I don’t know if any of the Vancouver area bloggers are avid CBC Radio One listeners….but I was asked to join Steven Quinn on ‘On the Coast’ to discuss a recent case of ‘alleged’ discrimination.
A woman won a case against the bus company when she claimed she was discriminated against by a bus driver when she was trying to board the bus with a stroller.
CBC had many calls and discussions all day about strollers and buses and so they asked ME to come down and have a quick chat about this along wit the lovely owner of Crocodile on West 4th, who happens to sell a LOT of strollers.
I avoid taking the bus with kids. I am a slacker car driver. But not ALL parents have that choice.
I have noticed a few things about strollers and buses in Vancouver.
First, the current bus designs are NOT stroller or bag or anything friendly. In the UK, the buses had storage RIGHT at the front of the bus, where people could stow folded stroller and any large bags. Worked great.
Second, people are not very friendly on transit. I commuted for years on bus and Skytrain and rarely saw much evidence of people helping other people. People tend to stick to their iPods, and newspapers and ignore what is going on around them. When hugely preggers, I was rarely offered a seat and if I was, it was by a woman.
People are LOATHE to get up off the seats reserved for the disables and elderly, they seem to asume that someone ELSE will.
Bus drivers are loathe to say ANYTHING for fear of violent reprisals. And really, do the drivers HAVE to say something…do we not just want to be NICE?
In the UK, people always helped out. Anyone who was struggling with kids and or groceries, was usually offered a helping hand by SOMEONE.
Transit is the culture there…here, not so much.
So…..can we all try to be nicer on the buses these days and HELP the next person struggling with a stroller or kids or packages, etc?
And should people with strollers be trying to fold em up before they get on the bus or hope and or expect there to be room on the bus for them?
Love to hear your thoughts.
Oh and I LOVE talking on the radio. I want to thank my contacts at the CBC….they are so nice and I really always have fun getting to do this.
Thanks again and ANYTIME!
cross posted on wcw
Shannon says
I agree, it is very hard to get on and off buses with strollers. I am not a frequent travler on the bus now. But I used to be. I didn’t have kids then but people getting strollers on and off often had trouble. In Saskatoon bus drivers would often help them get on and off the . Here in Bosotn the subway stations are not at all stroller friendly (let alone wheelchair friendly!) but I have often had people help me getting on and off or offer me their seat. It is nice to have your fellow human beings be so thoughtful but it would be nicer to have more accessible transit!
Shannons last blog post..Not That It Happened To Me Monday: The Houseplant EditionI’v
Amber says
I will try my best to listen today! That’s so fun, being on the radio. Do you know approx. when you will be on?
I haven’t taken transit regularly in 8 years. I mostly used it back in my university days. I can’t really remember how it was with strollers – it wasn’t on my radar at the time. As a mom I would say that if the bus is full (like standing-room only), then you should probably fold up your stroller before getting on. But then someone really ought to give you a seat if you’re holding a baby or small child.
Michelle Evans says
When I was on maternity leave with my son I didn’t have a car, so transit was the order of the day. The first few times I went out, I had the full stroller that you sit the carseat piece on top of, so let me tell you… not possible to fold that up and carry it on. Not even a little. And the first time I asked a driver to use the lift for me he sighed loudly and asked why. I responded that I’d had a caesarean section just 10 days prior and needed the lift. He said, “Well… I guess.”
One of the challenges for mothers with strollers is that most of them are such that if you put anything in the compartment underneath them, you can’t fold them without taking it all out. So what you end up doing is trying to fold up a stroller, carry it and a child AND all the stuff you just took out – diaper bag, groceries, purse and/or whatever. Believe it or not, it’s WAY easier carrying the entire stroller with child up the steps and wheeling it into an empty wheelchair spot (if there is one). If one isn’t available, I’d have to walk or wait for the next bus.
Transit is definitely not mom/stroller friendly. Not with infants anyway. Older kids and umbrella strollers; no problem.
Michelle Evanss last blog post..One Sunny Day in November
Lisa says
I honestly don’t have a clue about the hardships of relying on transit, but I can imagine how hard it would be struggling with a stroller, two children and various paraphenalia. This driver sounds like an ego-tripping moron!
