Mother's anger at bus pram ban

A NEW mum whose baby daughter needs daily blood tests claims she has been left struggling to make it to hospital appointments because of the strict Lothian Buses rules about prams on board.

Kayleigh Martin's two-month-old daughter, Chloe, was born with a condition called septo-optic dysplasia, which means her pituitary gland hasn't developed properly and she has hormone deficiencies.

She spent the first seven weeks of her life in hospital, but since coming home to Gorgie a week ago, she has had to return to the Royal Infirmary for daily tests.

Ms Martin, 20, has a foldable pram but says that while Chloe is so tiny it's impossible to fold the pram and carry her safely on the bus. When she has admitted to bus drivers on the number 38 route that she can't fold the pram, she has been told she cannot get on board, even if she offers to vacate the space for wheelchair users.

Lothian Buses rules state that only foldable prams and pushchairs can be brought on to most buses.

After a campaign by frustrated parents, the firm introduced dedicated buggy spaces on four routes and is extending them to three others, but on the 38 the ban on non-folding prams and buggies remains.

Ms Martin, who is a nursery worker, said the prams should be allowed on to all buses as long as parents are prepared to get off for wheelchair users.

She said: "Chloe's too small to go in a buggy. She can't support her head so the only way she can travel is in a pram.

"I said to the drivers that it does fold, but I wouldn't be able to do it with her in it and I couldn't take her out and hold her because she's so small."

She said they had been turned away by several drivers while trying to get to the ERI.

"When the weather was really bad, about three drivers left us in the pouring rain. I had to walk all the way from Gorgie to the hospital in the rain.

"I just think it's really unfair that they say that a buggy's allowed to go on if it folds but a (non-folding] pram can't go on. A newborn baby can't travel in a buggy."

Lothian Buses managing director Ian Craig said: "I am sorry to hear of Ms Martin's difficulty.

"We have invested over 4 million in easy-access buses with special buggy spaces to make the lives of those caring for the under-fives a little easier.

"We are unable to accommodate prams or any mobility/toddler transport device that is not foldable on our buses.

"This removes the ambiguity from the situation and gives our drivers a definitive line of policy."

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