Buses and prams

1 to 20 of 35 messages
09/10/2007 at 08:20
Well we all know the government is going on about this carbon footprint and wanting more people to take the bus. But have they thought about how much stress it puts on us who have prams/ buggies to get on and off the bus by ourselves. I am 28wks pregnant and live near Aberdeen in Scotland and there is not much lowlined buses so what we have to do is take the car seat off the pram/ or baby, Collapse the pram and carry all of this on to the bus. If you are by yourself it is a nightmare, My sis does this everytime she comes out to see me with no help from no-one. I was with her one day and thought it was so bad that she has to leave her little one on the bus while she collapses the pram frame to get on as sometimes you cant carry them bothon at the same time.

Sorry to go on a bit but it just annoys me. The government wants us to use buses well why dont they make it easier for people to use them then.

Would like to hear other peoples views please?
29/10/2007 at 08:59
even with lowline buses you get arrogent kids who think its their right to sit there or mom's with 1 child in the pushchair angled so you can't gert another on or the elderly who sit there as if they have priority over them.... We can't win which ever way you go especially if its on a busy route and you've been stood there for 20 mins in the cold and the bus is not full but the pushcair section is full of people who just want the space for sitting in.
29/10/2007 at 09:05
even with lowline buses you get arrogent kids who think its their right to sit there or mom's with 1 child in the pushchair angled so you can't gert another on or the elderly who sit there as if they have priority over them.... We can't win which ever way you go especially if its on a busy route and you've been stood there for 20 mins in the cold and the bus is not full but the pushcair section is full of people who just want the space for sitting in.
31/10/2007 at 17:14
hi, i don't have children (ttc) and can understand how hard it can be to get on and off buses with a puschair but, my brother is in a wheelchair and can not walk. the puschair space is also a wheelchair space and very often it is full of puschairs and people do not move them when he wants to get on the bus so he has to wait for the next one (occassionally it's taken four buses to go before he can get on). He has no choice but to go in those spaces as he would love to be able to walk to a seat, whereas puschairs can be folded and i know it's inconveninat but those spaces are a luxery not a right (sorry for the rant but it winds me up). I do agree that there should be more of these spaces but please have sympathy for other people who also need them.
13/12/2007 at 11:51
yes its ridiculous the buses r rubbish where i live now there the old ones where u take buggy apart but the new ones r much better where there designed for pushchairs like u say they had them everywhere where i used to live it was gr8 but now it sucks.
14/12/2007 at 07:16
Hi girlinleeds i completely agree with what you are saying and as a mum i always fold pushchair if a wheelchair needs to get on no matter how inconvenient for me because as you say they are mainly designed for wheelchairs. I drive but sold my car as there were just too many cars on the road and once i had my children for some reason i hated driving so now use buses. I went out and brought the smallest pushchair i could even though i have a 1 year old and a nearly 3 year old and it can be difficult as I know space is limited and the smaller they are the easier they are to fi into smaller spaces. I absolutely hate it when people get on with these huge pushchairs and expect you to move out the way for them all the time. I just feel that sometimes you have to make it easier for yourselves if you are going to use public transport as it is so much easier and safes many arguments!

The other thing that completely bugs me is the old women that moan about you getting on a bus with a puschair and have to move them shopping buggy things they use! I had one barge me in the ankles with one once as the driver asked her to move the cart so i could get in and she went mad!

xxx
20/12/2007 at 11:37
this is one subject that gets me, my son has additional needs, so therefore has a special needs buggy which is quite big and will (quite rightly so) only fit in the wheelchair bay on a bus, the number of people who refuse to move because the s.n.b looks like a normal pushchair (in fact a company has brought out a pushchair that looks similar to my s.n.b:x) really gets me esp those with the big 3 wheel things.
I have to either stand in the aisle, or have a big argument just to get on the bus, I have to use public transport as I don't drive and even if i did parking charges at hospitals are way of the planet.
it's not only other passangers who i have to arue with though I've had a couple of arguments with drives who have wantted to let a wheelchair on, i've even had to show a driver my sons zippe r:\( (his scar from his heart op)
SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE:roll:
22/12/2007 at 18:02
i had a bus driver tell me to collapse my pram, wake my baby up in the process before he would let me on, sniggering and laughing at me doing it with no offer of help - in the pouring rain!!!!

