Was told I don't give a shit about my baby today.

[Flossam]

My pram is (unfortunately) too big to fit through the front of the buses where I live (london) but luckily buses here have back doors too, which many people use to get on and off them. I got on the bus today at the back, and as I was doing so heard the hydrolics go for them to shut, but obviously the driver realised I was getting on and stopped. Anyway, I went to the front to pay and the driver said to me 'You pull a stunt like that again on my bus and you won't get on' I had to ask him to repeat it, and then tried to explain to him that I was sorry but I couldn't fit through the front. He said I should of 'asked' first. Anyway, I wasn't too bothered, walked away having paid and two more passengers got on. To the first he said 'did you see here with that bloody pram?' And to the second he said 'obviously dosen't give a shit about here baby'.

To this I saw absolutely red and went to the front of the bus again, when he repeated what he said again, and told me I could of killed my baby (I don't think so strapped in to a secure, if bulky pram). I told him I would complain and asked him his name, he laughed, asked him the bus number, again he laughed. I decided I couldn't stay on and got off the bus at the next stop, then thought about it and asked for my money back. Surprise, surprise, he refused. I went home again, cried all the way home, and have phoned a complaint through, but still felt the need to rant here, sorry. Did he really have any right to call me that? I think it's hard enough to be a new mum without people casting such dispersions over you.

just says 'I got on the bus today at the back, and as I was doing so heard the hydrolics go for them to shut, but obviously the driver realised I was getting on and stopped' so am assuming (please correct me if i am wrong flossam) that she didnt tell the driver she was getting on at the back.

quite possibly.

Soupdragon, that was my usual tact, untill anothet bus driver (yes, I know) refused to let me on at all as I wanted to access via the back doors. So now, as long as the doors open for people to get off I just get on in there, rather than risk being left in the rain again. See I told you I had a few incidents to relay to Ken!!

We weren't nearly squashed at all!! The hydrolics started to go and that was it, the doors didn't even shut at all. I waved the bus down and walked to the back! For all he'd seen there could of been people still getting off. Think I'll leave this thread alone now as I've had a crap enough day as it is without this . I have said that I just won't bother using public transport as it obviously makes me a shit mother for just trying to get on a bloody bus. I don't see why, when there is space on the bus I should have to collapse my buggy. DS is only two weeks old with a wobbly head that is risking an accident out of the pram IMO. Thanks to everyone who has seen my point of view.

Once when I was actually permitted on the bus no sooner had I got on the driver whizzed away hadn't got into the wheelchair/buggy space and the brakes on and the pram tipped over luckily DD was ok.

I don't think I ever could hold DD, 2 bags and fold the pram nevermind getting the £1.20 for the fare and lifting the pram high enough to get it into the luggage rack. You also have to be so careful which bus you chose loads are too full even for non buggy people to get on.

Maybe Ken should try travelling on a bus at 7pm at night with 6 weed smoking teenagers creating havoc up the back, I wouldn't go on a bus around here myself after 7pm as I wouldn't feel safe.

Flossam if you get the address i will join you in a letter of complaint.

Thank you thats really lovely of you SK. I'll have a think about it, maybe I have taken it as far as I should (or futher) already.

Misdee, you don't live in London I suspect, and you don't have the big bendy buses either. In London you buy your tickets in advance so you don't have to pass the driver who doesn't sell tickets anyway. EVERYONE gets on through the middle doors as well as the front. They are not exit doors only. The space that is specially for buggies and wheelchairs (yes, they do have them and they are a designated space specially set aside for people using any of the above and you are not expected to collapse them) is directly opposite the wide doors in the centre and this is where people with buggies/pushchairs/major buggies etc get on every day of the week. It's normal. I do it myself when I use buses. This is not about Flossam breaking any 'rules' or not asking permission to do something out of order, this is about an totally out of order bus company employee abusing a customer, someone in his care and a woman. The attitude, the rudeness, the swearing and the appalling criticism of Flossam to other passengers (who I imagine were very embarrassed by his outrageous behaviour - I would have been) goes way beyond the unprofessional. How DARE he talk to a customer like that? Would any of you accept this sort of extreme rudeness and disrespect from, say, a shop assistant or your bank manager? I think not. Flossam, you were damn right to complain. Please do follow up with a letter. It is against company rules to refuse to give you his badge number and he can be disciplined for that alone. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done something like this before. I once had cause to make a serious complaint against a bus conductor and the driver and the bus conductor was severely disciplined and told that if there was one more upheld complaint he would be sacked - actually I think if I'd pushed it, he would have been sacked. I think people like this should not be allowed to have contact with the public. I can understand how upset you were and really sympathise. You did nothing wrong.

