Family travelling
The following tips will make it easier for you to take the bus with young children.
Choosing a stroller
When buying a stroller, make sure it has the following features:
ideally, no wider than 55 cm: to make it easier to manoeuvre on the bus;
light and easy to fold up: to make it easier to handle;
fitted with a foot-operated brake: to ensure that you remain in control of your stroller once on the bus; and
fitted with a basket under the seat: to store your bags.
The following stroller models are the best ones when you are taking the bus.
Note that single and double tandem strollers, with or without a car seat, are the easiest ones to handle.
The following are examples of strollers to avoid if you plan to take them on the bus. Side-by-side double strollers and jogging strollers are cumbersome and difficult to manœuvre on the bus.
If you are using one of those types of strollers during busy periods:
it must be folded up before the bus pulls up; and
it must remain folded and placed so as not to obstruct the main aisle on the bus.
Reserved spaces
Most buses have a space reserved for people riding with a stroller. Those spaces are identified by a sticker. Strollers have priority in the reserved space. Anyone sitting in that spot must yield their seat. If the space is already occupied by a stroller, the second stroller must be placed so as not to inconvenience the other riders.
On some buses, the space reserved for a stroller is also the one for a wheelchair. In that case, the rider in the wheelchair has priority.
Riding the bus safely
Your stroller can remain open on the bus if the child is securely strapped in
You must control the stroller throughout the trip
You must be able to lift the stroller into the bus by yourself
Your stroller should never inconvenience the other riders
If the only space available on the bus would interfere with the movement of passengers, you must fold it up and store it
If the bus is full, you must wait for the next one
When there is more than one stroller on the bus, the priority is first come, first served.