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Original poster

Travelling on preserved coach with children

20 replies

bertiesu · 06/10/2019 09:56

Hello, new to mums net and finally found out how to post my question. Yay. Do here goes.
We are planning to go to the Isle of Wight by preserved coach. We are in Cambridgeshire so it'll be a long old trip. problem is that the old coach has not seat belts whatsoever, no lap belt even. My oldest is 5 and I'm feeling less anxious about her travelling unrestrained but my little one is 2.5 and I'm feeling concerned about the lack of safety on a bus we will travel via motorways on.
The only way to strap in a car seat would be to use ratchet straps across two seats which would mean we would be using up 4 rows of seats and everyone would be sitting alone which I also don't think will work particularly well.
Any other suggestions at all? Or thoughts on the whole thing?
Thank you.

OP posts:

chemenger · 06/10/2019 11:01

Why would you do this with small children? Won’t it be uncomfortable and boring for them? Coach design has changed for a reason, modern coaches are more comfortable and safer. A short journey in an old vehicle is fun - go to Beamish and ride on the trams and buses, but a long journey has no appeal, to me, unless you are vintage vehicle enthusiast.

Original poster

bertiesu · 06/10/2019 11:21

Hello, whether or not you personally would do it is beside the question. In fact, yes my husband is a vintage bus enthusiast, owns his own and is part of a group. Said group has arrange this trip to a vintage bus enthusiasts meet on the iow and that'd why we want to go. My kids enjoy going on busses an awful lot more than in the car because they can interact and there are lots of people on it. But that's beside the point. I'm interested in any ideas as to how I can make the trip safer for my kids in a vehicle that has no belts.

OP posts:

NumberblockNo1 · 06/10/2019 11:23

Id drive and meet them there. No way would I risk a childs safety.

MyDcAreMarvel · 06/10/2019 11:25

Why would you put your dh hobby before your children’s safety? Just don’t go.

Teddybear45 · 06/10/2019 11:25

You can’t make it safer that’s why these old buses aren’t used by schools any more. So you either let them sit on the bus as is and risk profound injuries or you find another mode of transport.

WitsEnding · 06/10/2019 11:28

Have you seen the reports of the bus crash near totnes yesterday? I'm thinking twice about using it again!

AnnaMariaDreams · 06/10/2019 11:28

You and the kids travel to the aisle of Wight by train/ ferry or similar and then ride on the bus while you’re there.

AnnaMariaDreams · 06/10/2019 11:28

Isle! autocorrect

chemenger · 06/10/2019 11:33

if there is no way to secure a car seat than what you describe then that’s what you’ll have to do to use the seat, I think. I would be uneasy with a car seat installed in a non-standard way, personally, as it’s hard to know how reliable that would be in an impact. For example a seat back is designed to withstand backwards force, in a collision the force is forwards. So the car seat might be thrown forwards into the seat in front if the seat back it is secured to fails. The design of a car seat relies on the fixing points for its safety. Would your method use the same points on the seat itself to fix it? If not then, again, it might not resist forces in the same way.

purplecorkheart · 06/10/2019 11:53

There is no way that you can make travelling on this bus safer for your children. Honestly, I would not want my children to travel on the bus when I know there is no seat belts etc.

chemenger · 06/10/2019 12:24

If your husband owns the bus could he look in to installing anchor points for the car seats?

Passthecherrycoke · 06/10/2019 12:26

If you take up loads of seats won’t you have to pay for them all?

I think I’d drive and meet them too

NewName54321 · 06/10/2019 12:29

Google Crelling harness.
Designed for children with disabilities, but there might be one to meet your needs.

chemenger · 06/10/2019 12:37

Googling Crelling harness shows that they are very clear that they are not a safety device and that safety belts must be used in addition.

Willow2017 · 06/10/2019 13:08

My oldest is 5 and I'm feeling less anxious about her travelling unrestrained but my little one is 2.5 and I'm feeling concerned about the lack of safety on a bus we will travel via motorways

Yeah cos a 5 yr old is much more able to survive crashing into the seat in front at 60mph if you are hit by another vehicle on the motorway than a 2.5yr old!
Ffs. Car seats and seatbelts or go by car. Why would you even ask about something so important as the lives of your kids?

Lllot5 · 06/10/2019 13:42

Like others have said think you are going to have to give this a miss. Meet them there.

negomi90 · 06/10/2019 13:52

Drive and then go for a ride in the bus around a car park.
You will not make the bus as safe as the properly installed car seats both of your children are in when they are in your car.

mencken · 07/10/2019 18:10

not staggeringly safe for you either....

modern buses have seatbelts for a reason. I'm usually the only one who puts them on but that's not my problem.

PandaTurtle · 07/10/2019 19:35

I'm not sure its legal to take the 2.5 year old from this:

www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/if-your-vehicle-doesnt-have-seat-belts

So would look for another way to travel.

PandaTurtle · 07/10/2019 19:47

If you can alter the vehicle may contact this company and see if they can provide vintage seatbelts to current safety standards that would go on a bus.

www.quickfitsbs.com/seat_belts.php

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