When I’m on a bus, I like to see where I’m going. I usually just roll up the ramp and face forward in the wheelchair space. More often than not, drivers are fine with me doing so and for the vast majority of my bus journeys over the past fifteen years I have faced the front of the bus. On very rare occasions though, some jobsworth drivers have insisted that I turn my powerchair and ride backwards. It happened this afternoon, and frankly it really pissed me off: I found it very disorientating, to the point where I almost felt sick. Not only that, but the sensation of having the fifteen pairs of eyes of my fellow passengers staring at me was truly ghastly. It was like I had been put on a stage like some freak for people to examine.

I know the rules are the rules; but sometimes some rules need to be broken. I like to ride alongside my fellow passengers, looking in the same direction as everyone else, able to see where I’m going. Being forced to ride backwards made me feel like a child being told what to do; I felt singled out and made to feel different. It hadn’t been the best of days as it was, so I found it a truly repugnant experience.