Neil Williams wrote to uk.transport.london on Thu, 30 Jun 2005:

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 12:44:41 +0100, Clive
wrote:

I am sorry for offending you, but I still think mothers with pushchairs
should have then folded before even attempting to board a bus. You're
right that I don't understand everyone's circumstances, but I do
understand the room these things take up and that modern buses of the
kneeling type are for wheelchair access not pushchair access.

No, they're not. They are provided with a low floor to aid access to
everyone, be they in a wheelchair, with a pram or with lots of
luggage, or often in mainland Europe with a bicycle.

Indeed, a very kind bus driver lowered the floor for us when we were
travelling to Heathrow Airport with suitcases a couple of months ago.
It didn't make any difference to our having to lug them down the steps
of the Tube, alas, but it did make the first leg of the journey feel
nicer!

Personally, I would not put tip-up seats in the space concerned, be it
on a bus or a train; not doing so avoids arguments, and the space can
be used for standing if the bus is really busy.

I'm noticing that more and more buses have them removed, probably for
that very reason.
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 May 2005