Woman and Baby Ordered Off Bus to Make Room for Wheelchair

Last week in Ottawa, a woman was left in tears when she and her 2 month old daughter were kicked off a public transit bus in favor of a passenger who wanted to board with a wheelchair. Nelly Elayoubi and her daughter, Ayah, had boarded several stops before with Ayah in a stroller. When a second stroller with two children boarded, the area at the front of the bus became crowded. When a person in a wheelchair wished to board at a later stop, the bus driver demanded that the “last stroller on” get off – but upon realizing that that stroller contained two children, he ordered Elayoubi and her daughter off the bus to make room for the wheelchair.

Strollers and public transit are a contentious issue in Ottawa and many other cities. Many people believe that strollers, especially the large so-called “SUV” style strollers are a danger and an inconvenience to other bus riders. And while certainly strollers take up space, what this unfortunate case illustrates is not the danger of strollers but rather, the lack of common sense and civility among bus riders and drivers alike.

Earlier this year, the Ottawa City Council debated a motion to force parents with strollers to collapse the stroller while on public transit. But who are we kidding, really? It’s not “parents.” It’s women. Often, it’s women of lower income in the first place, who rely on public transit as their only mode of transportation around the city, and for whom fully featured collapsible strollers may be out of their budget. This “solution” debated by the city council would force a parent to juggle one or more children while trying to collapse and stow a piece of equipment that often requires two hands to collapse – if their stroller collapses at all. If not, public transit would be largely cut off to this group of riders.
Perhaps the worst of all, the motion was brought forward by an acessibility group who found that too often, wheelchairs were getting left waiting by the side of the road for the next bus due to capacity. One group of riders is pegging another group as a scapegoat – and we’re an easy scapegoat, us mothers who dare to leave the house with our children, our children who should be seen and not heard and definitely shouldn’t inconvenience anyone else – when the reality is, it’s not the fault of the riders if the bus is full.

A public transit system is meant to be available to all. Instead of pitting one group of riders against another over “who” has more rights to ride the bus, why not give common sense and courtesy a chance to prevail? Hold public awareness campaigns for parents traveling with children about the most rider-friendly ways to travel, such as using a sling or carrier or smaller, collapsible, stroller. Ensure drivers are able to assist parents who need an extra set of hands to collapse strollers when required. Let families know when the best off-peak hours are to travel to allow room for their strollers. And hey – it’s great marketing for stroller companies to say that their stroller is transit-friendly. Why not develop better, lighter, smaller, more easily collapsible stroller options for people who ride mass transit?

But the most important part, truly, has nothing to do with the stroller or the wheelchair. We need to encourage everyone who rides the bus to respect the fact that all people, no matter how able-bodied or not, no matter how young or old they are, are entitled to use the transit system. Encourage a spirit of cooperation and courtesy when the buses are crowded. All this woman needed was a helping hand, a friendly person to say “here – squish the stroller in here. I can stand,” and this entire situation would have been prevented.

Common sense and courtesy. Simple.

Read more: bus, civil rights, driver, mothers, ottawa, public transit, stroller, wheelchair

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Mama S.

6:12PM PDT on Oct 12, 2011

Since when did this evolve into an "us-or-them" argument?
Public transport is for all (or should be) and when one wishes to use it, it should be available to ALL.
There should be enough buses, trams, trains etc for all, at reasonable intervals so one wouldn't have to wait for hours or be delayed for work or other appointments.
And Mary D, I beg to differ. Sure, one doesn't need an SUV stroller, but a stroller is necessary for a mom out doing errands. I don't know where you live, but babysitting is not affordable by all and one can't carry the week's groceries plus a 22-pound one-year old and walk half an hour to get to the market and another half to get back. Just try it.

send a green star

Spawnfree S.

5:18PM PDT on Oct 9, 2011

I see the Militant Martyr Mommy Brigade has been out in force here. Yes, they're so much more oppressed than anybody else on the planet because they can't shove their massive strollers into people's knees or let their spawn (yeah, I said it, deal with it) run amok in public. Indoor voices, bedtime -- those are the Oppression of the Child Class.

The "children's rights" idiots are functionally indistinguishable from the parents who are inconsiderate by nature and who view their children as extensions of their egos.

