Have you moved your buggy for a wheelchair user?
Senior judges have ruled that bus companies are not required by law to force parents with buggies to make way for wheelchair users.
The case originally came to light after a disabled man catching a bus could not access the wheelchair space, after a woman refused to move a pushchair with a sleeping baby.
Appeal judges claimed that the mother was within her rights to occupy the space.
They have suggested that wheelchair users ask Parliament for a change in law, if they want to be sure of the right to reserved spaces on buses.
So, at the moment parents with pushchairs do not have to make space for a wheelchair.
It really seems the issue is one of entitlement – “I was here first why should I move?” Or “Why should I help out”.
Some people feel that it is their need to stay where they are and that they are justified to take up such space or sit in a particular seat.
It can be incredibly hard for many parents pushing buggies and getting them onto buses.
Some are not designed to collapse and don’t fold down easily. Plus parents use the storage underneath which again adds to the problem with folding the buggy easily.
But what about other bus users? It cannot be expected for a wheelchair user to fold up their chair so that others can use the space.
Is there a risk of prioritising one group over another if a law is passed by Parliament which states wheel chair users have the right to the designated area?
If that is the case what about pregnant ladies and elderly people struggling for seats on public transport. Many people would see this as a very similar issue.
