I am writing in response to Stella Gaston-Cohen's letter re: her experience of pushchairs and buses. I experience similar problems almost every day of the week.

I have a young baby and I have to travel to work in town on the No 8 bus with a pushchair during rush hour. Most mornings I am unable to get on the bus due to people being sat in the designated areas for pushchairs and the drivers being reluctant to take the time and effort to ask these people to move.

I often find the drivers unhelpful and in one instance a driver told passengers they didn't have to move and that it was up to him as to whether or not I travelled on his bus. I have also encountered drivers who say they'll decide whether or not to ask people to move.

I have written to Stagecoach about the difficulties and I received a reply saying that the buses on my route to work were low floor for the reason of pushchairs/wheelchairs. But what is the point of wasting money on low liners if they're not used for the purpose intended?

Stagecoach also confirmed that drivers should be asking people to move to allow pushchairs and wheelchairs to have access to designated bays.

Despite having a bus stop directly outside my front door, I now walk three or four stops up the route so that I have a better chance of getting on the bus and because I am tired of repeatedly arguing with certain drivers who couldn't care less whether my young baby and I have to wait in the freezing cold for the next bus.

I feel I am being discriminated against because I am a working mother who doesn't drive so has to travel by bus with a baby in a pushchair during the rush-hour.

But I would like to thank the few drivers who actually do ask people to move from the pushchair bays to enable my baby and I to travel.

P KEELER

Toothill