Bogus "rule" sees bus driver block Dad and daughter
<p>A father from Sydney's inner west and his toddler have been denied entry onto a bus after a confrontation with the driver over an alleged "rule" about travelling with children.</p>
<p>Graham Cooke and his daughter Katie had been commuting on the 370 bus from their home in Newtown to Katie's childcare every day for a year, until one morning when the pair were confronted with a problem. </p>
<p>When trying to board the bus as normal, Graham recalled to <em><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/dad-refused-entry-on-public-bus-after-driver-enforces-little-known-child-rule-031938462.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo News</a></em> that the bus driver "aggressively" asked the dad how old his daughter was. </p>
<p>When he explained that she was two-and-a-half, the dad claims the driver told him it was against the rules to have a toddler ride the bus without being in a stroller, and refused to let them onboard. </p>
<p>"He immediately goes, 'no', puts his hand up, and he's like, 'you need to get off the bus. Children under three need to be in a stroller'." Cooke explained to Yahoo News.</p>
<p>"He kept kind of yelling 'you need to get off the bus, I'm not driving the bus with a two-and-a-half-year-old held in your arms'," Graham said, while he tried to explain to the driver that he's done it "every day".</p>
<p>Cooke then quickly looked up if such a rule existed on Transport NSW, eventually finding no evidence that young Katie had to be in a stroller to board the bus. </p>
<p>When he tried to once again confront the driver to let them on, the driver responded that Cooke was holding everybody on the bus up.</p>
<p>"I'm entitled to get the bus with my toddler, I'm just trying to get to work," Cooke said. After the standoff, the dad and his daughter had no choice but to get off the bus and wait for the next one, where they had no issues getting on board.</p>
<p>"It was a really unpleasant experience," he said, recalling how his daughter, who ordinarily loves getting the bus, was left "upset" and cuddling into her dad.</p>
<p>"She loves saying hello to bus drivers. She tends to, kind of charm everybody around pretty, pretty lovely experience," he said.</p>
<p>"It upset me, because I just wanted to get to work and to be rejected on public transport in such a way. So it was a very unpleasant start to the day, and he was very aggressive and dogmatic about his view."</p>
<p>After contacting Transport for NSW, the authority apologised for the incident, as a spokesperson said passengers travelling on buses with young children and prams have the choice to seat children in their care on a seat next to them, on their lap or to have them strapped into a pram where there is space on board for it to be parked safely.</p>
<p>"All of our accessible buses have specific areas for prams and wheelchairs near the front of the bus, which will allow children to remain in the pram while on board if required," they said. "In that case, the front of the pram must be facing towards the back of the bus and be in firm contact with the panel, or bar behind it.</p>
<p>"You'll need to fold your pram or stroller and store it in the luggage rack if there is not enough space on board the bus to safely park the pram, or if the driver asks you to.</p>
<p>"In that case, you’ll need to seat the children in your care with you as it is not safe to stand and carry a child while a bus is moving."</p>
<p>Responding to the statement, Cooke said, "It looks like it's completely not a rule. Parents should be able to bring their kids to daycare. A lot of daycares don't allow you to bring a stroller and leave it there."</p>
<p>While the dad admits that most bus drivers are "lovely", he wants to send a message to other parents that they should know their rights travelling around on public transport.</p>
<p>"It's difficult enough getting around in NSW with a toddler," he said. "It makes having a child and exploring the city pretty difficult. If you're in this situation, know your rights and that you can't be kicked off a bus just because you don't have a stroller, if you're happy enough carrying or holding your toddler."</p>
<p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p>
