What is it about parenting and public transport that doesn’t mix?
The day before yesterday, I took the bus down to the village, I’d like to say that this was in an effort to be more green, alas, it was more to do with hubby’s 4.45am start time (he needed the car), who just so happens to be a bus driver and was caught up in my frustrations.
Anyway, so I’m on the bus, after an hour or so of waiting. Don’t get me wrong the buses are frequent, every five minutes in fact, however, somebody thought it would be a good idea to only have ONE space for a pram or wheelchair and barely any room to fold your pram, so with a quota of one pram/wheelchair per bus it can take some time!
Anyway, so I’m on the bus (finally), which was really an achievement in itself as many of the buses drivers (who seem to be of the older generation) don’t like to find the button and press it, so that the bus lowers, and we parents with buggies can board.
Anyway, so I’m on the bus (just about), the bus driver pulls away before Erin is safely ’stowed’ away with the pram brake on. Tut Tut. We were coming over the hill towards home when I pressed the blue buzzer (to let the driver know a pram or wheelchair would like to get off), I pressed the buzzer in plenty of time. The driver stopped to let other passengers off, and then begun to drive as I was still in the gangway. I held on for dear life, before the driver innocently asks “did you want THIS stop” to which I replied “Yes, please”, he asked the same question again, to which I gave the same reply. I have an underlying belief that (some) bus drivers want to make parents with buggies as uncomfortable as possible so we choose not to use the service and in turn make their job that little bit easier.
Now, I’m not one to complain without having a solution (!), The Buggy Bus. A bus with predominantly space for parents with buggies that would run perhaps once an hour, I think a lot of parents would just ditch the usual service and wait for this one. Oh, and there would be a super friendly driver that loves kids and has infinite patience (am I asking too much now?).
3 Responses to “Parenting + Public Transport = : (”
Funny story. And no, that’s not too much to ask!
Your story reminds me of when I was *very* pregnant, and the bus driver didn’t stop at my stop. I had to walk an extra block because he waited too long (after I yelled that I wanted to get off).
The silly thing (now) is that I asked him to back up to the stop. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I’m lucky he even opened the doors when I asked him that.
I cried for about an hour after that. Pregnancy hormones!!
If in doubt, cry it out. That should be the motto of pregnancy!
I find these stories very upsetting. It would be nice to have a buggy bus, but it won’t happen because it looks like the button to tell the driver is broken and they are to money tight and won’t fix it or they are so money tight that they bus drivers don’t have decent health insurance that will cover hearing aids or something. I hope both of you have better luck on the buses next time. Guess we could gang up on them with a blog riot or somthing if there was a such thing