Children On Bus Seats

[MsDulwich]

Do you think it's right that children (mostly under fives) have their own seat on the bus?

Whatever happened to children sitting on their parents lap? ....Especially when elderly and those less able get on the bus.

[Twirly]

I often find myself thinking this. One of my few vivid memories as a child is being made to stand/forced to sit on my mother's knee (which I hated!) in order to make way for adults (whether elderly or disabled or not), but this just doesn't seem to happen any more.

What seems far more frequent is that the nipper gets the seat whilst the parent stands (and takes up more space than a standing child/child sat on parental knee). Although the way that the buses accelerate and brake, I can quite understand why parents might not want their children standing, as they'd get flung from one end of the bus to the other if they weren't careful.

[Ridgley]

I always thought they, sat in there parents lap or the buggy?

[edcam]

Personally I'd prefer them not to actually be on the bus at all. On a roof rack or strapped to the back ideally...

[Brendan]

Children.

Right bastards.

[giggirl]

So how's it working out for you Brendan? This whole being a brand new dad thing that you've gone and got yourself into. How's that going?

[Brendan]

Very well thank you. Although he doesn't know what a bus or sarcasm is yet.

[legalbeagle]

When I was a teenager, in a rare moment of awareness of my surroundings and the needs of others, I gave up my seat for a very elderly lady on bus. It was the seat right at the front just behind that flat raised rectangular bit everyone puts their luggage in. The luggage rack, if you will. I was of course knackered, having only clocked up 10 hours sleep the night before, so was feeling pretty exhausted. I decided to sit on the luggage rack instead and doze my way to school.

The bus accelerated hard and I shot off the luggage rack and straight into the old ladies lap.

But I'm not sure that's what you meant, Ms Dulwich?

[Loz]

Back when I was young, children who took seats at the expense of adults were expected to pay full fare. Fat chance of that ever happening.

[Mick Mac]

not now, with no child benefit.

Seamless link.

[Emerson Crane]

KIds in parents laps absolutely, mind you in ED most kids travel in the family 4x4 don't they?

[waynetta]

COMMUTERS Make the bus come quicker by standing by the corner looking for it coming down the road, then running back to the bus stop.

[ruffers]

Kids should stand up if an adult is standing - full stop, agreed. Not sure when this topped tbh.

[Nero]

After a long and hard shift, I got on a bus that was crowded. I inched my way along to the back and saw a three year old sitting next to his father, so I asked him to put his child on his lap. From his reaction you'd've thougth I'd asked him to hand over all of his worldly goods, but he did put the child on his knees and I got my seat. If you don't ask, you don't get.

[SteveT]

Most decent people would not expect to be asked Nero, they would just scoop up the child to their lap.

[cate]

Like Loz above, I thought the general idea was no paying, no sitting. It's general good manners to give up your seat/your child's seat for an adult of course, but those aren't in evidence a lot of the time.

[woofmarkthedog]

Children go free

But we sit with them at the back, so adults ( fit & well ) get off yours is the etiquette

W**F

[cate]

Eh what?

[woofmarkthedog]

cate Wrote:

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> Eh what?

____________

Eh what, what ?

W**F

[cate]

Are you talking about yourself - we sit with them at the back? - and then 'adults (fit and well) get off yours (what? arses?)- because I don't understand what you posted. Or are you making some sort of generalization about what other bus riding parents think?

[KidKruger]

totally disagree with kids being made to stand, I'm an able-bodied adult and sometimes struggle to stay vertical the way some of the bus drivers use the brake, kids who aren't anticipating a sudden halt could suffer nasty injuries or at least a bit of a shock from being hurled along the bus. Whether the kids go on laps (preferred, because everyone wins) or get a seat themselves I don't really care, as long as they can sit safely. in some cultures, all but the least able will stand to provide a seat for a child. I go with that approach, not to follow that habit per se, but to simply ensure the little ones don't get hurt through no fault of their own. the ticket gives right of passage only IMO.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I?m with KidKruger on this one

[pk]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> totally disagree with kids being made to stand,

> I'm an able-bodied adult and sometimes struggle to

> stay vertical the way some of the bus drivers use

> the brake, kids who aren't anticipating a sudden

> halt could suffer nasty injuries or at least a bit

> of a shock from being hurled along the bus.

> Whether the kids go on laps (preferred, because

> everyone wins) or get a seat themselves I don't

> really care, as long as they can sit safely. in

> some cultures, all but the least able will stand

> to provide a seat for a child. I go with that

> approach, not to follow that habit per se, but to

> simply ensure the little ones don't get hurt

> through no fault of their own. the ticket gives

> right of passage only IMO.

seems about right to me

[Alec John Moore]

Me too!

[Narnia]

I think it kind of depends how you define 'kids' i.e. what age group.