We dont have any wheelchair/pram access on our bus routes - aparantly noone raound here is disabled or has a pram, or were all rich enough to drive two cars.

I complained about that driver and never heard anything back, but was told they dint believe me as he had kids of his own... WTF???

am v v annoyed with stagecoach. Would rather pay ??????20 for a taxi both ways than pay ??????8 for the bus each way!
Edited: 11/01/2011 at 05:45
22/12/2007 at 18:15
i am exactly the same. i hate busses but cant drive and even if i could cant afford to!! i have had busses just drive past me when they see my pushchair even though i would have folded it!! i have also been on bus with my buggy and bus was nearly empty, no one sat in any of buggy spaces, could have fit another 2 on and driver just drove past all people waiting with buggys. its absolutley disgraceful. only reason i got on is cause i was stood behind some1 without buggy.

xx Holly xx
23/12/2007 at 20:44
On our buses they now have this new rules that states no more than two buggies on the bus at any one time.

With it being so busy now three or four buses can now pass you with plenty of seats but as there are already two buggies on board they will not let you on. So you and your poor little one are outside in the freezing clod waiting for a bus,

Viv
28/12/2007 at 14:19
no offence, but at least you have pram spaces on your buses.

we get price increases, then they drag out old buses that are falling apart! - some of the buses are so bad, that even if you fold your pram up its still a squeeze to get it through the poles at the doorway! (and thats the little pram that we bought specially for buses)

we have to collapse the pram off the bus even if its raining, snowing, freezing and 'company policy' states they are not 'allowed' to collapse the pram - but what about helping you by holding your bag or baby - not gonna do much damage then are they!

they make my blood boil, effing arrogant W*&^%rs
Edited: 11/01/2011 at 05:45
29/12/2007 at 11:04
Hiya all

Just seen this post and had to reply,me and my 3 girls 9,5 and 18 months have to get bus to and from school as its way too far to walk and i dont drive.I pay nearly ??????30 a week in bus fares to be abused by bus drivers who dont like to stop at bus stops,old people who think its there right to sit where buggys supposed to go and then you get bus full of school kids smoking drugs! to top it all off the bus company has now took all low floors off so i now have to fold buggy and stand on a packed bus with an 18 month old in my arms as well as making sure other 2 dont get trampled on as theres only 1 bus every 30 mins and they want us to spend our money catching the bus!Im learning to drive after new year as bus company are putting up there fares after new year!
oh and for complaining doesnt work its always they will investigate.:x
13/01/2008 at 18:34
hi
this is one of my pet hates too after standing 25 mins waiting on bus driver just put up his hand (ricki lake style) and said you are not getting on let all the others on and drove off really embarrassing my neighbour is never allowed on either and walks her 5 yr old 1.5 miles to school n back every day with 2 yr old twins in a buggy i really hate the i have the power bus drivers
31/01/2008 at 06:29
this really get to me too. i've had many buses drive past because they already had buggies on, without even giving me a chance to fold it up!!
i also hate it when you have to fold your buggy up for someone who's child about 4 years old and perfectly capable of sitting anywhere on the bus.
also the drivers always make me fold up whilst still on the pavement instead of letting me on to do it so we get wet or frozen and my 19 month old tries to run away while i'm folding the buggy and of course, no one offers to help. at least if they let me on first, my lo wouldn't be able to go far or get in the road!
and yes people with large buggys annoy me, doubles are fair enough coz they're all quite large! i had a lovely mamas and papas pram when my son was born but i sold it when i realised just how much space it took up on the bus!!
keep saying i'll learn to drive but don't have anyone to watch kids while i learn
03/02/2008 at 14:41
the bus situation with prams really bugs me. i think drivers are so rude anyway without adding a buggy to the situation.
i once saw a driver turn away a mum with a buggy and the bus was empty, all cos the bus was running late, what a crock.
what upsets me is that u all have ur right to be upset about this, but dont get mad at people with big prams. i have twins and i have a single file tandom pram, as i know how big the side by sides are and it just doesnt get me any where. but i have to have my buggy and its not my fault and i am so tired of the mums that think i dont need any more room in shops, foot path or the bus... its a long pram and i do my best to stay out of the way and i am lucky to be able to afford a twin travel system pram, but u try taking two car seats of a pram and fold up he pram without anyone even batting an eye lid. i am not having a go i am just saying a point of view from a twin mum that has to have a long pram.... when they are bigger i will get a small pram ....
i do agree with the wheelchair committ though and i would always give up my space for a wheel chair.
03/02/2008 at 14:58
Hi crilly I completely sympathise i havnt got twins but needed and will need again a double pushchair for my little ones due to haviing them close in age! I completelty agree with you how other mums can be more inconsiderate when in shops and other places with the bugies as a double is a lot harder to steer than single.

