#wheelchairs on buses

[disabled-dragoon]

I was watching a video by another wheelchair user and they were basically showing how inconvenient the timings of bus passes can be sometimes.

For reference, their bus pass is only for "off-peak" travel and does not work after 11pm or before 930am. Mine is the same, although I think if I show it I'm supposed to be allowed on for 50p (that's rarely adhered to, but still). It's different across the country, and I know at first glance that those times don't seem like they would be an issue in theory. But if you work, or you have an appointment, or you're a student or you just have to be somewhere during those times, then it's basically another redundant piece of plastic in your pocket.

The whole point of their video was basically the same as that "we're disabled, not werewolves, Daniel" post. Why doesn't it work during those times? Did they not consider the fact that people may need to use the bus during those times? They did link to a government petition to get this changed, but they didn't push it in the video itself, it was just in the caption.

Not once did they ever mention during their video an inability or unwillingness to pay for the bus themselves, but, incredibly, that is how some people have taken it.

I've seen takes along the lines of:

"It's the same for elderly people and you don't see them complaining."

"And?? Most people can't even get free bus travel."

"Your wheelchair stops other people getting the bus during peak travel times."

"Buses are cheap? Why can't you just buy a ticket like everyone else?"

"Other people need the bus, not just you."

And it just- pissed me off honestly. It might be because it's an issue I've ranted about before, or it might be the fact that half of their counter "arguments" had absolutely no relevance to what the original poster was saying anyway!

There are a thousand other issues with getting the bus as a disabled person- some of them those people even inadvertently brought up! The bus pass is just the bitter cherry on a rotten cake.

And if this is the way people react to that being brought up by someone who has to live with it, I dread to think what else they'll take issue with next.

[dilfsisko]

Walkable cities and public transit mean nothing if they’re not accessible to disabled people 

[thatqueerbat]

welcome to an installment of

🚍 bus drivers being lil shits 🚌

im an ambulatory wheelchair user, at the bus stop, another chair user wheeled up. we're getting the same bus, only one wheelchair user can be sitting in their chair on the bus at a time (which frankly is fucked up in its own right lol)

so i pre squish my chair so we can both get on (ive talked to the bus people and that is both perfectly legal and the recommended thing to do). and hes complaining about only one wheelchair being allowed. fairly standard. he only concedes After i tell him ibe literally talked to b&h buses XD

so we both get on the bus, everything is fine. except he then says, so nonchalantly, oh yeah can you lift it onto the luggage rack

?!?!?!?!?!?!

me, a 5ft scrawny looking emo kid, no visable disabilities, am being asked to lift my wheelchair, yknow, the thing that allows me to leave the house safely, onto the Luggage Rack?? that thing thats like half my height up, away from the seats, so i cant keep a good eye on it????

i fully just ignored him and carried on as usual. not a fucking chance

and to top it off, he fully refused to give me his name so i could tell the bus company about this (apparently they're NoT aLlOwEd To. suuuuure mate)

[ceevee5]

[samsrosary]

pavement parkers fucking suck btw i dont care ur car has nowhere to go. Blind people and wheelchair users exist. they’re not some kind of myth i know at least TEN visually impaired people in my town alone. You Are Making It Harder For Them

[andromedasummer]

me 🤝 the person at the cafe counter 🤝 the person behind me = auditory processing disorder

[bixiaoshi]

still weird to me that i said it bothers me that ppl in this country remember disabled ppl once a year, saying that they care and that they should be included and yet buildings and public transport r still very limited for them and my stepfather said "the world isn't perfect". hm.

[chrissterry]

I've worked out that being disabled costs me an extra £13,000 each year | Metro News

The real cost of being a disabled person will not be known unless you are the disabled person, because we are all different, even persons with similar disabilities. For there are many forms of disabilities and people who have them will have them with differing degrees of severities and will more than likely have more than one disability. Yes, there are some disability benefits, but there are many…

[disabled-dragoon]

Applying for a bus pass should not be so fucking hard

"Oh oh we can't let them have easy travel! Think of the economy!" /s

Fuck off

[thatqueerbat]

