"priorty" seats on public transport what is your experience and opinion?

Indie_Kid

nannytone wrote: »

from what i remember, the signs say 'please give up this seat IF an elderly or disabled person needs it'
nothing about not being able to sit in them at all

Yes, that's right. Around here (not sure if they say this everywhere) it's "priority seats for the elderly, disabled, pregnant woman and those with young children". I'm sure in London it says "those less able to stand" rather than "elderly and disabled".

Mrs_Ryan

I am fairly young (33) but I use two crutches to walk. I always go for the priority seat and the last couple of times I've got on the bus I've had people (generally middle aged- both ladies and gents) have got up to give me the priority seat which I'm always grateful for as I struggle to coordinate myself due to my coordination issues. However I would never expect anyone to vacate that seat for me and I would never ask although I'm always grateful to accept if offered. I have had dirty looks before from old people when I've been on buses that have single priority seats and my crutches are tucked in the corner out of view but I just smile sweetly and pick up my crutches and re-arrange them where they can be seen- which sends them slinking off sulking to nine times out of ten what is an empty seat or seats in just a row or so behind..

Viberduo

SingleSue wrote: »

If you saw my eldest son, you would only notice a seemingly fit and healthy 20 year old, with no pass, no crutches etc. In fact, standing on a bus for him would be decidely not healthy as his joints dislocate very easily and frequently...even normal walking can have his hips out.

That said, he does give up a seat when someone needs it (be that an elderly person, a pregnant lady, a mum or dad with small children, someone with lots of shopping, a female of any age or of course, someone who is disabled of any sex or age), even if in reality, he usually needs it more than them!

What I would say though is my state of mind is similar to your

Re the folding up of a pram, how do you not know that the child itself may be disabled. Youngest is complex autistic (with physical disabilities) and his buggy was his safe zone, take him out of it and he went from barely coping with the bus journey to complete meltdown. We didn't go down the wheelchair route with him as he was (and still is) of very short stature and it seemed a complete waste of resources when a buggy did perfectly well.

One of the things I do not deny is that maybe the child could be disabled, but in all the times I have been on the local buses never once have I see a person with a pram fold it up, or offer to move for an elderly person or someone with sticks.

I myself go into a mini meltdown when I am stressed out and taken out of my safe zone(which is why some of the responses upset me as I was trying to be careful), my mental health means I can start shaking and get really nervous and dizzy if I am forced to do something against my will and being expected to move because people just look at me and see a 30 year old male with no apparent health issues makes me stressed, the whole point of this thread to me was to voice my opinons to discuss and destress and people never got that.

SingleSue

I can relate to how you feel, it got so bad with youngest that eventually we had to give up on trying to take buses for quite a few years. He is older now and we have started bus training again (we have been doing train training for the last few years and he is completely comfortable with that now as long as he is with someone). He is ok to sit on a bus if it is quiet but as soon as it gets busy, he struggles to cope.

Unseen disabilities are horrible, until I had my crutches and now my wheelchair, no-one would know the amount of pain I was in, same as with eldest son (he has the same condition as me, in fact, all 3 boys do). It's a similar story with middle (Aspergers) and youngest, to look at them you would think they were perfectly normal...until the moment they would go into meltdown.

dori2o

I have had several problems with public transport which why I can not use it for travelling to and from work any longer. Thankfully I have Access to Work funding for taxi's.

Travelling on Buses/trams in morning and evening rush hours (which seem to last much longer nowadays approx 7:30ish - 10ish in the morning and 4ish - 7:30ish in the evening here in Manchester) is almost impossible, especially when you live part way along the bus/tram route, i.e. not at the very start.

There are very rarely any empty seats on either the bus or tram. I can't climb stairs to get on the upper deck of buses.

Standing for any period of time causes problems with pain, and also due to my knee being unstable it gives way.

I do get funny looks if per chance I do manage to get a priority seat.

I have in the past asked people if they would mind me having the seat. Only once has someone given it up, other times I was simply ignored and on a few occassions I was verbally abused for daring to ask despite there being clear notices that the seats are a priority for those less able to stand. On very few occassions has somebody offerred to give up their seat.

Yes those people may have had disabilities themselves, but it would have been more appropriate (IMO) to simply say 'I'm sorry but I also have walking/standing difficulties', thats what I say to people.

Only recently TfGM have started to allow certain makes/models of mobility scooters onto the trams. Having now got Access to Work funding I have not yet tried out the scooter on the tram but I will do in the summer. I doubt it will be any easier though.

I do think that it's an issue that needs to be reviewed by transport bosses as it does seem that on many occassions those who need the seats are not able to use them.

sheeps68

An observation
In the last month I've had to use a stick which I do not normally do. It's been quite enlightening that people have been more patient with me and offered seats etc in a variety of settings. The shaky legs which made me use the stick are actually quite insignificant compared to other on-going disability issues.


I for one hide my disability too well and would generally never ask for a seat. That's my problem in a lot of ways but also how are the general public to know we have problems much of the time.


I don't know the answers but it does seem people are more considerate and helpful if there is a visual clue available. Would I want a badge or something advertising a disability like those on the tube for "baby on board" I doubt it.

nannytone_2

i also have a 'hidden' disability.
i am quite happy to stand as long as i have something to hold onto!
as a disabled person, i think sometimes we are guilty of expecting people to recognise that we are disabled.
when in fact , most peo[ple arent disabl;ed and just go about their daily business.
i think very few are deliberately ignorant ... they just dont realise that there are disabled people amongst them.
so people with buggies arent being deliberately obstructive... just day to day, they can push their buggy on a bus and no disabled people get on after them!
give the able bodied a break ... they dont spend their lives looking for disabled people ... and why should they?

Morglin

No reason at all, and I wouldn't expect them to, but when someone in a wheelchair, is trying to get on, I would expect the buggy pushers to fold up their chariots, hold their babies, and make room for the wheelchair user.

Not a personal gripe, as I wouldn't even attempt the bus in a wheelchair, but it happens, and when it does, the drivers should make sure the rules are enforced.

Surely, if someone is either elderly, heavily pregnant or struggling physically, common courtesy would be enough to make people offer their seats?


Lin

tomtom256

Hit it on the head there Lin with common courtesy, unforunately it rarely exits in the current time and it appears to be a dying trend.

I use a crutch and the odd time I use public transport I sit in the priorty seats and always offer it to someone who appears worse off or are elderly etc if they get on, it amazes when people just lok at the floor or through a person like they are not stood there.

Unfortunately the attitude today is me, me, me.

GlasweJen

I've had many a moan about drivers refusing to get people to fold their prams/buggies for my in my wheelchair. No one has ever said "sorry driver my child is disabled and using the pram as too small for a wheelchair" they usually kick off about being "pure entitled ta sit wur a want".

This is despite the signage in Glasgow buses reading "this area MUST be vacated for a wheelchair" as not all of our buses are accessible and the ones that are only have 1 wheelchair space.