Prams on buses

VikkiiKawaii

alanrp123 wrote: »

As long as the government keep paying for children to have children, by giving them accomodation and money, this situation will only get worse.
If teenagers chose to sleep with all and sundry, the parents should be responsible for ANY outcome!!.

Just so you know, your comment is offensive to teenage mothers and makes you sound prejudiced. Not ALL teenage mother 'sleep with all and sundry'. Not ALL teenager mothers are given accomodation and money.

And there are far more ADULTS with accomodation and money from the government who don't need it and are perfectly able to work than there are teenage mothers.

Think before you judge.

mumps

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

From the arriva website

"When not required by a wheelchair or scooter customer, the priority area on accessible buses can be used by up to two buggies, prams or pushchairs. Use of the priority area by any customer is subject at all times to enough space being available and the discretion of the driver.

During travel, buggies, prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs and scooters must be securely positioned so that they are stable and do not cause an obstruction or hazard to other customers. Drivers will advise of any circumstances where it is not possible to allow customers to travel safely; this includes their own health, that of the customer, other passengers, members of the public, or the security of the vehicle and its equipment.

The driver can require that pushchairs and all types of buggies are folded at busy times, or to request occupants of the priority area to move elsewhere on the vehicle if a customer wishes to board with a wheelchair or scooter. You should co-operate in allowing proper use of this space by vacating it if necessary in favour of a wheelchair or scooter user."

So if it had been a wheelchair user she would have had to move. However otherwise I believe she had priority due to the DDA.

I believe the letter from the bus company was in reply to her query about prams/buggies not wheelchairs but it did state none of the relevant groups had a priority and it was "first come first served." It was a different bus company, I guess they have different policies.

mumps

custardy wrote: »

why? surely its the exact same argument?

I don't see it as the same. Mother with child can travel by bus without these spaces. They can use a fold up buggy or carry the child. Lots of us can testify that this is possible. Might not be nice or convenient or they way people want to do it. But it is possible.

Wheelchair user can't travel by bus without these spaces.

Not something the wheelchair user should be grateful for as it is necessary.

custardy

mumps wrote: »

I don't see it as the same. Mother with child can travel by bus without these spaces. They can use a fold up buggy or carry the child. Lots of us can testify that this is possible. Might not be nice or convenient or they way people want to do it. But it is possible.

Wheelchair user can't travel by bus without these spaces.

Not something the wheelchair user should be grateful for as it is necessary.

no you are not getting the point.
the point is when Mupette was in the situation of having a pram.she had to fold her pram and thus doesnt see why anyone else shouldnt.
so given buses haven't always had wheel chair spaces then whats the difference and why shouldn't she simply do without.
given people had to before

Torry_Quine

I have just travelled by bus and saw how it works when everyone cooperates. In one space were two buggies and in the other a wheelchair user and someone with her in a seat. At a stop there was someone with a buggy who asked if they could come on, the driver said yes and they were able to go in the space with the wheelchair. No arguing as to whose rights were most important.

I specifically checked and the notice says that wheelchairs have priority over bugggies which must be folded when requested.

Nicki

I can kind of understand what custardy is trying to say.

For example up until quite recently public buildings weren't required to have disabled access, so someone in a wheelchair who wanted to get in either had to get out of their chair and hobble up the steps using a stick, or be lifted in by carers if they had no mobility at all, or just couldn't access that building at all. Now that all public buildings have ramps, or lifts, no one says that the disabled should still have to do this, because that's what they used to do in times gone by.

By the same token, now that buses have areas which are designated for pushchairs, why should mothers nonetheless have to fold their pushchair and carry their child if there is not a wheelchair or a pushchair already occupying that slot, or a wheelchair wanting to get on later in the journey? The fact that some people prefer to stand or sit in the buggy hold for whatever reason is as irrelevant surely as saying that smokers like to congregate on the disabled ramp and shouldn't be asked to move for someone in a wheelchair?

I really don't understand why unfolded pushchairs occupied by a child, if parked in the appropriate spot, bother people so much on a bus. If they are correctly tucked into the space provided, they do not get in the way as much as people standing in the gangway when the bus is busy, or people getting on with shopping bags or suitcases and leaving these in the gangway or beside the rear doors. It just seems to me to be a non issue which is being used by some to batter mothers for reasons best known to themselves. I think, if I'm being really honest, if travelling without children, I would rather see a toddler sitting in a pushchair, rather than either having to stand because there are no free seats, or sitting in front of or beside one who may be pulling my hair or smearing sticky fingers on my clean coat

jojo1964

As a driver myself, we are told that if a buggy or pram is already in the buggy/wheelchair space, and a wheelchair user wishes to board we have to ask the person with the buggy if they would mind folding it, if they refuse then we have to explain to the wheelchair user that we are unable to accomodate them, this has to be said loud enough to be picked up on the recording equipment and to be clearly heard by the wheelchair user, unfortunately we have a couple of professional "victims" who use wheelchairs, who know their "rights" and know to be out of range of the recording equipment, whilst verbally abusing the drivers ( and have successfully sued one company, and are in the process of suing another), it has come to the point that the company i work for are adapting all the buses to have 2 spaces for buggies and wheelchair users, one space to be shared and the other can be used by a buggy, but MUST be vacated if a wheelchair user boards.