✨ok bus drivers✨

when did walkers count as wheelchairs

and why do they take priority in the only wheelchair space

when there is Plenty of space on the bus for this person to sit (/stand as they currently are) with their walker next to them

without being in the damn Wheelchair Space

yknow, the space theres only one of, and this meaning i have to get out, squish my chair, wheel it on and hope it doesn't get entirely bashed around

instead of. maybe. asking the person to move to another space. instead of telling me its already occupied. and failing a very basic priority

but that's likely asking too much, for basic access to a necessary service

[watford-herts-london]

New door-to-door bus service launched to help people with mobility issues

New door-to-door bus service launched to help people with mobility issues

A door-to-door shopper bus service designed to help people with mobility issues across Three Rivers has been launched. Three Rivers District Council, in partnership with Hertfordshire-based voluntary and community organisation Communities 1st, is providing the low floor minibus designed for wheelchair users and people who have difficulties with steps. The fully accessible, door to door service…

[flowercrowncrip]

I think any wheelchair user is very used to being the only wheelchair user in the room, and in my experience able-bodied people definitely noticed something unusual when there's more than one wheelchair user together – I definitely noticeable stares, comments and harassment when I'm with one or more other wheelchair users. And so much of that is by design.

It infuriates me how many places only have one wheelchair space. Pretty much all of my lecture theatres at uni only had one, none of the buses were I live have more than one wheelchair space (and I live in a rural area so often if there is another wheelchair user in the space you'll have to wait three hours for the next bus).

[jaegersdevil]

dreamland [satoru gojo x reader]

summary: on a mission to thailand, you and satoru realise you actually like like each other w/c: 1.3k / cw: idiots in love ig?? a little rushed masterlist

“You need anything?” The question broke the silence of the thick, humid air. A light touch grazed your upper arm in concern, and you looked up to meet the azure gaze upon your face. “Water, snacks, a smooch?”

“I’m okay, ‘Toru,” You scoffed, squinted through the relentless sun rays on your body, and shook your head at the taller male. “And I definitely do not need a smooch.”

He leaned down slightly, his face appearing in front of you. “Are you sure? Because I heard Shoko and Utahime talking about a certain someone’s crush—”

“Satoru,” You interrupted, nudging your shoulder into his arm, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the mention of your best friends speaking of such things behind your back. “Quit talking shit. We’ve things to do.”

With his fair eyebrows and hands raised, he turned to face you, walking backwards. “Fine.” 

“Fine.”

“But,” He slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose to peer at you and winked. “Don’t pretend I don’t know exactly who and what they were talking about.” 

If he saw the falter in your step, he didn't say. “Keep dreaming, Gojo. Get moving.”

Yaga had sent the pair of you to Thailand under the ruse of a reward for your handwork – you’d rolled your eyes when he handed you a manila folder, but Satoru was ecstatic to travel with you. And despite the steep temperatures and sticky humidity, it had been an experience like no other: fruit juice dripping down chins, salty hair, flirty teasing, bright smiles, karaoke in busy restaurants, sandy feet, warm cheeks, running through sudden downpours, private villas, and the street markets that provided Satoru with enough gifts for you to last a lifetime. 

A clap in front of your face struck you from your daze. 

“Got it!” Satoru exclaimed, opening his palms to show the squashed mosquito between his hands. He stepped back beside you and swung his arm over your shoulders, to which you shrugged off sheepishly.

“Gross,” You mumbled, adjusting your sunglasses and checking your phone. The cursed spirit was around here somewhere…

“You know, I love being here with you…”

Rolling your eyes at his casual flirting and the familiar warmth filling your cheeks, you stopped walking and looked to your left. There. 

You took a step toward the abandoned hospital. It’d taken two buses and four taxis to get here, and you weren’t wasting any more time not exorcising this curse when you headed to the building’s entrance. 

“…and I thought Yaga was up to something when he mentioned this trip, but I truly believe—hey!”

You ignored Satoru, who stood a few ten yards away with his arms up. Holding up your hand to silence him, you peered into the window of the facility. Beside a few dusty chairs, it was empty. 

“Don’t run off without telling me,” He grumbled when he stepped beside you. “What if you got hurt?” 

You tilted your head. “I’m standing here uninjured, aren’t I?”

“You are so—” 

The door creaked open when you pushed on it. “Let’s go.” 

Satoru swore he was pointing lasers at you when his eyes met the back of your head. He mimicked you quietly, throwing his head back in exasperation before following you. 

