Lothian Buses Responses to Pram Ban Letter

[NeilRo]

Hi there,

I'm the dad who wrote the letter to Lothian Buses. I just wanted to draw your attention to the responses I've had from them and my continuation of the campaign.

You can read their first response here: neilrolland.com/2012/01/25/response-from-lothian-buses-second-letter/

You can read their second response here: neilrolland.com/2012/01/27/lothian-buses-second-response/

There has been a campaign going on this for a long time, nothing to do with me but the people behind it are great: you can join them or read more about the whole sorry mess here: babiesonbuses.weebly.com/index.html

Thank you.

Neil

Use a sling.

I think Mawbroon has a good point here, Neil. Prams with a carrycot can be very bulky and inconvenient for the parent to use, and they take up a lot of room on a bus. A young baby in a sling is much easier to transport. Alternatively, if you prefer to use wheels, the majority of foldable pushchairs are suitable from birth and recline fully.

Neil - just wanted to say that you have my full support - got on the bus today, one of the new ones with a wheelchair and a buggy space, and both were taken by unfolded buggies (one mum had a toddler with her, too, so I am sure she appreciated the opportunity to sit) - I smiled the whole way :)

Full support here, too. 'Use a sling' isn't exactly helpful advice for anyone trying to go somewhere with an 18 month old who can't walk yet .

All power to your elbow.

Hoolet, you misunderstand. Foldable buggys and pushchairs are not and have never been prohibited on buses. Only prams are not allowed. Babies and children from birth onwards are able to travel in foldable pushchairs so you should have no problem with your child.

Oh, OK, is this separate from the 'you can't come on with that buggy' debate? Sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

I have been told to wait at the stop by a driver when my child was asleep in his push chair. Just an arsey driver? Probably. Very frustrating, though.

Hoolet for a start, there was no mention of a non walking 18 month old when I posted the comment.

And secondly, yes, it is perfectly possible to use a sling with a non walking 18 months old. I did it with ds1 who didn't walk til 20 months and didn't do any useful walking til about age 3. I'm not telling you to use a sling, but letting you know that it's not impossible.

I think NeilRo has done the bus equivalent of buying an expensive travel system only to find that it doesn't fit in the boot of the car. A little homework wouldn't have hurt. The "no prams on bus" rule isn't exactly new we were talking about it in August last year

ive not used the edinburgh buses yet only lived here a year. so whats this about pushchairs on buses is there a ban. i mean do parents have to fold the buggy before getting on board?

babiesonbuses.weebly.com/index.html

This campaign has been running since 2008 when the issues with LB came to light. When I had both children in buggies my route didn't allow anyone including wheelchair users to just wheel on, so if you used a wheelchair you had to use a taxi or wheel yourself elsewhere where you could get a wheelchair friendly bus.

I have seen parents fold their foldable buggy and carry the buggy and the baby. I always offer to take the buggy as I remember how hard it could be getting on with my not so light weight mclaren, non walking 14 month old and a toddler and was always grateful when a kind person took my buggy allowing me to keep hold of both children. Fortunately now the bus route has the spaces which were only available from 2008.