I can’t believe he still has a job…..well actually I’m not surprised since his union defended his actions and threw all the blame on the mom.
Good luck Kerry……better you than me, not sure I could keep my anger in check.
So did Sarah Pacey “win” her discrimination case, or is it still an “alleged” discrimination? A bit confused.
Lisas last blog post..Hollow Legs
carolbrowne says
I hate the bus. I hate the bus so much that I walk nearly 4 KM every day after work to where our car is parked at my husband’s office to then backtrack and go home. With kids, forget it. Also, with some of those giant strollers at rush hour? Really forget it.
I used to work with people with disabilities and no one would give up their seats for those guys. I’d have to ask them to move.
What can I say? Transit stinks all around.
SoMo says
The last time I took public transit was last year. We decided to take a streetcar ride to where our car was parked from the French Quarter. It was packed because of the festival going on. I was surprised that 1. the streetcar operator told us to just leave the stroller unfolded. 2. there were several people willing to help us, even though I was with my husband. and 3. no one was blocking out the rest of us with devices. I am not sure if this is an usual occurence, however the streetcar is a bit different than the bus, which we never take, anymore. If we are looking for something fun to do, we take a streetcar up and down the line through the Garden District and so do most tourists. So, I guess the streetcar is more of an atomsphere of fun than have to be somewhere right this minute.
I was surprised at how friendly, especially on such a busy day, the operator was. And how unfazed he was by the stroller. In general, New Orleans is not a stroller friendly city. Our sidewalks are in bad shape and many stores are not set up for strollers. I am mainly talking about downtown, French Quarter and Uptown. Interesting.
SoMos last blog post..The Reincarnation of Oscar Madison
cheesefairy says
Oh, missed you on the CBC. I do try to listen in the afternoons but often the children need mellowing music at that time of day.
I try to avoid taking transit with my kids for two reasons:
1. because we live in a part of town where the buses are unreliable – even if the schedule says there will be a low-rider coming, half the time it’s an old school ’80s bus with steps to climb. With my first son, I would carry the stroller up with him in it, then a few bus drivers were all “No you can’t do that, you have to take him out and fold it up.” I waited for the next one. My kid slept in his stroller and I shopped while he slept and like someone else mentioned, taking out the groceries, removing the sleeping child and folding the stroller? Not a frigging option. With 2 kids? hahahahahahaha.
2. In my neighbourhood, there are a lot of people with strollers and a lot of elderly folks so there is very often no room for another stroller. I defer to people with walkers, motorized wheelchairs and canes, so I often end up walking anyway.
Since we got our car (when son1 was 6 m/old) I rarely take transit with the kids. So much of going out & about with wee kids is timing – naps, feedings, mood swings. I can’t rely on getting X bus & arriving at my destination when I want to so rather than risk 2 kids having screaming meltdowns on an overcrowded bus/train, I control the variables and drive. But mostly we walk because we live pretty close to everything we want / need.
Much like a small town, New West is a great place to live as long as you don’t try to leave.
thordora says
We were surprised when we moved here from Toronto-they didn’t allow strollers (but they allow full bundle buggies and walkers no problem. heh). I understand the size contraints, but they claimed “insurance rules” which in my mind, is a big bunch of hooey.
I either used a sling, or took the small umbrella strollers with me before they could walk. I carried anything we needed in a backpack, not some godawful giant diaper bag, and carried a LOT less than any driving mother’s I ran into.
I rarely if ever had any problems with tanrums or screaming as we made sure kids were fed/clean/rested before going anywhere. Made ALL the difference-something I wish more parents would be cognizant of.
Most drivers here are nice-it’s the people running the system who suck. I’m a faithful bus rider who is always amazed at the excuses people will give for NOT taking the bus (having to wait 5 minutes being my personal favorite). Getting a stroller on? I don’t think it’s necessary or ever safe for anyone, as much as it’s annoyed me in the past. But I feel the same for all the OTHER big stuff people ARE allowed to transport…
Scattered Mom says
The one major thing I noticed when we were in New Mexico over the summer was that men, perfect strangers, would open the door for me and call me “Ma’am.”
I thought it was soooooooo weird. Nice, but weird. You’d never see ANYONE do that here!
Scattered Moms last blog post..Annoyed