Glass cracked under his sandals when he stepped through the main lobby, sidestepping a stray IV pole. You were already heading up the stairs on the other side of the building when Satoru pushed his sunglasses over his hair. The dense cursed energy of something lurked nearby, and he was sure as hell not going to let it near you. Yes, you would be pissed, he thought as he wandered the lower corridors, but he’d rather have you angry at him than dead. 

When did you get to the 16th floor? You thought as you passed the sign on the stairwell. Clasping your phone firmly, you hopped over fallen wheelchairs and discarded papers with agility, careful not to make a sound. You could feel the cursed energy far more on this level than any other, and it was just a matter of steps until—“Satoru!” 

The panic in your voice was palpable, and Satoru couldn’t move his legs fast enough as he took the fire stairs two at a time, his heart seemingly working over time both in exertion and anxiety. 

Crashing through the door to the sixteenth floor, Satoru paused—a burly deep green creature twisted over you, its claws disturbingly close to your throat. 

The curse giggled manically at the sight of you, one of its many talons brushing your cheek softly. With hurried breaths and glassy eyes, it was the first time Satoru had seen you caught off guard—it was terrifying.

“Dirty humans,” The curse leered, bending down to swipe its tongue along your collarbone. You recoiled in disgust, daring a look back at Satoru, who stood with his eyes focused on the green thing above you. “So repulsive to look at, but so tasty.”

Satoru’s scoff caused the curse to break its gaze from you. 

“Little thing about humans…” The white-haired male teased, his words light. “We don’t really like it when the people we love are about to get eaten.”

You closed your eyes at Satoru’s sentence but had no time to think it over when the curse groaned, unfolding to its full height. “What a pity.”

“It is!” Satoru laughed dryly, stepping over debris. “Because I hoped to have so much fun with you, but this will only take a second.”

Clenching your fist tightly, you flicked your pointer finger out, the action prompting the rumble of concrete in the corner of the corridor to form together. But with the curse’s focus on the male behind you, it didn't notice the lingering mass of rock at its rear. Perfect. 

And when you felt the familiar suffocation of the Limitless technique, Satoru expelled the tiniest flash of red from his fingertips. You threw your arm up, and with the collective strength of both techniques, the curse was crushed between Limitless and your wall of solid stone until it was purple sludge. There was a quiet moment before Satoru rushed toward you.

You coughed at the feeling of guts on your body as he checked you over for injuries. His hand held yours tightly, and he didn’t care when his sunglasses slipped off his head and cracked on the floor. 

“You’re okay,” he whispered, though you think it was more to himself than to you. 

“I’m okay,” You reassured him, resting your other hand on his cheek. “And you’re okay.” 

Satoru shook his head. “I don’t care about me.”

Sighing, you ran your fingers through his hair. “I do, so let me look at you.” 

Pink dusted his sunkissed cheeks, and when you finished running your eyes over him slowly, he stood, pulling you up with him. 

“I thought you were gonna die there.”

You looked up at him in shock. “I didn’t.” 

“Why?” He asked, his forehead creased. 

“Because the rock I formed would’ve taken him out instantly,” You said, reaching to flick his forehead. “And because you’re here.” 

Satoru’s expression switched instantly, blue eyes bright as they flickered between yours. His heart squeezed in his chest at the fondness in your gaze and the feeling of your arms circling his waist. 

“Can we go home now?” Satoru asked, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I wanna take you out.” 

And this time, you didn’t shrug his arm off. “You're not joking this time?"

Satoru's eyes widened and he mumbled your name softly. "It was never a joke. Not to me."

You were silent in contemplation until Satoru's lips pressed tenderly against your temple, and you knew you'd been too blinded by his usual teasing to see the good, genuine intentions behind his every move toward you. And now you'd do anything to keep it.

So, you closed your eyes, your chest tingly and warm and full of confidence. "Satoru, you can take me out anywhere if you provide the smooches.”

A cackle escaped him. “Oh, that can definitely be arranged.” 

