The wheels on the bus go round and round....

At a recent Downtown Seattle Association focus group about how the city could better accommodate families with children downtown,  I learned that you cannot take a child in a stroller on a bus. As you can tell from the King County Metro website below, you have to have your baby out of the stroller on the bus. Talk about a disincentive to rely on public transportation as a parent! Many a downtown Seattle parent said they don't even bother with the bus; come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I've ever seen a stroller or a young stroller-aged child on a bus. This is probably why. 

As it turns out, many cities don't allow strollers on buses, or if they do, they must be folded. But as many people have pointed out, this doesn't make living a car-free life with children easy; imagine holding a 0-2 year old in your arms who may or may not have been asleep in the stroller prior to boarding, managing a folded stroller and any additional bags (diaper bag, groceries?) that were also in the stroller, as well as holding on if you are on a crowded bus and couldn't manage to get a seat. What's that you say? You also have another child? Forget it!

In some cities where many bus routes operate at or above capacity, there can be stroller bans. Boston considered this ban on prams during peak commuting hours last year. As this one Boston mother put it, this didn't seem very friendly or fair. After all, would you ask a handicapped person not to travel on the bus or train during peak hours because they take up more room than an able-bodied person? Of course not! One traveling New Yorker in Dublin riding the LUAS system even noted that "unlike NYC buses, parents of small kids are treated like humans and do not have to go through the ridiculous ordeal of removing their kid from the stroller and collapsing the stroller just to be allowed on board."



Thanks to Flickr user ddartley for his travel insights and photo!



As in Dublin and other cities around the world, Seattle's light rail system is very stroller-friendly compared t othe bus system. Many downtown parents said it is a great way to get to playgrounds and other activities outside of central downtown. When light rail connects north, it will be a great way to get to wonderful parks in Capitol Hill, to get to the University of Washington's campus, the Burke Gilman trail for long walks, and beyond. Thinking even further into the future, it will be a great way for parents to get to the amazing parks on Mercer Island (soccer practice anyone?), ammenities in Bellevue, and all the way out to Redmond.

Have you found traveling on the bus with a child difficult? Would you even attempt to do it? Are you a disgruntled transit rider when you need to make room for a stroller? Have other thoughts? I'd love to hear your comments!