North County Transit District (NCTD) Rules of Riding When one reads the NCTD rider’s guide (a booklet available on all buses and online) it becomes clear that NCTD has policy that is directed at people who rely on personal utility devices, for example, shopping carts. While NCTD does not prohibit personal shopping carts from coming onboard the bus, these utility devices are not allowed to take up space on the bus, they must be folded and placed between the seats. The idea is to avoid blocking seats, aisles, doorways, or exits, or using up an extra seat (NCTD, 2016:26). In other words, a rider can bring a shopping cart onboard the bus but it basically must be emptied and may not get in the way of public safety. With that said, there is no
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It is oppressive in the sense that people relying on a shopping cart to transport their groceries are being told that they cannot make use of the space that is reserve for elderly and disabled or passengers with limited mobility. In other words, NTCD is accommodating age and disability, but is not willing to accommodate the necessity of low-income riders. Now, I am not saying that every person who hauls around a shopping cart is from a low-socioeconomic standing. What I am suggesting here is that there might be some people who use the bus who are perhaps low-income and depend on both the bus and their shopping cart to carry out their everyday needs. In the case of Susan, it was groceries that are meant to feed herself, but perhaps also her family. Through a Black Feminist lens one can see that NCTD did not consider the very population that is most likely using the bus system (that is, low-income …show more content…
In his article Updating the Granny Cart, Darning highlights that in countries like Denmark strollers have a place on buses just like wheelchairs. In other words, the bus system in Denmark recognizes that there are different needs among its customers. In the case of a stroller, a mother and her child/children. This should be considered by NTCD. While both the elderly and people with wheelchairs have priority for the designated spaces in the bus, people with shopping carts should be allowed to share this space. NTCD should find ways to accommodate not just disability, or age, it must also try to accommodate its customers who perhaps are from a low-socioeconomic
It is oppressive in the sense that people relying on a shopping cart to transport their groceries are being told that they cannot make use of the space that is reserve for elderly and disabled or passengers with limited mobility. In other words, NTCD is accommodating age and disability, but is not willing to accommodate the necessity of low-income riders. Now, I am not saying that every person who hauls around a shopping cart is from a low-socioeconomic standing. What I am suggesting here is that there might be some people who use the bus who are perhaps low-income and depend on both the bus and their shopping cart to carry out their everyday needs. In the case of Susan, it was groceries that are meant to feed herself, but perhaps also her family. Through a Black Feminist lens one can see that NCTD did not consider the very population that is most likely using the bus system (that is, low-income …show more content…
In his article Updating the Granny Cart, Darning highlights that in countries like Denmark strollers have a place on buses just like wheelchairs. In other words, the bus system in Denmark recognizes that there are different needs among its customers. In the case of a stroller, a mother and her child/children. This should be considered by NTCD. While both the elderly and people with wheelchairs have priority for the designated spaces in the bus, people with shopping carts should be allowed to share this space. NTCD should find ways to accommodate not just disability, or age, it must also try to accommodate its customers who perhaps are from a low-socioeconomic