Travel on London Underground with pushchair

[PigsWiggle]

I don't live in London but have to go there in a few weeks with my 1 year old, we will need to travel on the underground and I'm worrying about how to do this with a pushchair, any advice?!?

Take a good look at the step free travel guides online, see whether the stations have lifts (and there was a poster here the other week who thought she had it all sorted but found out when there that the lift didn't actually go to the platform she needed). If there are lifts then it is quite easy, though it will take a while as the lifts are always miles away from the platforms!

I found a snoozeshade really helpful for when DD was getting overstimulated by all the new sights and people.

Which stations do you need to visit? Maybe someone can advise you whether the journey will be practical by Tube, or whether buses might be better.

Oh, also, it might be worth moving this to Chat - much more traffic there!

I travel on the Tube quite a lot, prev with my huge P&T and now with a smaller Zapp. Would have to say it is miles easier with the smaller stroller, but even with the massive one it was fine.

People helped me, and I used escalators if necessary.

Also most of the Jubilee line in particular has lifts which helps.

If you post the route I'll see if it's one I have done before and can advise on.

I used to live in London two years ago and would take 2-3 year old DS1 and newborn- 1 year old DS2 on tube, one in pram/ buggy, one walking - it can be done. My advice would be if at all possible to choose your lines carefully (the newer ones like East London Line (orange) and Jubilee (silver) tend to have more lifts and bigger trains), avoid rush hour, and if you are travelling at the weekend check line closures as there always are really annoying engineering works which will scupper your carefully homed plans.

I always found that people were very helpful in assisting to carry a buggy up stairs, especially when I was caught out by sneaky lifts that then made you get a flight of stairs to the platform.

Carefully honed plans, I mean...

I have no problems with Euston, London Bridge, Waterloo and Victoria. I do take the pushchair on escalators though.

As a Londoner, I'm well used to taking buggies on tubes, trains, buses, you name it...

The first time you take a buggy onto an escalator can be a bit terrifying... but it's easy after the initial panic!! Simply roll on and then tip the buggy back so the back wheels are on the step. Do not do what I tried to do and go on backwards (bad move!).

Best to have a folding buggy like Maclaren if you can, so you can fold up and squish onto a train if need be. People are helpful going up and down stairs, but not so joyful when you're trying to squish a buggy into their legs on a crowded tube - this would only be from 8-10am and 4-7pm though.

Don't know the size of your child, but I ended up using a sling alot and that was miles easier!

Good luck!!

IME very few stations are step free and even those with lifts well all you need is one broken and you are faced with problems. I would try to borrow a lightweight buggy or a sling if your back can take it and plan to use escalators. And definitely avoid rush hour.

Last time I was on the Jubliee line heavily pregnant and with a toddler not a sole helped me either to sit down (I was carrying toddler as she was scared of the noise/dark) or carry anything up any stairs. Well the only man that offered was over 80 and I refused he didnt look up to it ! I was bloody knackered afterwards and it really did my back in :(

Have you considered buses ?

Thanks for all your replies, I'm starting to feel less apprehensive about it now!

My train will go to Kings Cross, then I need to get tube to either Westminister or Waterloo.

I have a snooze shade so I'll make sure that I take it with me. My little one is only about 17lb, I'll take my sling but I haven't used it in ages so not sure if I can carry her in it now without my back aching! My pushchair was borrowed from a friend and it is very big and clunky, thinking I may buy a second hand Maclaren.

I have never been on a bus with a pushchair either! I'm thinking it would be hard lifting buggy up on to bus and would it be more crowded than tubes?!

Bus is definitely worth considering, especially if you get the Maclaren. The 59 takes you all the way there and drivers will normally let you get on through the middle doors if you ask.
It officially takes 35 mins but then you're also taking into account the time it would take you to get on and off the tube, there's no hoiking up and down stairs and it's MUCH easier to get off in a hurry if necessary.

should be easy enough - i believe you can take the tube to green park then take the jubilee line to westminster. all 3 stations have lift access i believe

buses are fine as long as you are not in rush hour

Also, if you don't already have an Oyster, get one - it will make your fares much cheaper.

Step free tube guide here

www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/14091.aspx

Kings x, waterloo and westminster all step free, You will need to change at Green Park, I think that is step free too but do check!

Kings X is pretty easy to navigate with a pushchair now it has been revamped, I did King X - London Bridge the other day with the Maclaren and it was fine. Green Park is apparently wheelchair friendly so probably will be fine to go around with the pushchair, and if I remember right (though do check) if there are any steps they are old-fashioned steps, so the kind of ones you're probably happy taking the buggy up anyway.

But the 59 is definitely worth thinking about, also the 68 from Euston (about 4 mins walk from King X) straight to Waterloo.

However if you have a sling I'd make sure its been adjusted for your DC before you go, so that if you do get caught out anywhere you can quickly pop baby in the sling and fold up the pushchair to carry/drag it.

The 59 from Kings cross should be easy peasey - that's the start of the route, so no worries about buggies already being on board. Ditto the 68, as Nelly says (although I've yet to do the KX-Euston walk in 5 mins! - but it's true it isn't far), and again it's the start of the route.

To get the buggy on the bus you should only need to tip it back slightly to get the front wheels up - its not a huge height difference like it might be getting on the train.

If you are travelling outside rush hour, the buses are likely to be much quieter than the tubes (I think because visitors from out of town tend to use the tube because they don't feel confident to use the buses, so still lots of people on the underground throughout the day)

Buses also have a much better view, fresher air and are cheaper!

Look on the tfl website, loads of info on there. Westminster is definitely wheelchair friendly so should be ok

kings cross is fine with a buggy as its got loads of lifts, i go thru there all the time and its a very easy station.
think waterloo is also steps free, and green park has been converted into steps free recently
so you've got quite lucky with your journey and should be pretty simple
as its all steps free stations ur travelling through - i would stick to tube rather than bus as it will be easier and quicker in that case.

Yes, depends on your timings really. That tube journey is really easy, but with the bus you get to see London, though it will probably take a little bit longer.

Thank you for all your replies, I was feeling really confident about travelling with buggy until my DH pointed out trip will be during the Olympics and it will be very busy!!!

There is that...

How long have you got, Pigs?

30th July

Sorry, I really meant how long do you have to get from Kings Cross to Waterloo?

Oh sorry! An hour.

Definitely tube, then.