Stroller ‘discrimination’ charged
Halifax father of twins says transit driver was rude and wouldn’t let his family board bus
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE City Hall Reporter
Sun, Jan 9 – 12:09 PM

A Halifax man says a Metro Transit bus driver was rude to him and wouldn’t let him, his wife and two infants board a bus because his sons were in a large stroller. (Staff / File)

A Halifax father who alleges his young family was recently discriminated against by a rude bus driver who wouldn’t let them on with their stroller, is unhappy with how Metro Transit handled his complaint.

Mohammad Ehsan said Saturday that he’ll take his case to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and wants to pursue it further with Halifax Regional Municipality.

He said transit officials spoke to him Friday and “sided with the driver” of the No. 10 downtown bus the family was trying to board with a large stroller. Ehsan and his wife, Farzana Naz, have twin boys who are six months old. The couple doesn’t own a car.

Ehsan said the incident, which happened a week ago, was the first time a bus driver in metro made an issue of their stroller.

He said his complaint with the commission will allege Metro Transit “has discriminated against mothers with newborns.”

Ehsan also alleged the bus operator was “so rude to us,” and said his behaviour needs to be addressed by management.

A Metro Transit official has said accommodating passengers with baby strollers is at the discretion of individual drivers. There are space, passenger safety and occupational health and safety considerations at play, Metro Transit has said.

A spokesperson with the transit agency told CBC News last week that Metro Transit has received previous complaints involving strollers on city buses.

Ehsan, who teaches at Dalhousie University and is a PhD candidate there, said Metro Transit’s guidelines for passengers with strollers are fuzzy.

“Just because they have an unclear and vague rule, it doesn’t mean they’re right,” he told The Chronicle Herald.

(…)

He said there were empty seats on the bus he and his family were trying to get on with their long, $750 stroller.

The mayor said he wasn’t familiar with all the details of Ehsan’s allegations or Metro Transit’s side of the story.

Kelly said transit staff told him Saturday that strollers can be accommodated on buses, but it depends on the situation and it remains a judgment call on the part of the operator.

“If the wheelchair areas are not in use, they can be stored in those areas,” Kelly said. “Seventy-five per cent of our fleet are the low-floor vehicles and they do have the double wheelchair capacity.”

( mlightstone@herald.ca)

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Article posted in Discrimination/Racism/Hate crime allegations, Multiculturalism
  • Anonymous

    I suspect we have here, yet, another arrogant, uptight and ungrateful immigrant who comes to our country expecting special privileges, and smelling the "blood" of a weak prey, and attempts to $hakedown Canada for this alleged indiscretion.

    If Mohammad Ehsan's "honour" was breached and felt insulted by the bus driver, then he can just as easily hop on an airplane and return to his own country.

    This is OUR country and OUR rules!

    …and kudos to transit management for siding with their driver. It's time Canadians said "enough" of these petty complaints being lodged with a kangaroo court known as a Human Rights tribunal.

    Here's another story from the absurdity file.

    • David

      How brutal you are! It could happen to you. No one has right to say to anyone for leave country. This is Canada, everyone has same right. Mr. Ehsan has same right as like you or any other Canadian. Without investigate no one can who was right Ehsan or bus driver. Anyway we are ashamed as Canadian for your comment.

  • Anonymous

    I agree. He said that they can't afford a car. Why not? Ehsan teaches at Dalhousie University and own a $750.00 stroller what did his wife do for a job before she had her kids.
    You can go to Human Rights all you want because the driver of the number 10 didn't do anything wrong. When you refer to the driver of being rude maybe you couldn't understand what he was trying to explain to you as far as safety for not only you and your family but for the safety of all the passengers. They need to keep the aisle clear incase of an emergency and if your stroller is in the way, trust me they could get seriously hurt.
    The next time you get on a bus Mohammad ask the driver what the measurements are for strollers, it is in their hand books and they will gladly tell you.
    In closing if you feel you are not being treated fairly then you have every right to go back to your own country.

  • Purple Rain

    I have seen those huge strollers, blocking the aisle, and nobody dares to say anything… as people with large strollers would have extra rights in this society…
    Agree, if they had the money to buy such an expensive stroller, they could have easily bought a used car, for about $2000.
    It is not the fault of some immigrants who behave like this. IT IS ENTIRELY OURS. WE HAVE GIVEN THEM THE TOOLS.
    They are only using them. Can you blame them for doing so?

  • David

    Ehsan go to court, i am sure you will win in this case. in every society has some good and bad people,Don’t worry, go ahead….

  • Euonymus

    “David”,

    You wrote: “Anyway we are ashamed as Canadian for your comment.” as if you were the porte-parole of this country.
    Another example of arrogance.
    Do yourself a favour and speak for yourself.
    Obviously, you are one of the oversized-stroller-on-the-bus supporters and you are exhibiting the typical arrogance of certain immigrants, coming from certain parts of the world.
    I wonder what type of job you have with your English language skills. Probably one that does not require a lot of writing…

  • Williams

    “David”, a.k.a Mohammad says:

    “How brutal you are! It could happen to you. No one has right to say to anyone for leave country. This is Canada, everyone has same right. Mr. Ehsan has same right as like you or any other Canadian.”

    Are you trying to restrict my right to free speech because it hurts your feelings? As a Canadian, born in my own country of Canada, I have every right to tell grumbling foreigners such as to head back to their crumbling 3rd world hell-holes if they don’t appreciate our rules and regulations.

    When you invite yourself to MY country, you will abide by OUR laws, or get the hell out of MY country and return to your own nation! Now, have I just hurt your feelings, again?