I will however say that I am one of the moaners about big pushchairs on buses, but this is referred to huge single pushchairs, that sometimes are stupidly big.


xx
04/02/2008 at 09:14
some people do have rather large prams for no reason, and i agree with that they r taking up too much space, i guess its just a touchy topic for me as i find no one gives me room anywhere and i hate having to have such a long buggy but it makes my life easier. i was in a shop the other day and this kind gentleman stepped aside for me to get passed which was nice, so this woman just saw it as an opotunity for her to go instead and just burged passed me and rudely snarled at me, i couldnt believe it. my girls are 5 months, i drive but i havent driven in over 2yrs due to the fact the bus is easier and health as i get a bit of a walk. but since i have had the twins i havent been near a bus if i need to go out i walk as much as i can or i get a lift off my husband or mother in law. i really want to be able to just pop to town on the bus but i know its going to be a nightmare.......... its bad enough out walking and shopping with a buggy, without having to add the stress of the bus. i was going to start my girls with baby modelling, for something for me to do and to have a little money put aside for them when they are older but the idea of travelling around lndon on trains and buses makes me sick. i know it was be so hard on my own, its so unfair... they want u to take the public transport but they dont make it easy.

sorry if i sounded in my last message that i was angry
04/02/2008 at 10:26
Oh no you didnt come across angry rant away i know i do, lol! I like you do drive but since having the girls and moving to se london I havnt liked driving. I am quite lucky where I am that everything is in a walkable distance but the service is awful, trains are a little better apart from some staions have lots of stairs and no lifts so i find myself having to carry the pushcahir which isnt good.

04/02/2008 at 11:56
i had to buy a small pram for going on the buses as i couldnt even think about taking our big one on them! its a nice pram (mothercare urban detour) but its only really for if were going somewhere in the car, or walking, buses are a big no with it! but my nice lil pram fits on them (just) not taking up much more room than a person would.

i can drive, but we can afford to have two cars, or even put me on the insurance of the family car we do have, so my only option is the bus or taxi or walk. I hate the bus and cant afford taxis (althgouh i would gladly pay forone rather than use the bus nowadays) but i live in the sticks with the shops being 10 miles away......

i can understand the twin prams, but i too dont get the big single baby prams. thats why we got a smaller one...... which still struggles to get on our buses!
Edited: 11/01/2011 at 05:45
05/02/2008 at 05:03
i think the government needs to be approuch on its public transport, its unfair that there isnt lifts at trainstations and we are forced to carry baby and pushchair or not even go on the train, and the limit of room for us on the buses just has to stop. maybe we should see if prima mag can write up an article about it ,
1 to 20 of 35 messages