Pushchairs on bus take priorirty - WTF?

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

So this caught my eye.

Not only is the driver insane, surely, for saying pushchairs take priority, but the First MD is utterly wishy washy on the issue, saying 'they'd like' wheelchairs to take priority.

How rubbish?

Bristol news

First has a rubbish rep up here for buses that aren't wheelchair accessible at all.

Riven- cannot believe you get abuse when with your DD! I mean ffs, what is wrong with people? Like people choose to be disabled in order to piss off the able-bodied.

Am totally speachless (sitting here spluttering to myself)

Apart from the curve you speak of it sounds pretty much the same.

Buses don't have seats for the elderly they are for the disabled or those less able to stand (as the sign says) I see plenty of perfectly healthy people sitting there looking the other way pretending not to notice when people with crutches get on.

I'd go a step further and abolish the disabled peoples bus pass as well, they changed the rules a few years ago for them that makes it stupid, my diabetic sister who has blind spots in her vision is no longer entitled to a freedom pass under the new laws yet can get a disabled badge for a car and my brother has a club foot and can't walk long distance, he isn't entitled to a freedom pass or a disabled car badge now.

'Buses don't have seats for the elderly '

In plenty of places, Edinburgh and here, for example, the signs state 'Elderly or disabled'.

This is what First's website says:

"We always give wheelchair users priority over unfolded buggies on board. Please do not be offended if the driver asks you to fold your buggy for a wheelchair passenger. As part of our commitment to providing accessible travel for wheelchair users, a wheelchair passenger is always entitled to travel on our buses, unless the bus is full, there is already a wheelchair user on board or the bus is not wheelchair accessible."

Yeah right.

And furthermore:

"If the wheelchair space is occupied by a non wheelchair user the driver will make every effort to ask them to move to allow you to board. Unfortunately, if a fellow passenger refuses to move you will need to wait for the next bus"

That bit's just unacceptable - rude/unhelpful fellow passenger should move or be asked to leave the bus.

Of course, plenty of able-bodied people use that 'elderly' to push their way to the front of the queue and push people out the road to get to the seats.

'That bit's just unacceptable - rude/unhelpful fellow passenger should move or be asked to leave the bus. '

And removed by the police if they don't.

We have first buses here (not bristol) and presumerably they use similar models of bus, there are several types with varying degrees of space for buggies/wheelchairs/luggage.

After terrorist attacks there is supposed to be no unattended luggage, and I agree that having folded your buggy it seems like you actually need more space to carry shopping bags, folded buggy (mine was a maclaren but due to length and layout of seats wouldnt really fit anywhere) and kids.

I agree that wheel chairs should take priority but there should be some considerations made about how to make buggies on buses work. If a woman did have to get off with their buggy, why cant the driver give her a voucher/coupon to get on the next bus without paying fare again as the cant refund?

I've been on the bus with a pushchair and heard the driver telling a wheelchair user that he couldn't get on because there was already a pushchair. He hadn't even asked me to move. I shouted that I'd fold fast enough to let the guy on but was totally shocked that the driver initially just said no to the wheelchair user.
Our buses only allow one unfolded pushchair/wheelchair/zimmer frame thing even if more could be fitted on.

I'm trying to find a pic online of the double deckers First use in Bristol, the luggage provision is absolutely woeful, I have to say. The old style ones had a big platform at the front with lots of room for bags, but they were completely inaccessible with buggies or wheelchairs.

Now they're all accessible, but you're not allowed luggage. I think they reckon the wheelchair space is for luggage buggies and wheelchairs, and that's all they need to do.

Flipping ridiculous.

Drivers have emergency tickets, they can give people an emergency ticket that will let them on the next bus for free.

some have them on a roll and they have red on them, others can print them from the oyster machines.

I use public transport ALOT and have rarely seen a wheelchair user on the bus.

I can see both sides i really can and i would move for a wheelchair user (In fact i once stood in the aisle with the buggy and got off and on the bus at each stop) but to all you people saying fold the buggy....where do you put the shopping? The buses that i use have a small "luggage shelf" - it wouldn't fit a quinny in it! And even then it's normally got the metro newspaper holder in it.

There should be more folding seats on buses as i don't think it fair to say who gets priority over someone else. Presumably none of the passengers is able use a car for that journey or they would have already done so.

I like the idea of voucher littleducks.

Also I'd love it if the drivers didn't have to brake so sharply -it's hard staying upright and if you did have to stand with a child in tow then it's blinking dangerous.

See we have arriva buses here and we been lucky as bus drivers insist on people moving when ds needs ti get on and since we get bus at least 4 times a day I'm glad they do

mind one of the most stubborn was older lady who said I'm elderly can't expect me to move was sat on flip up seats she did move then when she got of. Bus lol she was more sprightly than me

I live on the posh bus route in Bristol with the nicer accessible buses and have seen that obviously money doesnt buy you class or even basic consideration.

I have a behemoth pram (agreed it is ridiculous for the bus) and was on the bus a month or so back when a wheelchair user got on. There was another mother with a (awake) toddler in a maclaren type who looked the other way, so I asked the old dear next to me to hold my teeny baby and folded my pram so he could park himself in the priority space. Bus driver just sat and tutted I know I absolutely have no more right to the space than the toddler mother, but surely it might have been easier for her. Was furious actually, she sneered at everyone on the bus until she got off.

