Only two prams are allowed on board (Picture: Mercury)

A mum was apparently told to make her child stand on a bus because a cat in a pram was taking up the last pushchair space.

Mia Jade Wilson, 26, was on a First bus to Leeds on October 6 when she heard the driver telling the mum to either fold up her pram and make the child stand, or wait for another bus.

This was because one of the spaces was taken up by a large cat in a buggy, and Mia was in the second slot with her one-year-old. The maximum number of prams allowed on board the bus was two.

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‘I just found it ridiculous that a cat in a pram would take priority over a child in a pram,’ Mia said.




‘The driver on the bus said she either had to wait for the next bus or fold her pram down, and she had loads of things under her pram, making it hard for her to fold down.

‘The driver just said only two prams are allowed on at any one time. I even turned to the lady with the cat and asked her if she could move to the other side.

‘I told the driver there was a cat in the pram, not a baby and he just said that the lady had to fold the pram down or not get on – but he didn’t say much to be honest.’

Mia Jade Wilson was also travelling on the bus with her one-year-old (Picture: Mercury)

Other passengers were reportedly ‘rolling their eyes’ in dismay as the unnamed mum attempted to fold up her buggy.

Mia said: ‘No matter which way you look at it, I just think it’s wrong that a cat has priority on the bus over the child.

‘Surely there was another way of transporting a cat, like a standard cat carrier like most people use. That way, it could have either gone under the seat or on her lap, meaning that valuable space is free for people that actually need it.’

It is not known what breed the cat was. Some breeds, such as Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats, require much larger modes of transportation to accommodate their large sizes.

A spokesperson from First Leeds said: ‘We’re sorry to hear that some customers disagreed with the decision made by one of our drivers and we have therefore launched an investigation into this complaint.

‘There is limited space on board our buses and therefore some customers will be asked to fold down their pushchairs before boarding.

‘With the exception of assistance dogs, animals can only travel on board our services if they are secure.’