I'm not tarring all bus drivers with the same brush. As in all groups it's
always the exceptions that get the publicity, and those exceptions are the
ones that get people's backs up.

I agree with you about the pushchairs. Maybe the technology involved in
folding a pushchair is just too much for the average young mum ;-) I
remember my mum rushing to fold my sister's chair as the old RF on the 236
hove into view. And the practiced balancing act with the toddler, the
shopping and the chair climbing those 2 steep steps at the front of the bus!
In those days the chairs didn't fold down as efficiently or as small as
modern ones.

In defence of "lazy" or "stupid" young mum's with pushchairs. As the
above says. Its impossible to look after a kid, get on a bus and fold
a pushchair all at the same time while everyone on the bus is tutting
about the amount of time the mother is taking. Buses that kneel down
to the curb (when the driver bothers to stop within a one mile raduis
of the curb of course) and buses that have ramps are great ideas.
Wheelchair spaces are very good for making public transport accessible
for all but buses aren't exactly crammed with wheelchairs. So
providing that space for a baby able to stay in a parm/pushchair is a
much better idea than providing space for a wheelchair.
Where I come from I remember when I was young buses waiting for ages
while the bus driver got out to help some helpless mother fold her
pushchair and put it in the luggage bit while the mother carried or
hung on to her child. They now have a small number of buses with
wheelchair spaces and the mother simply ups the wheels of the
pushchair pushes it up onto the bus pays her fare and slides it into
the space. Much easier.

In defence of "lazy" or "stupid" young mum's with pushchairs. As the
above says. Its impossible to look after a kid, get on a bus and fold
a pushchair all at the same time while everyone on the bus is tutting
about the amount of time the mother is taking. Buses that kneel down
to the curb (when the driver bothers to stop within a one mile raduis
of the curb of course) and buses that have ramps are great ideas.
Wheelchair spaces are very good for making public transport accessible
for all but buses aren't exactly crammed with wheelchairs. So
providing that space for a baby able to stay in a parm/pushchair is a
much better idea than providing space for a wheelchair.
Where I come from I remember when I was young buses waiting for ages
while the bus driver got out to help some helpless mother fold her
pushchair and put it in the luggage bit while the mother carried or
hung on to her child. They now have a small number of buses with
wheelchair spaces and the mother simply ups the wheels of the
pushchair pushes it up onto the bus pays her fare and slides it into
the space. Much easier.



As I said earlier, I have no problem with having pushchairs on my bus, but
officially we can carry ONE open. Most of the drivers I know will carry 2 (as
they will fit into the wheelchair bay), what really p*sses me off is when u get
groups of 3 or 4 together and they all expect to get in without folding their
pushchairs.

If we were to let them on they block up the isle making it impossible to load
other passengers up.

Of course should a wheelchair user then wish to board, we have to tell these
people with pushchairs to fold them as a wheelchair takes priority.

In this situation the abuse that is given to a driver is violent. I,
personally, would rather take the abuse from a Nightbus full of drunks, than
from 2 women asked to fold down their pushchairs. Maybe that is just life in SW
london.

On 17 Feb 2004 06:37:34 -0800, (CJG Now
Thankfully Living In The North) wrote:

In defence of "lazy" or "stupid" young mum's with pushchairs. As the
above says. Its impossible to look after a kid, get on a bus and fold
a pushchair all at the same time while everyone on the bus is tutting
about the amount of time the mother is taking.

eh? How did I get brought up then?

Seemed to have been quite possible for my mother 32 years ago.