Wheelchair users and prams on public transport, whose priority

[baghera]

Surely if we believe in equality it should be first come first serve, its hardly fair to ask anyone to leave a bus to let someone else on.

[Snorbuckle]

Surely if we believe in equality it should be first come first serve, its hardly fair to ask anyone to leave a bus to let someone else on.

 

Would you say it's ok for someone to simply stand in the wheelchair spot and refuse to move, on the reasoning that they were there first? Surely that's "equality" for everyone concerned, be they wheelchair users, people with pushchairs or none of the above?

 

Besides, I don't think equality means treating everyone the same. To me, it means providing everyone with equal experiences as far as we are able. In this case, it would be ensuring that a wheelchair user would be able to ride any bus that is not full (or as far as is practical, e.g. if there is already a wheelchair user on the bus then unfortunately it is not practical for them to be able to ride).

[Mister M]

Would you say it's ok for someone to simply stand in the wheelchair spot and refuse to move, on the reasoning that they were there first? Surely that's "equality" for everyone concerned, be they wheelchair users, people with pushchairs or none of the above?

 

Besides, I don't think equality means treating everyone the same. To me, it means providing everyone with equal experiences as far as we are able. In this case, it would be ensuring that a wheelchair user would be able to ride any bus that is not full (or as far as is practical, e.g. if there is already a wheelchair user on the bus then unfortunately it is not practical for them to be able to ride).

 

Yes i agree - equality isn't treating everyone the same, because different people have different needs. And clearly for a disabled person to access public transport, provisions may need to be made.

[hobinfoot]

On the presumption that it is a shared wheelchair/pushchair space then priority should be given to the person who gets there first.

 

If it's purely a wheelchair designated space then any pushchairs occupying the space should move. The driver should also wait until the pushchair has been folded away, any shopping/bags appropriately stored and the parent is sitting with the child firmly held before setting off. I'm sure the rest of the passengers won't mind the wait.

 

jb

 

---------- Post added 13-11-2014 at 13:16 ----------

 

 

I wonder what he would have done if the space had been occupied by another wheelchair user? How many spaces should a bus company provide? Is one enough? Should there be one for wheelchairs and one for buggies or two for wheelchairs? Should they get around the problem by being mainly an open space with standing room for the majority of passengers, plenty of spaces for wheelchairs ad buggies and only a few seats for the elderly or infirm?

 

jb

 

I use a wheelchair and if the space is occupied by another wheelchair user then I have to wait for the next bus but I've found that most non disabled people are helpful and move when asked.

[roosterboost]

Wheelchair, surely? How is this even a debate?

 

Don't folk push disabled children around in push chairs.

[Kidorry]

What annoys me is when pushchairs are put on the bus full of shopping and the child is walking onto the bus so obviously the pushchair isn't for the child.

 

By the same token,an elderly lady & a young man and woman had a wheelchair on the number 44 bus coming from Crystal peaks and when they got of they all walked off with the wheelchair full of shopping.

[Mr Bloom]

If it's a shared wheelchair/pushchair space, then, as barleycorn said, whoever gets their first and a pushchair user should NEVER be asked to leave the bus for a wheelchair user, if it is traditionally a shared space.

 

I think it's time we had more flexible seating designs on buses, including ride-ons for mobility scooters. The population of bus-users is changing and buses need to take that in to account.

[roosterboost]

I find this debate very disturbing. There are plenty of folks with special needs and disabilities who are transported around in push chairs. They might not necessarily have outward signs.

I can imaging a situation where a woman with a buggy holding a couple of kids has paid the fare travelled from town and is then asked to get off the bus in Parson's Cross in the dark because a wheel chair user wants her space.

I'm not sure that a bus driver is actually qualified to assess whether her kids might have special needs or not. But I am sure that being forced from a bus is a strange area where she might get mugged might not really help.

[geared]

I wonder what he would have done if the space had been occupied by another wheelchair user?

 

I believe then they are required to battle over the space, the victor claims his position on the bus and the looser is left with their life shattered.

[Snorbuckle]

If a child really does have mobility issues that prevents them from being comfortably transferred to either their accompanying adult's arms or a bus seat, then surely they would qualify as disabled and be protected by the proposed legislation anyway? I think some people might be getting caught up in the idea that others are using "wheelchair user" to mean a person who cannot be accommodated by the bus seating and must bring their own, and "pushchair" to mean any buggy-type device used for carrying small children that CAN be accommodated by said seating.