Bus operators across Great Britain apply broadly similar rules to prams: they may be carried unfolded if there is room, but the wheelchair space has to be freed for a wheelchair user, and drivers decide. Stagecoach, which publishes one set of conditions for its bus companies, and Cardiff Bus in Wales each set this out in their own wording. This guide summarises Stagecoach’s Conditions of Carriage and two of its help pages, plus the Cardiff Bus Conditions of Carriage, as read in September 2026. The Stagecoach conditions are published for the group as a whole, so local practice can vary, and the Cardiff Bus rules apply to its services in and around Cardiff, Wales. This is general information.
What Stagecoach carries (Great Britain)
Section 5 of the Stagecoach conditions says wheelchairs, disabled buggies, approved mobility scooters, small prams and unfolded buggies may only be carried on suitable low-floor vehicles. It adds that all its buses are wheelchair accessible, but that some journeys on some services are run by coaches that may not be, and that these journeys are highlighted on timetables. The wording matters for a parent planning a longer route: a coach substitution can change the answer.
Subject to space and the driver’s discretion, Stagecoach says it will carry small prams and unfolded buggies on low-floor buses within the designated area, but only when the area is not needed by a passenger in a wheelchair or with an approved mobility scooter. Prams and buggies must not block the aisle at any time. Its help page on prams puts it more plainly: if a designated pram space is available, a pram or small buggy can be taken on a low-floor bus, priority goes to wheelchair and scooter users, and if there is no space the buggy or pram must be folded down.
Priority for wheelchair users (Great Britain)
The conditions state that passengers in wheelchairs have absolute priority by law. They say passengers must co-operate in allowing proper use of the wheelchair space by vacating it if a customer in a wheelchair wants to board or, if no wheelchair user is travelling, a disabled buggy or approved mobility scooter, including repositioning small prams, folding any buggies and storing them in the luggage space. Failure to comply is described as a breach of the conduct section of the conditions and may lead to further action under that section. The help page for people with no space for their pram or wheelchair repeats the same wording, and the position on the law is covered in the site’s guide to pushchairs and wheelchair spaces on buses.
Disabled buggies (Great Britain)
Stagecoach says it improves access for disabled buggies as well as wheelchairs and approved mobility scooters. The conditions treat a disabled buggy differently from an ordinary pram: where no wheelchair user is travelling, a disabled buggy or approved scooter can have the designated space in the same way as a wheelchair. Guidance on carrying a wheelchair, a disabled buggy or an approved scooter is available from the local operating company’s Disability Helpline, by local leaflet and online.
Cardiff Bus (Wales)
Cardiff Bus’s conditions say wheelchair and mobility scooter users are welcome on all services using the designated wheelchair space and have priority at all times. Other passengers may use the space but must vacate it when it is required. On the conditions’ wording, while travelling, buggies, prams and pushchairs must be securely positioned so that they are stable and do not obstruct the aisle. At the driver’s discretion, there may be times when a pushchair, buggy or foldable bike will not be allowed to board because of insufficient space, which the conditions say is for health and safety reasons.
The conditions also say the designated spaces are designed around the reference wheelchair in the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations, which measures up to 1200mm long and 700mm wide. The Cardiff Bus text applies that reference size to wheelchairs, not prams.
How the operators compare
- Stagecoach: small prams and unfolded buggies allowed on low-floor buses in the designated area when it is free; fold if there is no space.
- Cardiff Bus: buggies and prams must be stable and clear of the aisle; boarding may be refused for lack of space at the driver’s discretion.
- Both: the wheelchair space is priority space, and prams must give way.
For Scottish operators with more detailed size rules, see the guides to Lothian Buses and First Glasgow.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take an unfolded pram on a Stagecoach bus? Small prams and unfolded buggies can be carried on low-floor buses in the designated area when it is not needed by a wheelchair or approved scooter user, and only if they do not block the aisle.
What if the space is taken? Stagecoach says the pram or buggy must be folded down if there is no space.
Can a driver refuse a pram in Cardiff? Yes, at the driver’s discretion, where space is insufficient.
The bottom line
Both operators allow prams and unfolded buggies where space permits, but wheelchair users take priority and a folded pram is the fallback. Check whether a journey is run by a low-floor bus rather than a coach, and choose a pram that can fold quickly.