On a day-to-day basis you see a lot of mothers using the bus, getting on and off the bus with their buggies.
Do you think the buses have enough space for pushchairs? Have you ever had any problems with the bus? Well, as a young parent I have, and it is not easy!
Often, parents who travel on buses with their pushchairs complain of the lack of thought and consideration from other passengers, but mainly from the bus drivers themselves.
Here is my account of just one of the many things that happened to me on a recent bus journey:
I was on the bus taking my daughter to nursery when half way through my journey a wheelchair user wanted to get on. Not realising she was behind me, the bus driver asked me if I was getting off, to which I replied "No".
The wheelchair user then started arguing with the bus driver and me, as she wanted me to get off the bus so that she could 'park' in the space reserved for buggies and wheelchairs.
I asked her why I should get off the bus when space was there for both my daughters’ buggy and the wheelchair.
The bus driver then started to defend me, saying I don’t need to get off the bus. The wheelchair user then said she was to going to report the driver and took down the number plate, whereby the bus just drove off.
Basically, this incident made me realise a few things about what we, as young parents have to go through on a regular basis and, in particular, the points that:
- Some bus drivers can be helpful and let you on but some can be very ignorant.
- Some buses don’t let you on even if there is space because there are people standing there. But that isn’t my fault - they should move.
- Buggies have as much right as a wheelchair user.
About this article
This article was written by Sherelle Jones, a member of Headliners' Project Subway group at Coram Parents Centre.
