SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the not-as-entertaining-as-godzilla-v-mothra dept.
Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
A disabled man has won a Supreme Court case after a dispute with a woman with a buggy over wheelchair space on a bus.
[...] Wheelchair user Doug Paulley brought his case after he was refused entry to a FirstGroup bus in 2012, when a mother with a pushchair refused to move.
[...] The court said the company should consider further steps to persuade non-wheelchair users to move, without making it a legal duty to move them.
[...] However, the judgement fell short of making it a legal requirement for bus companies to compel non-wheelchair passengers to move from the space.
[Continues...]
The case was triggered when Mr Paulley, from Wetherby, West Yorkshire, attempted to board a bus operated by FirstGroup which had a sign saying: "Please give up this space if needed for a wheelchair user."
Mr Paulley was left at the stop because a woman with a sleeping baby in a pushchair refused to move out of the designated area when asked by the bus driver. She said the buggy would not fold.
He had argued FirstGroup's "requesting, not requiring" policy was discriminatory.
(Score: 2) by boltronics on Friday January 27 2017, @02:38AM
The difference is that the person in a wheelchair had no say in being in a wheelchair or not. The person with a buggy made the decision to have the child - her choice.
Imagine if somebody walked onto a crowded bus with heaps of groceries that couldn't fit on a single seat, such that that person needs to take up more room than they are entitled to. That's fine if there is space available, but as soon as you're taking up space that belongs to other people, you're crossing a line.
It's GNU/Linux dammit!
(Score: 2) by boltronics on Friday January 27 2017, @02:41AM
I assumed it was like a pram, but reading other comments it's something else. Doesn't make any difference from my perspective.
It's GNU/Linux dammit!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 27 2017, @09:54AM
Exactly! If someone boards a bus laden with packages, I see nothing wrong with them setting them in the seat beside them providing there is surplus seatage available.
However, once the bus fills up, and no more seats are available, to me the person with the excess packages should hold them in their lap. One peep out of them in objection to me would be grounds for expulsion from the bus immediately - freeing up two seats.