On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:06:00 +0000, eastender
wrote:

Ernst S Blofeld wrote:

I can recall the days when a mother fully laden with shopping, two small
children and a pram, could, without a moment's hesitation, deftly lift
one child out of the pram and over the shoulder, fold the pram and board
the bus whilst holding the shopping and the toddler.

I wonder *how* small the children were. Lifting a baby onto her
shoulder would be a very different matter from hauling a lively 2.5
year-old out of a push-chair. Also, before low-floor buses were the
norm, somebody with a push-chair would know they'd have to fold it and
would do so at the stop before the bus arrived. That's a different
matter from folding a push-chair in a hurry because a bus arrives with
no space to wheel a push-chair. (This is *not* to condone refusal by
anybody with a push-chair to fold it when a wheelchair user needs the
space. The rules are very clear about this, that wheelchairs take
priority)


Oh yeah? We have two year old twins - there is no way you can get them
out a
double buggy and fold it up. Also, the side by side double buggy we have
won't fit at the front of the bus, and some drivers won't let you board at
the rear doors.



My impression is that before low-floor buses were the norm somebody in
your position simply wouldn't have used buses at all - at least not
with only one adult in charge

Martin