San Francisco Stroller-Friendly Policy Pleases Parents, Frustrates Others

San Francisco, CA – Parents in San Francisco, rejoice! New public transportation policies have changed to allow parents to bring strollers onto buses and trains. While little tykes in strollers still aren’t allowed on the city’s famed cable cars, this step marks brings a sigh of relief for the parents of San Francisco.

In a city where public transportation is heavily depended upon, previous stroller policies were tedious. Strollers were not allowed on public transportation unless folded up, meaning that many a mother had to grapple with a folded-up stroller and squirming child while clambering up the bus steps or onto city trains. Sometimes, even that wasn’t an option, as drivers could decide whether or not to allow even folded strollers onto their bus.

A new policy, however, went into effect on March 1. The San Fransisco Municipal Transit Association issued a new policy that makes riding Muni with small children much more family-friendly. Allegedly, that was their goal. The new policy states that strollers are allowed on public transportation, period. It also allows parents to use ramps or lifts to being their stroller-bound kids onto buses or trains, meaning that no child will have to be woken up to board a bus. Insert parent approval here.

Drivers will still be able to use their discretion at peak traffic times. If a bus or train is particularly full, a parent may be asked to fold up their child’s stroller.

The change is coming amidst gross parent approval in San Francisco, according to reports.

Virginia Balogh-Rosenthal, a San Francisco mother of twins, notes, “When my twins were young [15 years ago], I was shocked at how antagonistic MUNI drivers were when I tried to take my kids in a double stroller (which was no wider than a wheelchair) on the underground. I was even more depressed after visiting a number of other countries that were quite welcoming of strollers on public transit.”

Of course, not all people are happy with the news. One commenter on a previous article on the subject asked, “And will MUNI pay for my hospital costs when I trip over a stroller’s wheels and end up injuring myself? This policy, like most implemented my MUNI officials, is a joke. Some pen pusher that has never ridden on the bus most probably came up with it.”

Another noted: “Just had a woman partially blocking the exit on a T train last night at rush hour! I literally had to climb over this monstrosity of a stroller. They aren’t small anymore! This will only delay Muni further.”

Do you think that the addition of strollers to mass transit is a good idea?

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