Talkback: Pushchairs take priority over wheelchairs on public transport?

I would have thought this was a no-brainer. A wheelchair ALWAYS takes priority over a pushchair. Yes, I've folded it for one, I've also got off the bus and waited for the next one. I'd NEVER think it was my right to stay there and leave a disabled person not able to get on!!!

We had the same problem a while back here in Edinburgh, there was such a public outcry now Mummy and her Baby and Pushchair are allowed equal access as people in wheelchairs,

The Public outcry was so severe, Edinburgh introduced special buses that are pushchair and pram friendly, they even painted them pink for quick recognition.

in west yorkshire this has happened i was one of the mum's on the bus but i was at the pram side of the bus and not at the wheel chair the bus driver actualled asked the woman if she could walk onto the bus as there were 3 prams on instead of asking the two in the wheel chair space to fold the prams.

In Bedford buses have spaces for both pushchairs and wheelchairs with ramps that can be lowered for both. Both spaces are clearly labelled and drivers do ask people to move down the bus if they are sitting in these spaces and someone needs to use them. If there are no wheelchairs then the space can be used by buggies instead but I will always give up the space if I am in it.

However, I have had occasions where people can clearly see me in the queue with my son asleep in his buggy and shopping and they still sit in the pushchair space. I have also heard the older ladies saying ' in my day we had to fold them down . .' criticising me for using the space. If my son is awake, I will get him out and fold the buggy down so he can sit on my lap or on the seat ( he is 2yrs old ).

Tha way I look at it is this - if pushchairs were not meant to be on buses there would not be a designated space for them.

Through no choice of my own, I am now in a wheelchair and have a 9 month old daughter.  I have never experienced any problems on the rare occasions I have used buses.  I would like to think that people would collapse prams to allow a wheelchair to fit in too!  I find if I am courteous to buggy / pram users, the majority are courteous back and vice versa.  I self-propel in my wheelchair and find it a horrendous ordeal using public transport and going shopping etc - it is at times too stressful and far too much effort!   

I live in a rural area and the local bus companies are yet to run buses that are suitable for the disabled.  It is hard enough getting the the buses with a buggie let alone any one with a physical disabilty trying.  It's nuts!  Even more insane seeing that we have a large college for the disabled in the local area.

my opinion is both are priority on public transport. neither should be more important than the other. people with pushchairs and people with wheelchairs should be treated the same. i think public bus transport should make equal space on the bus to be able to fit both wheelchair and pushchairs without one having to move out the way and not having anywhere to go on the bus that is suitable for them. also i think that bus drivers should lower there ramps to make it easier for both wheelchairs and pushchairs to get off without any problems. they should do this everytime either of these r traveling on the buses. i dont understand why they dont. i think its wrong and they need to be more reliable in that part. bus drivers lower your ramps in future or else i wont use u again.

I have just used the bus to day in london for the first time!(im from up north and never used it there).
I had my 7 month old baby in a pushchair and i was quite worried about where i would place the pushchair in the bus.... a sign read it was wheelchair users priority and it was empty so i was lucky...until someone with a wheelchair came in....and i didnt see them come in and they were so rude to me and told me to move out of the way....why do some people find it so hard to be polite!!! ofcourse i would move, i just didnt see them come in!! i heard them bad mouthing me right in front of me because they thought i couldn't speak english!! :(