Wheelchair V Pram (2)

I was on the number 61 to Blackpool last week, it was a hot spring bank holiday week and the bus was full of family's going to the seaside, including 5 family's with prams and young babies.
These 5 prams took up both wheelchair bays on this double decker.  Which was fine until closer to Blackpool the bus stopped for an older couple with a young man in a wheelchair.
Obviously there was no room, sitting at the back of the bus I didn't hear what the couple said to the driver but I saw the looks exchanged by the mothers with prams and they didn't seem inclined to move.
The bus driver however got out of her cab and asked the mothers if they would fold up there prams to make room for the wheelchair.
No one said anything but they did as asked,  there was a bit of a scramble to off load shopping bags and pass babies to other people while the prams were folded and stacked on one side of the bus. One poor young new farther judging by the age of the baby did struggle to actually work out how to fold his pram but eventually the couple were able to wheel onto the bus and we continued our journey.
I got off before the bus got to Blackpool so i didn't witness what happened at the other end but I would just like to say well done to the bus driver and the mothers for making room without complaining.

Wheelchair v Pram space

I get on the bus and sit in the single disabled seat behind the wheelchair / pram area. Nice seat where i don't have to worry about anyone sitting next to me but lack of foot space so my bad leg doesn't fit exactly behind the bar and has to stick out into the Wheelchair / pram area.
1 pram gets on no problem second pram gets on and she rams it straight into my foot (wearing red boot easy to see) I say excuse me I need room for my foot she backs off applies pram break
break is shit doesn't work every time bus moves the pram rams into my foot
so I say your pram keeps running into my foot
she says your foot should be behind the bar
I say MY FOOT IS DISABLED I don't a have a walking stick for fun
she doesn't apologizes or say anything else but keeps her pram off my foot

the thing is even if I wasn't disabled if I wanted to put my feet under the bar because it was more comfortable as there isn't a lot of leg room in this seat she had no right to let her pram ram into it

Women with buggies on bus not getting good press
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/11290990/Buggies-and-mums-on-British-buses-are-a-disgrace.html




"If a wheelchair user wants the space, how am I supposed to fold down the pram with a two-year old, a baby and all the shopping?"

i had to before low level buss exsisted

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38664710


Bus Services Bill

Raised curbs ????

The council created raised curbs at bus stops to allow people with wheel chairs, prams, trolleys, and the less mobile to get on the bus easier.
So I am waiting at the hospital bus stop for the 88 with two heavy bags and a  heavy shopping trolley when the 23 turns up, guy in wheel chair needs to get on so bus driver lowers the bus drops the ramp assists him, this take time,
In the mean time the 88 pulls up behind the 23 and the 88 passengers amble down the street to get on but I have heavy shopping and bad knees and i don't want to drag my shopping down to where the 88 has pulled in and lift my trolley across a foot wide gap to get it on the bus, I want to use the raised curb and gain access easier like the wheel chair lad did.
But the 88 driver isn't patient enough to wait for the 23 to pull off then check if anyone else wants the 88 NO he goes to pull round the 23.
NOT today I flag him down he pulls over at an angle to the curb "I yell some off us were waiting for you to pull up to the official bus stop and raised curb because we need easier access
If he had not got out and lifted my trolley onto the bus I think I would have committed GBH on him.

It is easier to get on a bus in a wheel chair than with shopping bags and a walking stick

Sauna Bus service

Why do passengers sit on buss's when the weather is warm that are obviously so dam hot you could roast a turkey with all the windows closed.

I like oxygen, I don't like to travel in a sauna with sweaty people

As for the old lady complaining it was cold she was wearing more layers than the shreks onion

Good Driver V Bad Driver

So took the number 35 Tatertan to town I needed to get off at the law courts so I could go to the market, I rang the bell as we rounded the greyfriers pub I couldn't hear it as I had my music playing on headphones, but the STOPPING sign lite up. This gave him plenty of time to get into the right lane to stop in the bus lane but no he continued into the middle lane and after stopping at the pelican he made no attempt to pull over and stop so I said excuse me from my seat at the back of the bus (see blog on sauna bus service) and rang the bell several times, he immediately pulled over once the bus had stopped I rose moved down the bus and commented to the driver..."If you cant hear the bell when I press it once I will press it several times in future"

His reason for not stopping could have been

1.  didnt want to stop
2.  as I didn't get up and hobble to the front thought I didn't actually want to get off
3. didn't hear the bell
4. or both didn't hear the bell and his little dash board light indicating passenger wished to alight didn't come come

Now later getting of the 89 from Morrison's  my right knee did a painful  double clunk click and I yelled in pain, the bus driver who had been teaching the newbie driver came to my rescue and helped both me and my trolley off the bus.

so for today the verdict is 1/1

Singing drivers

Occasionally I get a nice bus driver like the one that was singing tunes to the passengers as they got on and off, this one even helped me get my heavy trolley off the bus.

Kids on Busses

Went totally mental on a kid on the bus who stood on my foot while barging past me to mess about with his mate, prior to this him and his mates had held the bus up because the driver refused to move while they were messing about up stairs ringing the bell and running up and down, when he came down stairs he wiped some mud off his trainers on old tickets then chucked them on the floor and spat on the floor where people had to walk to get off. My foot really hurt and I reacted by shoving him and called him a little bastard, he cowered and said sorry are you ok? I said no im not and if I see you spit on the floor again I'll spit on you (I was really tired and angry) His actions were witnessed by a guy getting on the bus with his young daughter, the bus driver upon hearing he had spat on the floor as well as injuring me by being a thug ordered the lad off the bus and the guy getting on backed the driver up. As I limped home he was standing at the bus stop looking dejected. I would like to think that it would teach him a lesson in manners but doubt it very much.

Long Time

Its been a long time but still having problems with bus drivers, between the deaf ones and the ones that just don't care I wonder why they choose to be bus drivers.