mumps

jojo1964 wrote: »

As a driver myself, we are told that if a buggy or pram is already in the buggy/wheelchair space, and a wheelchair user wishes to board we have to ask the person with the buggy if they would mind folding it, if they refuse then we have to explain to the wheelchair user that we are unable to accomodate them, this has to be said loud enough to be picked up on the recording equipment and to be clearly heard by the wheelchair user, unfortunately we have a couple of professional "victims" who use wheelchairs, who know their "rights" and know to be out of range of the recording equipment, whilst verbally abusing the drivers ( and have successfully sued one company, and are in the process of suing another), it has come to the point that the company i work for are adapting all the buses to have 2 spaces for buggies and wheelchair users, one space to be shared and the other can be used by a buggy, but MUST be vacated if a wheelchair user boards.

Perhaps it would be cheaper not to adapt the buses and tell mothers (or fathers) that if the space is needed for a wheelchair they must vacate the space.

mumps

Nicki wrote: »

I can kind of understand what custardy is trying to say.

For example up until quite recently public buildings weren't required to have disabled access, so someone in a wheelchair who wanted to get in either had to get out of their chair and hobble up the steps using a stick, or be lifted in by carers if they had no mobility at all, or just couldn't access that building at all. Now that all public buildings have ramps, or lifts, no one says that the disabled should still have to do this, because that's what they used to do in times gone by.

By the same token, now that buses have areas which are designated for pushchairs, why should mothers nonetheless have to fold their pushchair and carry their child if there is not a wheelchair or a pushchair already occupying that slot, or a wheelchair wanting to get on later in the journey? The fact that some people prefer to stand or sit in the buggy hold for whatever reason is as irrelevant surely as saying that smokers like to congregate on the disabled ramp and shouldn't be asked to move for someone in a wheelchair?

I really don't understand why unfolded pushchairs occupied by a child, if parked in the appropriate spot, bother people so much on a bus. If they are correctly tucked into the space provided, they do not get in the way as much as people standing in the gangway when the bus is busy, or people getting on with shopping bags or suitcases and leaving these in the gangway or beside the rear doors. It just seems to me to be a non issue which is being used by some to batter mothers for reasons best known to themselves. I think, if I'm being really honest, if travelling without children, I would rather see a toddler sitting in a pushchair, rather than either having to stand because there are no free seats, or sitting in front of or beside one who may be pulling my hair or smearing sticky fingers on my clean coat

I can't speak for others but from my perspective, not all disabled people can get out of their wheelchairs and walk, I think most mothers can fold down their buggies so it is different.

I don't have a problem with people using the spaces for buggies but I don't think they have priority. Some disabled people who can walk find these seats easier to use so why should they move, e.g. my MIL 84 and terminally ill should struggle to a less comfortable seat so a younger (I think they would be younger) mother can sit down rather than stand with her buggy. I also found it unbelievable that they would abuse said 84 year old.

I don't have a problem with young moms and don't judge them, I was a teenage mom many years ago and I know it can be hard but I would never have expected an 84 year old to stand so that I could sit down. I am sure lots of young mothers would feel the same but as usual the inconsiderate ones spoil it for everyone.

custardy

jojo1964 wrote: »

As a driver myself, we are told that if a buggy or pram is already in the buggy/wheelchair space, and a wheelchair user wishes to board we have to ask the person with the buggy if they would mind folding it, if they refuse then we have to explain to the wheelchair user that we are unable to accomodate them, this has to be said loud enough to be picked up on the recording equipment and to be clearly heard by the wheelchair user, unfortunately we have a couple of professional "victims" who use wheelchairs, who know their "rights" and know to be out of range of the recording equipment, whilst verbally abusing the drivers ( and have successfully sued one company, and are in the process of suing another), it has come to the point that the company i work for are adapting all the buses to have 2 spaces for buggies and wheelchair users, one space to be shared and the other can be used by a buggy, but MUST be vacated if a wheelchair user boards.

your company really needs to look at their rules.
for me LRT have it right

http://lothianbuses.com/what-we-do/easy-access.html

Whenever the space is required by a wheelchair user, other passengers must move to make it available, and any buggies must be folded and stored safely elsewhere.

folks will also note non folding prams are not allowed on the buses either. I have seen them refused entry to buses(to much kerfuffle)