OC Transpo could ban supersized strollers on buses

Ottawa's public transit company could prohibit larger strollers on buses, following complaints from seniors who say they have trouble getting around some of the bulkier models when boarding.

"We call them the SUVs of strollers," OC Transpo head Alain Mercier said Wednesday, at an event encouraging seniors to take the bus.

Buses weren't designed for large child carriers, he said.

"I have a feeling we're going to have to set some standards."

Bus drivers have been calling for such standards for several years, he said, and that's one of several priorities the transit service is looking at to improve the system's accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities.

Sometimes, wheelchairs and walkers compete for the same space near the front of the bus with strollers, including some popular extra-large models that have trouble squeezing farther down the aisle of the bus.

Lise White, store manager at Boomerang Kids in Old Ottawa South, said she sees about two dozen Chariot-brand strollers, which seat two children side by side, each day.

Restricting them on buses wouldn't be a bad idea, she said, "except that would cause such a controversy with some of our young families."

Shelley Deladurantaye, who rides the bus with her three young children, said she worries rules banningsome kinds of strollers could make the transit system less accessible for many families.

"I already find it difficult to use a stroller when riding the bus," she said. "And if they were going to put further limitations on it, then I think that would be a disadvantage to a lot of people."