Lyssa C.

6:29PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

Take a walk, don't catch the bus. Be grateful you are able to walk when others aren't so fortunate. Thanks.

Mary D.

6:20PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

When I was growing up back in the 1970's, there was no such thing as SUV strollers - children really do not need strollers, babies do, and unless a mother has a dozen kids she just gave birth to and they can't walk - maybe leave them at home with a babysitter instead of dragging them everywhere. And if the child can walk then there is no need at all for a stroller. Elayoubi is making it into an "It's all about me!" issue.

Cindy M.

4:04PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

I'm a mom of six. I thank God every day for the health of my children and for the strength of my arms and back. I am grateful for all of this, and you know what else that means? That I can hold my child or have my child stand on his own two feet so a disabled person can have a place on the bus for the half an hour or so it takes to get to where I'm going.

Dawn M.

5:42AM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

Imagine using a wheelchair, and imagine dealing with that all the time. The balancing act is not more difficult than traveling with a wheelchair. I've done both, I'd rather still be able bodied and babysitting to be blunt.
It's not obvious and the primary reason wheelchair users are often forced out of being able to use public transport is mothers with oversized unfoldable strollers or those who do have collapsible strollers but refused to collapse them. It might be just one incident for you, but for me it can be several hours of buses I can't get on due to people who think strollers are more important than wheelchairs.

7:16PM PDT on Oct 7, 2011

I've been riding buses with strollers for nearly 5 years now, and I've found that one doesn't always find a bus full of people willing to help. Not even when one asks.

Even when I find helpful people, I'd rather let my son sleep in his stroller rather than wake him up and have him crying all the way home.

To be honest, I'd rather avoid the balancing act altogether so, whenever possible, I simply don't fold the stroller (which isn't a $500 bugaboo, by the way).

I thought it would be obvious to all that anyone who wishes to board a bus should be able to do so. If the bus is full, the younger should get up for the old, the able-bodied should make room for the handicapped.

It is sad that so many people seem to lack both common sense and simple courtesy.

7:14AM PDT on Oct 7, 2011

Ilia,
Someone's made me transfer out of my wheelchair before because she refused to fold her stroller and it was the last bus of the night and I'd just got out of hospital. Ask no, demand yes.
Jenn C,
Volunteer with a charity that helps disabled people, spend a day navigating the buses with a wheelchair user, what's good the TA decision maker is also good for you.
Mama S,
Ask for help if you need it, most people will give it, including wheelchair users, I have no objection to holding a kid and bags while my carer helps someone fold a buggy. I've done the juggling act myself with my cousins, I find people who have difficulties with it generally are those who don't ask for a hand.

7:05AM PDT on Oct 7, 2011

Your article is slanted, take the following for instance:

"One group of riders is pegging another group as a scapegoat – and we’re an easy scapegoat, us mothers who dare to leave the house with our children, our children who should be seen and not heard and definitely shouldn’t inconvenience anyone else – when the reality is, it’s not the fault of the riders if the bus is full."

You seem to assume that mothers and the disabled are mutually exclusive groups. Disabled people have children as well and children can be disabled, not to mention every disabled person is someone's child.

Also it's not "inconvenience" that's the problem, many disabled people only use public transport when they -need- to do so, that means doctors appointments, getting food and other very necessary needs. Being two hours late to my doctor appointment because someone had to have a $500 bugaboo stroller than doesn't collapse isn't an "inconvenience", it's months of waiting for a new appointment and putting up with pain or other problems in the meantime, it's a doubling my exhaustion and aggravating my condition twice, and that's if I get to the second appointment on time. It's been struck off and denied medical care because of being late or even charged if I miss an appointment, many disabled people cannot do without medical treatment or pay the often extortionate charges for missing an appointment.

We make up ten percent of the population, you can wait half an hour to

Ellen M.

5:11AM PDT on Oct 6, 2011

Being a child is NOT a disability, it's a natural stage in life for ALL human beings, one they will eventually grow out of.

Somehow, my mother (and many, many others in the time before 'SUV strollers') somehow managed to get by with a small, foldable stroller and a bag of baby-related items. She also somehow managed to ride public transit, with my younger self in tow, without causing people with ACTUAL disabilities to be inconvenienced.