Public Buses are Not Child-Friendly

Regarding this week’s Talking Point, “How family-friendly are we?”, I wish to share the difficulty of boarding public buses.

I am a mother of a five-year-old and a five-month-old infant, and being unable to push my pushchair onto the bus is frustrating.

I must struggle to fold it with my infant in a baby carrier on my chest, and carry it in one hand while holding my boy in my other.

I must then put it on the floor to free my hand again to tap my card. If I do not fold my pushchair, I would be denied boarding; only wheelchairs are allowed to be pushed onto the bus.

In countries such as the United Kingdom, pushchairs are allowed on the bus and are parked at the bay allocated for both pushchairs and wheelchairs. The rule in Singapore causes difficulties for mothers with young children and infants.