(12 Dec 2014, 8:50 pm)Jimmi wrote I totally disagree with allowing pushchairs on buses, especially at peak times.

Almost every morning service 7 to Framwellgate Moor would arrive at Ferryhill Market Place with no seats left and often had standees and when we got to this stop as well as lots of students and people getting to work there was a man and a woman got on at that stop almost every morning and this almost always meant that 3 people sat in the wheelchair bay would then have to stand so one of them and the pushchair could take the space which really put a strain on the loadings on that journey which is part of the reason that journey now has a duplicate working.

Also I don't see why if I'm sat in the wheelchair bay and a person with a pushchair wants to go there, I don't see why I should have to move with for them, especially when there is no other seats on the bus at the time which happened on the X66 the other week (I always do move without argument, even though I don't want to).

Also I think a person with a pushchair not moving for a wheelchair because the baby is sleeping is totally **** ignorant, you could take that baby out of the pushchair and fold the pushchair up and keep hold of the baby (I imagine this is harder if your on own, but still) and I actually think point blank refusing to move for a wheelchair in which you end up denying access to travel on that bus is discrimination in my mind and just been incredibly ignorant.

I was initially a bit outraged by the decision, but having spoken to others about it, I really don't think the issue isn't as big as it seems. The Equality Act 2010 is quite clear that direct discrimination occurs, when a person receives treatment less favourably than they would another, because of a protected characteristic. Protected characteristics being disability, gender, etc. The operators are providing accessible buses, the space for wheelchair users, but they can't help it if the buses are already full. The wheelchair user isn't being treated less favourably if they can't access the wheelchair space, as if an able bodied person got on and wanted to sit there, then they couldn't do so either. 

It really needs to be kept simple - first come first served. If a wheelchair gets on at the first stop, then tough, only another pushchair can get on. If two pushchairs are on, then tough, 8 people need to stand instead of having the seats they take up.