Our buses have one woeful little luggage space which will just about take one buggy, if you're lucky enough to need it before someone's put all their shopping on it. On several occasions, I've folded my buggy to make space for a wheelchair user or someone with a sleeping newborn to then be attempting to stand on a packed bus, holding my 2 dcs, all their attendant baggage for a day out and my buggy whilst simultaneously attempting not to fall on my arse every time the bus went round a corner. It's hard to know what to do about it though. I know that, in Japan, the trains have separate designated wheelchair and buggy spaces, but that wouldn't work on buses, as there's not enough space. I've no issue with unfolded buggies on buses per se (unless they take the kid out and leave the empty buggy unfolded) but personally, I figure that, no matter how uncomfortable it is for me to have to fold my buggy, manage numerous heavy bags and 2 children under 5, at least I have the physical capability to cope with it, unlike someone who's in a wheelchair, and really, it's not that big a deal to just fold up the buggy and get out of the way. There's plenty of time to fold up a buggy while the driver makes the bus kneel and extends the ramp. Plus, if people see you bothering to get out of the way, they'll often help. And I live in London...
Riven, I am utterly appalled. What is WRONG with some people. . How dare they. Do they never stop to think how they would feel/cope/etc if their child was disabled?

What a load of crap! (The article not the posts...!) I have never heard that attitude before, never thought I would either!

Is this going to be the new P&T spaces on MN? I'd fold/get off and walk if needed, btw).

Oh, and people in London either: a) use the bendy buses (I love our local one), b) have Maclarens, c) use a sling, d) just do everything locally and within walking distance or e) drive. And most times someone will help with the steps on the tube, but I'd rather bus it or walk or drive. I'm a d) myself.

I used to get two buses to work every day, there was a blind man who took the same bus every day (I know, not a wheelchair user, but I like this story) who sat on the same seat every day with his guide dog. One day some one else was sat there and wouldn't budge, every single other person on the bus hassled her until she did.

And finally, Riven for what you have to put up with / go through day to day.

Using a bus and moved the pram to make room for a wheelchair the other day and the gentleman apologised to me for my having to move so he could get settled in then i could move the pram back in behind him, i pointed out to him that it was a space designated for himself and it was no problem for me. I have a ring sling incase i needed to fold the pram up as with the baby not being mine i wouldn't be happy to let a stranger hold the baby.

this annoys me so much. of course wheelchairs should have prioity over buggies.

i try not to take the buggy on the bus, unless off to hospital myself or to SGK house, that bus has loads of buggy wheelchair spaces as double decker, most of the first floor is accessable spaces). last week however, i didnt fold the buggy. dd4 had been having tests at the hospital, and when we came home, she was dosed on antihistimines and totally sparko. she slept for 3hours .

I have never seen a buggy take priority over a wheel chair and never seen anyone make a fuss about folding their buggy when a wheelchair wants to come one. I have folded mine and once when that was impossible I have been asked to get off the bus and wait for the next one, which I did (although the lady pushing the wheelchair then complained as I was getting off rather than folding).

Agree that pushchairs should be folded if a wheelchair user needs the space, but we have the luggage rack issue here as well. One particularly memorable bus trip, the space was occupied, so thought "Oh well, no big deal, I'll just fold it." I folded the pushchair, carried that and my bag and DS (14 months but not walking) to a seat (nobody offered to help, but I expected that) while also trying to pay for my ticket. Realised there was nowhere to put a folded buggy, so sat down and wedged the buggy in the leg space between my seat and the one in front, the brakes don't work when it is folded (which I didn't realise when I bought it) so it was slipping around all over the place. DS was screeching and struggling because he wanted to be allowed to crawl on the floor, I was trying to hold him and hold the buggy still with my legs, which were sticking out into the aisle because there was no room for them with the buggy, and trying not to whack the person sitting next to me with the wheels at the other end. The only comment or acknowledgement that I got was an old man saying "In my day we'd have got a smack for that noise, it don't do them no harm!"

Then there was the time that I was sitting in a bit of a sleep deprived daze on the bus, not really paying attention because it was ages until my stop, and I didn't realise until we were pulling away from the bus stop that there had been a wheelchair user at the stop and they hadn't got on because I was taking up the space I felt awful about that, because I genuinely hadn't noticed, I would have got off straight away if someone had said something. Sad that some people are so agressive that nobody felt they could (I always pay attention at that stop now BTW)

Why do people keep going on about shopping, when my stubborn one finally comes out I have every intention of going out with a back pack and one carrier bag, anything that don't fit will have to wait for another day.

not really any different to now really, I tend to shop 3+ times a week, it's good exercise to walk to the shops and carry back the shopping, beats buying weights and things.

We have loads of First Buses here, I think they are everywhere Government gives em contracts because they are yanky IMO, we all so have Arriva, United and Metro net I think it is.

I am sorry, but that's just wrong that a wheelchair user has to wait for the next bus. Completely and utterly wrong. I used to live on the Wirral, where the buses used to show up every half hour. To make someone wait in a gale for 1/2 hour, the mind boggles.

That said, where I am in Canada, buggies seem to take priority over wheelchairs. I was on a bendy bus type, and was wedged into the tiniest space between 2 massive double buggies and one giant single one (I have a teeny Maclaren with no hood, DD was alseep otherwise would have just folded) The other buggies basically took up the entire front of the bus. Then a wheelchair is waiting at the next stop, and the driver says, 'I am sorry you'll have to wait for the next bus'. I am like , 'no wait, I can fold...' and the driver looks at me and shrugs at the other buggies, and is like 'they won't, so no space'... and NONE of the other mothers made a move to get out of the wheelchair space, when if I had folded and moved to the back, one of them could have moved a tiny bit and that would have freed up the wheelchair space. But all the mothers totally avoided my eye when I tried to suggest this. Then I heard tuts from some of the other passengers... I was horrified and mentioned it to the driver when I got off, and he looks at me and says, 'well you're the first person I've seen with a small stroller!'. I am still in shock... its never happened again, as I tend to do off peak travel, but still shocked that buggies take priority over wheelchairs here.

Riven, I really feel for you... that kind of aggression would have done me in by now.