Sudbury single mom with baby says bus driver made trip stressful

A Sudbury single-mother says a recent trip on a city transit bus was a stressful experience.

DestinySouthwind, 25, says she went to get on the packed bus with her baby, who was in a stroller.

The driver told her to fold her stroller before she got on, soshe says she woke up her son, set him down, and folded it up.

"I asked the guy, where am I going to put it? Because I looked within the bus to see if I can put it somewhere," she said.

"He just shrugged, and okay, I thought, he's not going to help me."

From there, she got on the bus but there were no available seats. She asked a young woman sitting behind the driver if she would move.

Southwindsays although the woman seemed willing, the bus driver intervened.

"That's when the bus driver interrupted me, he told me, you cannot ask people for their seats," she said.

Southwind says she was confused at this point and was getting upset about where she was going to put her son.

Discouragement

"I cannot hold him while standing up, holding onto a pole, because he's 27-28 pounds so I have to have both hands to hold him and I can't stand on the bus safely, holding my son, and not expect to fall," she explained.

Fortunately she says, some strangers made room for her to sit down with the stroller.

She says she didn't have time to strap her son back in the stroller when the bus started to move.

Southwind says, while there are many friendly drivers, it's not the first time she's felt discouraged from taking the bus by a driver.

And she says there are probably others like herself.

Investigation done

"I'm sure I'm not the only mother out there that's struggling that relies on public transit."

The Transit Commission says its policy is that strollers over a certain size must be folded.

Another policy says there are courtesy seats for parents with children but drivers are not to intervene in disputes over seats.

A city spokeswoman says they received a complaint,investigated the allegations and are confident the driver acted within the policies and procedures in place.

The city declined to make anybody available for an interview.