Tips to use open strollers on public buses and trains

Here’s a typical scenario for most moms in cities where transport related policies are not stroller-friendly.

Baby in one arm, diaper bag on the other, stroller in tow, a mom somehow manage to go past riders to a vacant seat on a packed bus. She then places the baby on the lap for the trip, and presses the folded stroller against her legs, but its wheels still crowded the aisle.

Wrangling a baby, bags, and an unwieldy stroller would be a lot easier if she could keep her little one in his bright blue ride. But because the transportation policy in her city on strollers is vague, she collapses it to avoid any chance of an argument.

The difficulties amount to a disincentive to use public transportation and a loss of mobility for parents. The hardship prevents parents from running errands or attending children’s events in the city.

Related: Complete stroller buying guide for new parents

Things are Better in Certain Cities/Countries

Most public buses and trains now allow open strollers on board (move intended to make public transport more family-friendly). However, few safety concerns still remain. So, here are some guidelines to take note of when taking your stroller on a bus or train.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring open strollers onto wheelchair accessible buses as they are designed for easier boarding and have more space available. So watch-out for the wheelchair decal on the front windscreen.

• If the open stroller is unable to fit through the doorway of the bus, you must fold it when boarding and alighting. Parents/caregivers are also encouraged to fold the stroller when boarding non-wheelchair accessible buses (for the safety of the child).
• Parents/caregivers with open strollers should board by the front door (if its possible). The rear door should be used (make sure you alert the bus captain before doing so) only if the strollers are unable to fit through the front door or where access to the front door is obstructed, for example, by steps and railings. Parents with open strollers should alight by the rear door.
• Open strollers should be placed in the designated wheelchair space where available, with the brakes applied. If the safety restraint is available on the bus, parents and caregivers are encouraged to use it to secure their stroller.
• Avoid placing your open strollers in the aisle or in locations that obstructs the entry or exit of passengers. Please make sure you give priority to passengers in wheelchairs.

Source: straitstimes.

Countries with stroller-friendly public transportation

While trains are fine, most bus operators in various countries ask parents to fold the stroller after boarding the bus (especially during peak hours). However, parents of special children find it difficult when the stroller is folded. For that reason, most parents carry their child in a sling carrier, but that can only be done up to a certain age.

“Asking a parent to handle a special needs child with a folded pram in a moving bus is more dangerous than having the child strapped safely in the stroller, with brakes applied,” said one parent.

Singapore

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore recently announced that it is working together with public transport operators (PTOs) to launch several initiatives to enhance the commuting experience for all, including families and those with special needs.

Prams in buses
LTA has been studying the implementation of a restraint system which will allow open prams to be safely secured on public buses. During the design journey, the safety of the pram users, the child in the pram and other passengers on the buses, as well as the needs of other bus passengers, especially wheelchair users, will be taken into consideration. Once the prototype of the proposed restraint system is available, it will be put on trial on the buses.

Stroller Policy in Washington

Kids can’t be in strollers on the bus, and Metrobus policy requires strollers to be folded. There’s a bit of negotiation. To fold her stroller while holding an infant isn’t possible. It’s just not an option to have a big stroller that can hold the two kids, but then also to accommodate for folding it and holding the baby safely? It’s just not feasible.

But Metro officials say [Strollers] can be too wide, too deep, and so it becomes a challenge physically — the physical nature of the aisles, and people getting on and off. It’s a big issue for the disability community. However, they are hopeful that in future they could relax this policy due to “recent improvements in bus design”.

In Other Countries

Some other countries do a much better job accommodating parents with young children and their stroller. As this blogger pointed out years ago, in Copenhagen parents use ultra-wide strollers that don’t even fold and yet everyone is welcome aboard the bus. According to a report by TransitCenter, in Canada and Germany, for example, families tend to ride transit about the same or even more than before they had kids. But in the U.S., having children is often accompanied by an increase in driving.

Stroller Policy in Philadelphia

Philadelphia can be an amazing place to raise kids. The city has a wealth of public amenities for families, like parks, libraries, and free outdoor activities. But there’s one area where the city still has a ways to go on the family-friendliness scale, and that’s mobility. Getting around with young children on transit, biking, or even walking is still a more frustrating experience than it has to be, and the reasons for this have everything to do with public policy.

Recently, families scored a nice win when SEPTA announced it would change its policy prohibiting open strollers on buses. The change, which goes into effect in January, will allow parents to leave their children in their strollers outside of peak hours as long as they aren’t blocking the aisle.

