KittensAreEvil 7 points8 points 1 year ago

Do they justify taking up a seat set aside the elderly and people with physical disabilities though?

photosoflife 8 points9 points 1 year ago

I literally have physical disabilities too, i can stand on the bus, but you've gotta be prepared to catch me when my knee/hip/ankle dislocates due to mild braking/acceleration.

EDS bros understand this gif

KittensAreEvil 0 points1 point 1 year ago

I wasn't talking about you specifically.

photosoflife 2 points3 points 1 year ago

One of the things that brings me most stress whilst outside of the home is due to my autism, which again, is invisible as i don't have autistic rage fits often at all. On the bus, the feeling of people bumping into me, me not knowing where to stand to not get in peoples way, knowing where the bus is when it's dark out and you can't cast a shadow on the glass to see out, etc. Have often caused me to stop the bus and leave, having a seat solves the majority of those issues.

So yeh, mental health & anxiety are definitely factors that may cause people to be unable to use public transport without some assistance.

If you had an illness that prevented you from doing a normal day to day task, would someone saying "i don't think that should affect you" have any effect at all on your ability to do said task?

DistinctGood 1 point2 points 1 year ago

Depending on the mental disability, yes. I used to work at a college for disabled adults, some who would need help with travel. A common restriction is to keep a disabled person in the disabled seats due to their proximity to support (the driver).

Someone who's non-verbal and incapable of moving while the bus is in motion has to stay close to the front so they can get assistance when they need it. This is something that my colleagues really tried to drill into the students -- stay close to the front so there's someone who can help you.