case it sounded like that

Yabu.

Our busses run every 20 minutes, there is space for 2 pushchairs, or one pushchair and one wheelchair. There is one large space, one small.
We do lots or walking, as we have no car. When ds was born, my mum bought us a Quinny Speedi, which is great for walking, and when my dd was born, we got a 2nd hand p&t, which is again big but great.
We bought a maclaren when my ds was old enough, and the wheels worn down pretty quiickly, then bought a silver cross umberella fold, which buckled so much the front right wheel didn't touch the ground.
There are plenty cobble streets here, small flimsy pushchairs don't hold up. My big quinny is still in ace condition, it fits on the big space on thebus. I wouldn't change it.

DorotheaPlenticlew.....dont worry, I did not think you were. I use a sling for dd, mainly as it is easier, and I cant steer the double buggy to save my life!! Also, it is a pain to get in and out the house, as ive a step up to a narrow porch, then a step up into the house!

But, I still stand by the fact I look slightly silly , but I don't care, it is easier for me, so I do it. It may not be easier for others.

Yabu. Sorry.

You obviously all need to practice your "bus buggy tetris" skills. In our local area, the bus I use most often has one small space for a wheelchair (I have seen several wheelchairs use the space and it's a very tight fit), no luggage rack, the only other space you can even vaguely hope to fit a buggy in is opposite the wheelchair space, where there is one seat instead of two to allow for manouvering a wheelchair into the space. Some friends and I have managed to fit three buggies onto one of these, and two of them were not umbrella-fold maclaren types, one was a big Loola Up (mine) and one was a M&P Aria (like the Graco ones you see). The bus drivers usually drive past mums with buggies if there is one already on board which I think is silly - you can fit two on easily without blocking the aisle, the third one has to be small, and can block it slightly, but it's not difficult to move if someone wants to get on or off. (Though I can understand driver not being happy if it blocks aisle at all)

I got told off by a bus driver once. My crime? Folding up the buggy, and taking my DC upstairs. I still don't understand it.

we should all drive with our buggies in the back instead of getting public buses where we selfishly use up space

BertieBotts - read the post by LittleMrsHappy Fri 05-Mar-10 08:40:55 - she explains why they don't always stop.

Oh, I see - didn't realise it was an insurance issue. That makes sense.

insurance issue doesn't still explain why they don't stop...........assuming that the pushchair is one that can be folded surely insurance doesn't affect a pushchair folded up in the luggage rack??????

Who says the big'uns aren't banned? They are effectively banned if they are too wide!

I discovered I can't actually get my big pram on some buses (single-deckers), which so embarrassed me that I stopped using buses except with the foldy pram.

Riven I was just going to say how unlucky all you bus users who only have 1 space for a buggy... I think travel west midlands are pretty good with 6 fold down seats = 6 umbrella fold buggies without being folded down, or 2 lrage buggies and umbrella fold, wheelchair and 2 buggies and they have luggage space for shopping.

YABU

Is that all you have to worry about????

Get a life!!!!!!!!!!

That's right! Its called consideration for other people, but on this forum it seems a lot of mums seem to think they have some god given right to get special treatment.

I expect them to do what I had to do when my children were babies, and that is either fold the buggy up or walk. Other passengers are not responsible for you having decided to have children. Mums with massive buggies obviously don't give a toss about other passengers, so why the hell should they expect other passengers to give a toss about their problems?

As a pensioner now, I have had rude ignorant mothers shout abuse at me for having a shopping trolley, which I need to use, yet they can cause massive inconvenience to other passengers with their oversized
gigantic PRAMS which are NOT buggies. As usual a concession has, in their eyes, become a RIGHT!!!

Unlike some young mums who abuse the ability to take pushchairs on buses I have earned my Freedom Pass after paying into the tax system for 45 years. People of my generation are horrified by the sheer selfishness of some of these mums who think they have the right to preferential treatment
over other passengers. I have seen disabled aand extremely elderly people being turfed out of the seats in order to accommodate some of these huge "buggies".

Furthermore there is no LEGAL requirement for anyone to move from the designated space. Therefore if someone is going to shout at me I will NOT move. Incidentally, I ALWAYS move for a wheelchair, since the occupier clearly has NO choice in the matter, whereas mothers who buy and use OVERSIZED MASSIVE PRAMS ON BUSES DO HAVE A CHOICE.

Yes, so if you had had the option to use a buggy space on the bus you wouldn't have used it?

I have a large buggy for DD who has invisible SN which make it impossible for me to fold it/use a smaller one..and its usually the passengers who are rude/dont give a toss about us and not the other way round - politely asking someone to move one seat over so I can get buggy into the space being met with eye rolling and a pained expression- from people who are probably just like YOU.

And I have got off buses many a time for a wheelchair.

Just a bit shocked by your vitriol, just because of a few illmannered mums.

I myself was subjected to abuse in the supermarket yesterday from a guy in a wheelchair and his son, for no reason other than I was waiting patiently to pass them with my buggy.

There are rude people everywhere, but I didn't go posting in huge shouting CAPS that all people in wheelchairs are rude and illmannered etc.

Sayanora

We are PAYING passengers. We have the right to get on a bus just as much as you do!!

Yes some mums are ill mannered, but so are lots of other people.

HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at yourself in the mirror before you judge others.

Sayanora - as usual a few bad eggs make someone tar everyone with the same brush. I suspect it's people like you who roll their eyes and tut when my sister takes her disabled (but not obviously so) DD in her oversized buggy on the bus. How do you know they have a choice?

My DS was in an umbrella fold as soon as he was big enough - but tiny babies need to be in something more substantial, and actually, if a mother has a baby in a pram, doesn't drive, and needs to get from A to B when it's too far to walk - what other choice do they have??