I am so sorry that happened to you, Jenna. I feel so bad for you. Once you mentioned your disability to the bus driver, he should have understood, and I'm sorry he didn't. Is there someone you can contact about his behavior? I think we should report that kind of behavior more often than we do. If he was discourteous to you, his bad behavior won't stop with you.

I took a public transportation bus to and from school every day of grammar school and high school, and I can still remember how it felt having to work my way to the back of a moving bus. The bus was full by the time it got to me, and I either sat in the very back with bus fumes giving me a headache, or stood for the next hour or more. Thankfully I never had to fumble for change as you did....I had bus tickets. I got pretty good at holding onto those metal poles so I wouldn't fall.

I was lucky too....our bus driver knew all of the students and was so nice to us, always joking with us. To this day, I remember him very fondly. His kindness sometimes made my day, which just goes to show what a difference one person can make in someone's day, or even in one's life, good or bad.

I hope your day gets better after this, Jenna, and that someone very kind makes it a nice weekend for you.

Mary

Type of Myotonia: Thomsens

Country: USA

what a moron !! i would have repoted him if not for the only reason being you could have fallen and gotten hurt like a head injury. i remember 2 years ago i was at a friends house. i was walking on his gravel driveway when i stubbed my toe and my whole body locked like a tree and i fell face first in his front tire of his truck . i was helpless as i was many times before when i fell, i couldn't even get my hand out to help break the fall.

Type of Myotonia: becker

Country: USA the best !!

I hate when that happens.

Type of Myotonia: Thomsens

Country: USA

I hate buses!!! I remember being worried in high school about climbing up the stairs on the bus every morning to go to school.. and after school too.... my legs would lock because i was nervous of falling in front of the other kids...... and i would feel like everyone is watching me while i was climbing the steps.... so glad that high school is over and i dont have to go on buses anymore..... sorry about that crappy day you had.... you should report him i think.... he is just an ignorant, nasty person.. it seems.....

Type of Myotonia: thomsens

Country: lebanon

Buses always bring back awful memories...I remember years ago I was on a bus with a wild bus driver ( going fast & then braking suddenly)...It was my stop & a bunch of people were also getting off...I could not grab a pole & the driver slam on his brakes at the stop..I went flying & fell on the floor. Everyone was rushing to get of & just walking over me ..I could not get off the floor & no one would help me ..I finally managed to get up after the driver yelled to me if I was getting off or not...I was so embarrassed that after that I always sat near the door & a pole to hang on to (usually in the handicap spot even though I always got stange looks as I don't look handicap) I haven't taken the bus for years as it stress's me out too much !

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's

Country: Canada

And let us not forget the number of people who feel they have the authority to instruct me to give my seat to someone who they feel should have it simply because they look older than me.

I don't take the matter of sitting down on a bus lightly, because then I have to get back up, and through a crowd of people before the door closes and the driver takes off again and honestly, most of the time I'd rather just not bother. I'd really prefer to stand out of the way somewhere near the door. If I do sit down, I usually have a pretty good reason, and even so, I'm still usually willing to give my seat up to someone who I think needs it, or even a person who simply asks me for it, but I don't think a 3rd party is qualified to make that decision for me.

If I'm sitting it's because my torso/trunk muscles are shot and cramped up, or my hips are shot, which means I've been standing for a few hours already, and I usually have another mile or so to walk when I get off the bus.

Type of Myotonia: Becker

Country: USA

Julie, Jenna, et al - I can SO relate! When I had to ride a bus to school, I dreaded every single morning and afternoon... and I liked school! But the bus rides, steps, drivers and all those people watching me - torture, embarrassment and humiliation. ugh. lois

Type of Myotonia: MC - Becker's type

Country: USA

I've found that since I started using a walking stick people accept my problems with getting on and off the buses much more readily. Also, where I live, the bus operators all use low-floor buses that don't have any steps, they're suitable for wheelchairs, but it wasn't like that so long ago!

Type of Myotonia: Becker's

Country: England

The buses here are low floor and have hydrualics to lower them, but I just can't get my fare out and into the fare box easily, or do the fancy move out of the way footwork so well.

If I carried a walking stick, somebody might get whacked ;-)

Really though, It'd just be another thing for me to worry about when I'm trying to hold on to the railing and pay and push through a crowd of people.

I was talking to a guy with CP in a wheelchair and apparently he isn't treated with any more civility, in fact he said he is often treated as if he is a hassle and greeted with some degree of dread. All the drivers have to do is lower the bus (press a button) and strap down the chair. It takes no more than 60 seconds, yet I've seen them not even bother to secure wheelchairs.

Type of Myotonia: Becker

Country: USA

i am so happy that my daughter doesn't have to go through that since she doesnt take a bus to school.... but still she has to go up the **** stairs at school.... wondering if i should ask for an elevator hehehehehe......

Type of Myotonia: thomsens

Country: lebanon

i had a good experience using buses. i was at Hersey park , staying at the campgrounds. they have shuttle buses to the main park. i was able to transport my scooter to and from the camp grounds with no problems . they were very friendly , helpful and understanding.

Type of Myotonia: becker

Country: USA the best !!

Some are fine. The intercity busses in my home county were nice. They were big coach buses and rarely reached capacity. If there were full to capacity, it was with the kids that went to the private catholic school, so they all got off at the same stop. The drivers weren't impatient with the fare either.

Here, capacity is not a defined number, and depends entirely on how many people will cram themselves into the bus, or how many people can fit into the bus before the driver gets annoyed that too many people are stepping over the yellow line.

I guess it could be worse though...it's just the situation of being pressured to do something you can't that gets to me.

Type of Myotonia: Becker

Country: USA

I was on a bus a few days ago with a couple of my friends who know about my MC. We had been on the bus for about half an hour when we finally got to our stop. We all went to stand up but my legs froze and I had to grab the nearest handle bar just to stay on my feet.

My friends didn't realise what had happened to me and kept walking towards the door. I tried to force my legs to move but they hadn't "warmed up" yet and were refusing to. I used the handles to slowly pull myself forward with my hands but by the time my legs had fully warmed up my friends had gotton off and the door had shut and I ended up round the corner at the next stop.

Having gotton such a fright my legs became even stiffer and efectively ruined my whole day since everyone on the bus was laughing at me.

I get so angry when people judge you when they really don't have a clue what you have to endure everyday of your life.

I'm only 15 and find my MC so hard to deal with.

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's

Country: Scotland

When using buses I always warm my leg muscles up just before my stop. I do this by crossing them and forcing the muscles to contract then letting them relax and repeating this several times. I find it helps me avoid the situation that you describe above. I also get up before my stop so that I have plenty of time to get to the front of the bus.

Type of Myotonia: Becker's

Country: England