Under the current policy, parents must pull their kids out of the stroller and fold it up as they’re preparing to board. Even if your child is cooperative during all this — not always a sure bet — it’s still a big, and unnecessary, hassle.

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Japan

The transport ministry in Japan wants to make public transport appealing to parents with small children, while minimizing disruption for other passengers. In Japan, rail operators have started allocating more space for baby buggies in their newly modeled train cars. However, rules regarding baby strollers vary between the operators of Japan’s various public transportation systems.

A few issues regarding manners of mothers with baby strollers were discussed as baby buggies are becoming bigger. For example, some commuters have complained about not being able to get on a bus when there are many strollers on board. Also, some indicated that baby buggies are kept open even though there is no child in them, which get in the way of elderly and handicapped people trying to use priority seats.

Some operators currently request that parents use wheels locks or safety belts to secure strollers and prevent them from moving. Others request that strollers are folded during peak times.

Several potentially serious mishaps with strollers have occurred.

• In February 2006, the front wheels of a stroller became caught in the closing door of a JR commuter train, which was dragged for 20 meters before the train could be stopped.
• In 2008, a more serious mishap occurred on the Nankai Line in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, where the door closed on the handle of a stroller that a mother was pulling off the train, and she was dragged 140 meters before the train halted.

Stroller Friendly Cities

While factors such as walkability, pedestrian safety, and access to open areas such as parks are good, I feel there are more things that make a city baby-friendly.

• Safer cross-walks, wider sidewalks, sidewalks need to have curb ramps
• Automatic doors in public buildings
• Functioning elevators in places like malls to help access all the areas, wide store aisles

While these may be available within a small section of a city, these facilities need to be made available throughout the city in order to benefit a large number of parents.

Most stroller friendly cities are located in Europe:

• Scandinavian cities in particular are especially stroller-friendly. Oslo removed poles in its trains to make rooms for twin strollers.
• In Copenhagen, trains have areas designated for bikes and carriages, and buses allow unfolded strollers—many of which are even larger than the ones popular in the United States.

Is Rome Stroller Friendly?

While Rome happens to be a popular tourist destination, most visitors say that the cobbled roads in most places make it difficult to use strollers.

Most parents have suggested carrying their little ones, while in Rome.Read more here.

Is Paris Stroller Friendly?

While some stroller situations may be difficult to manage, Paris is a comparatively child-friendly city as per most parents. Most museums, restaurants, etc, allow strollers in.

Buses are stroller friendly, and have an open area in the middle for strollers and/or wheelchairs. The metro is more of a challenge, but still doable.

Several buildings and popular sights are accessible by stairs, so you will need to get used to carrying the stroller up and down stairs. Read more here.

Traveling to Asia

Cities in Asia tend to be more crowded and using the stroller can be a challenge. The more stroller-friendly cities/countries in Asia include Tokyo (Japan), Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Seoul (South Korea), Phuket in Thailand.

Using public transportation (with the stroller) can be very difficult because of the crowd. Even if there is less crowd, do not expect the bus driver to have a lot of patience. They will expect you to be ready with the stroller folded when the bus arrives. The bus driver will drive off the moment you get into the bus, irrespective of whether you find a place to keep the stroller.

The bus drives also tend to be quite jerky as people tend to cross the roads at will. So, it can be a real challenge holding the baby in one hand, and the stroller in another (unless both parents are traveling together).

Taking a taxi is much easier as the stroller can be placed in the trunk. You may have to pay an additional baggage fee though in some cities.

You could consider using a child backpack instead of the stroller; however, that can also be tiring when used for longer periods.

Taking a bigger-sized stroller can also be an issue (for example, getting into lifts). You could consider using the cheaper and lightweight strollers (there are many that are available under $50) that should be easier to handle. And it won’t hurt if the stroller is damaged or in case you have to leave it behind for some reason.

• Is Seoul Stroller friendly?
• Is Hong Kong Stroller friendly?

Using a stroller in most cities can be challenging; however, for most parents, there is no other option but to take the stroller along, and even use public transportation. If you’re in a densely populated city, it makes sense to leave the stroller behind and instead use a child backpack or chest-pack.

External Links

• 10 things I learned carting a stroller on transit for two years
• Mother with pushchair ‘told to stop having kids’ by train conductor
  The mum-of-two, was confronted by the conductor as she attempted to board the train with their children at Huddersfield railway station.