[synesealedelivered]

i feel a desperate need to write a game of thrones modern AU where jon snow is the coach of Arya’s 8th grade soccer team (he knows nothing about soccer) and together they takes the team to nationals or whatever (i don’t know shit about soccer either) and the girls help him solve his personal problems and find his place in the world. Bran is his assistant coach (he is the only person keeping up with all the responsibilities of the team, scheduling buses for trips, making sure everyone has uniforms, etc and the only one who knows anything about soccer he is also 9 years old) Robb is there the whole time yelling words of affirmation to his siblings in the bleachers and ignoring emails from his family failing business so theon and him can run around the field pushing bran in his wheelchair at top speed, while jon frantically googles “soccer rules for dummies” and “how to help a 12 year old choose which parent she wants to live with after the divorce”. Sansa is babysitting Rickon as a way to prove to her parents that she is the best and most responsible child so mom and dad should let her spend the summer in her friend’s margeary’s super fancy house in the city living her best “ it girl coming of age indie soundtrack life” but rickon is insane and she is slowly losing her mind controlling what is technically a worse version of kevin macallister in a giant house with 6 dogs while also trying to be her class valedictorian to prove to fucking joffrey (they are in the same school and hate each other and compete in everything) that she isn’t “a stupid little girl” and she will get into harvard AND be the class valedictorian (they are years away of graduating)

theon and robb get jon to smoke weed behind the bleachers so he can “relax a little” before one of the practices and he gets insanely paranoid and the girls in the team (they all think he is a loser, but love him in a “ugly teddy bear at goodwill i have to buy so he won’t feel rejected kinda way” ) think his red eyes are from crying and his weird behavior is him trying to cover it up and constantly stop their training to try and comfort him by saying insane stuff to try to convince him not that he is not a loser, but that is ok to be a loser and arya laughs so much she throws up.

Myrcella being on the team and Cersei being an insane soccer mom and doing everything she can to make jons life a living hell by being the chaperone parent during away games. Joffrey being forced to attend his sister’s games and arya creating new and inventive ways of fucking with him by slowing convincing everyone that he is going insane because she knows he is shitty to sansa.

shireen being on the soccer team and baking cookie for jon because she heard him in one of his 5 minutes screaming breaks in the janitor’s closet and thinks he is hanging by a thread (he is) she gives bran the cookies and he uses them as training treats for jon and summer.

i’m going insane

[live-love-laugh-lesbian]

If non-wheelchair users are curious, the public transport experience when in one is basically if you were told you can't go on the bus because someone else is sat down. You're like "ok but I can see another space?" They say, no, only one seat is actually suitable to sit on. They then let on a bunch of people take those seats except they're different because they have like, suitcases or something, idk.

AKA if they set buses up properly you could fit 2 wheelchair users easily, except no, only one wheelchair sized spot is actually for wheelchair users. So instead you run late to work whilst watching people on board sit in the space that would fit you just fine but is Not For You.

[long-claw]

the stark kids and public buses

(disclaimer: this is based on my extensive personal experience with scottish public buses)

robb (+ theon) - never alone on the bus, will sit wherever the other person wants. this normally ends up being the top back with theon. thinks the bus is the prime time for conversation and can't comprehend why anyone (jon) would want to just stare out the window and think. has never had a bad experience with a bus driver, unlike theon who has had exclusively bad experiences with bus drivers.

jon - sits downstairs as far away from strangers as possible. if he's alone, noise cancelling headphones are on. if he's with friends he'll keep them off but has them ready for a lull in the convo. if theon's anywhere on the same bus, noise cancelling headphones are on. always puts his bag on the seat next to him to discourage strangers from sitting there but ends up reluctantly freeing the seat because he feels bad for the people standing.

sansa - sits downstairs cause it's convenient but normally avoids the bus altogether because she always ends up sat next to weirdos that won't shut up about their problems and she's just stuck smiling and nodding. once was two hours late home because this blond woman wouldn't let her off until she understood "the game of thrones".

arya - takes up the entries top front row with her friends every time without fail. will throw people out of "their seats". continues to successfully get child tickets because she's short and abuses it regularly but is now working on trying to get on the bus without paying at all by sneaking on.

bran - used to sit upstairs but would never sit in one seat and would constantly be kneeling and standing on the chairs. now mostly avoids buses because of the limited space for wheelchair users, but when he does get the bus he also seems to always get stuck talking to weird strangers, although he's a lot less polite about it than sansa.

rickon - downstairs back. will bark at people in "his seat". no. 1 disrupter of jon's downstairs peace but a good encouragement for other people to sit upstairs. the winterfell bus company has tried banning him multiple times for "harassing other passengers" and "being a terror" but it never seems to stick.