is there anything I can use to help me out on Tube journeys?

[silverfrog]

dd1 has just started a programme of sensory integration. great place, has got ehr doing loads already, and she loves it.

The problem is getting her there - it's in Harley St. So, every Friday afternoon, dds 1 & 2 and I get the train up to Victoria (so far so good- dd1 was an absolute star on Friday (first time) ).

Then comes the problem. dd1 is petrified of escalators. Not a huge problem, as she will go on them if I carry her. Ok-ish, but dd1 is a tall 5.6, and it does leave me struggling a bit. dd2, bless her is alo a star, but I do worry about her being trampled by rushing commuters (she is 3.3, and tiny)

If it was just the escalators, it would be ok (only gt the one onthe journey, as change aty Oxford Circus for the BAkerloo line is just across the platform, and then Regents PArk is lifts)

BUT dd1 wants to be carried onthe train too.

I did have someone offer their seat (both times), but only one person. Ican't fit both girls on my lap, and can't leave dd2 standing alone - she'd go flying! I think everyon expects me to sit withdd2, and have dd1 stand close by - she does look big enough to cope, and ina perfect world, etc etc. BUt of course dd1is the one needing the reassurance.

So, WWYD?

I can't bung dd2in a sling, as then wouldn't be able to carry dd1 as well. BUggy is out - dd1 doesn't fit anymore, and well, the thoughtof it onthe Tube leaves me feeling faint, tbh.

BOth girls are great at walking through the stationsand tunnels, etc, but the tube journey itself is a bitof a nightmare...

now there's a thought, thanks. would it not take forever though, with London traffic

Is DD1 reassured by DD2? If you get a seat, can DD2 sit on DD1, and you (standing) shove up against them hemming them in so that DD1 can also hang onto you as well as little sis?

Will set look into buses. There must be a decent service as right by London Zoo.

Good thought, catinthehat2, but dd2 quote likes being a mini commuter and would probably shriek at giving up her independence

I might try talking to her about it, though, as they will sit nicely together and dd1 is sometimes reassured by dd2. Might be tricky prising dd1 loose though. Hmmm, will ponder.

(DD2 could pretend to be a laptop or a Blackberry )

30 mins on the 73 bus.

Have you had a look at the transport for London website, is there any reduced rate transport/taxi that you can arrange to pick you up from Victoria.

have a look here it looks the way I read it that if you are travelling with a disabled child that station staff should be able to help you to/from the platform and onto the train, I liked the bit where it said staff would find you a seat!

thanks, everyone. I will investigate buses. Am doingmll this from my phone, as we moved a few weeks ago and internet still not orted. Might get dh to look it up in the office.

bigcar - I'd love to believe that I'd get any help. Sadly on Friday, when I was approaching the ticket barriers at Victoria, I sought out the disabled friendly/buggy friendly wide gates, with a BR man stood next to it.

I had dd1 literally climbing up me, as she could see the escalator, and was trying desperately hard to shepherd dd2 out of the way of rushing commuters while digging tickets out of my pocket (the one that dd1 was climbing over )

Anyway, I found tickets, waved them at the man (nicely) and scooped dds up to keep them out of the way, and asked if he could let us through the gate. He told me to put the tickets through, and proceeded to give me a demo of how it was done

So I told him dd1 was ASD,and I couldn't let her go, and he still tried to get me to put her down, shove tickets through etc (dd1 was approachingmeltdown at the thought)

Luckily thre was a slightly more enlightened BR man nearby who walked over, swiped his card and let us through.

God knows what the response would have been if I'd asked for full help!

(I liked the bit where it said they could stop the escalators for a guide dog. I wonder what they'd say if I asked them to stop them for dd1 )

Heh, I have to admit when I read that link, that I can't imagine getting that much help on the tube for an ASD child. I sometimes see tube staff helping with blind passengers, but I can't see them being enlightened enough to be able to deal with ASD.

It looks like a bus wouldn't take much longer than your tube jouney, silverfrog - use the Journey Planner to get estimates for journey time and maps showing the bus stop where you'd need to get on/off.

The 73 gets quite busy, but as you are getting on at Victoria (the start of the route), you'd probably get seats which makes it easier. I'd also get an Oyster card if you don't already have one - Oyster fares are cheaper than cash and it means you can use any door to board (you have to board at the front door if you're paying the driver).

thanks, sugar.

do trvelcardsnot work on buses, then? as I just get a combi overland/travelcard for us all (probably not the most cost effective way of doing it, but hey ho - never got the time to work it all out at the station with dd1 trying to look at the trains)

can I not just get on the bus instead of the tube?

travel cards work on buses

also get a family and friends railcard if its a journey you will be doing often.

I do sometimes get underground staff to help me. Often it's passengers who end up rescuing me from whatever mad ASC situation I've got myself into.

I have the same horror of escalators, because the pattern on them makes my eyesight go completely squirrelly (to use a phrase). I fall off the end if I look at them, or if I don't look at them and get transfixed by the moving stripey lines.

Buses are OK for some of us. I find them more stressful than underground but for different sensory reasons, though. Brilliant youtube clip by the National Autistic Society about bus journeys - well worth finding.

If I possibly can, I'll take a taxi or walk. Taxis are hugely expensive, but at least I can talk when I get to the meeting, which is more than I can if I've had to use the tubeand become non-verbal.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paf82OiEoqg

The bus journey youtube thingy. Put the sound right up when he's actually on the bus.

Yes, you can use the travelcard on buses. If it's a paper travelcard you'll have to show it to the driver at the first door (on a bendy bus like the 73). It's just that that I find it's often a bit easier/less crowded to get on at the back door, and you can only do that if you have an Oyster card.

Probably not a big problem though, especially if you're getting on at the first stop of the route.

that's not a good attitude is it! It's always worth asking for help, as you say some staff are better than others. I had to laugh at stopping the escalators and the alternative of carrying your guide dog.

Riven - you can order them online and they get posted to you:

here's a link

If you use the pay as you go option (rather than eg buying a travelcard), it's a good idea to set up auto-top up online, so that when your credit drops below, say, £5 some more money gets put on from your bank account. That way you never get caught short unexpectedly.

Silverfrog - a travelcard is probably just as good value as Oyster pay as you go (depends on the exact journeys you do, how many people, etc). However you can get a travelcard put onto an Oyster card - that means you would be able to use the swipe function rather than having to put ticket in the slot.

Buses in London have massively improved in the last few years. In the past, if you just missed a bus, you might as well crawl to your destination as you'd get there sooner! Now, however, if I miss the bus I just wait as I KNOW there'll be another soon. Lots of bus stops have indicators telling you when the next one is coming too. I will even go on 2-leg bus journeys now and have got DH into using the buses. The Oyster system is great ime, I LOVE my Oyster card! Bus lanes are much better now too, even though some finish at 10am, many car drivers are not aware and avoid them and people don't park in them any more, so you do usually have a better run than in a car.
You say you are using your phone to access Mumsnet so, if you are using an IPhone, there are some great apps that DH uses, e.g. to tell you when the next tube will be in and at what platform, where platforms are placed in relation to each other and one to check bus arrivals so you can compare before you get to the stop or station. As I don't have an IPhone I can't tell you the names of the apps I'm afraid , but worth looking into.