I think the man was out of order to be so rude to you, complain!!

I have said further down i am not in london (werll i think i did anyway) and the only bedny buses i have encountered is in spain on holiday. But i was thinking the bus flossam was on was a standard bus with 2 sets of doors. one at front for entrance and one at back for exit, which is the only sort i've buses i have seen it london (aside from the red double deckers).

I also said that if there wasnt a designated spot for buggies/wheelchairs then they should be collasped, i didnt say they should be collasped regardless!

And i did say he was very rude. and she should complain about that.

Surely the driver must have some means of checking that no-one is halfway through the doors when he shuts them anyway, regardless of whether they are getting on or off. He was completely out of order with his nasty remarks.

think they have little camera/video screens which they are meant to check actually.

He obviously knew he was in the wrong!

I would say in my experience only about 1 in 10 drivers are actually nice the rest treat you like something they've trodden on when they see you getting on with a buggy.

The bendy buses are great but I've only seen them on the commuter routes in central London as yet (they can pack more people on them as they have less seats).

whats a bendy bus??

like 2 buses joined together i think mieow. like i said, only time i;ve seen one is in spain.

www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/ini_207.shtmlhere's one

haven't read all the thread - but you shouldn't have to collapse your pushchair/pram. This is imossible to control with people getting on & off, the rain cover, the shopping, your bags...not to mention the baby!!!! - and other children (managing to get them on & off plus seated or standing if no space) I've been pregnant & bought a ticket for dd so that she could have a seat & had people ask me to move her onto my non-existent lap. I explained that I had a full price ticket for her to have a seat & people were really rude to me!! Also People in wheelchairs don't have to collapse their chairs & it's just the same with a pushchair. It sounds like you've not had much support here and that's bad. You're in the right and people should just try and see how difficult public transport is with children. It only seems to suit single travellers with a small bag and a coat to store on the coat rack. Best wishes

They're in 2 sections with a 'bendy' connector bit in the middle - so they can be v long & still go round corners!

You get them a lot in places like Spain - you get on at the nearest door & punch your ticket in a machine.

whoops

Wondoer if it was the same bus drive who decided he wasnt going to wait for ds and me to actually get up stairs before pulling away and again when stopping not giving us time to get down to get off before pulling away (hope that makes sense).. then after returning to Southampton after train from london broke down, the bloke at the station woke up ds by saying loudly in his face tickets please, ds fast asleep, 4 years old in my arms and already had ticket checked before and during train journey, completely laden down, rucksack on back etc. The after waking ds up who was so sleepy (10.15pm) still insisted i put him on cold floor to find the ticket.

Oh and sorry for rant.. but when on the train journey up trying to find seat the following happening:

One woman in early to mid twenties said that she had too much stuff to move off the seat next to her and ds and i would have to look else where, i was gobsmacked. Then.. a guy in early thirties was sitting by the aisle and i asked if he would possibley move to the seat next to him so i could sit with ds .. he said 'no because he likes to sit next to the aisle'.

After all this a lovely lady and her grown up daughter offered us seats with them.

Lockets - thanks. Didn't mean to upset anyone I'm happy she's been supported. I just read her last post & did a scan of the thread and there seemed to be lots about folding a pushchair - a thankless task on public transport. I'll read it all better.