Buses and Blatant Discrimination- wheelchair users

robpw2

I am writing to the company on this one but I had just finished in the hospital yesterday and my friend who uses a wheelchair wheeled to the bus stop and i slowly hobble on behind. We got to the bus stop and had to wait 10 mins in the freezing cold and along came the bus we needed to get into town so we flagged it down , The driver looked at my friend and said you cant come on here no room , ALthough in the disabled bay was parked some womed with a push chair , and disabled people are meant to have priorty we said ok and waited for the next one which again we attempted to flag down whereas this driver did not stop instead just wagging his finger at my friend with the you cannot come on here . Again the space was occupied by a mother and a child in a pushchair and both times neither driver made attempt at asking the other passenger to fold up the buggy and sit on one of the other seats holding the "child" so that a disabled person could get the bus ,

In the end we had to wait a further 20 mins to get a bus , whereas had i been on my own i could have got either of the two buses, I think this is absoloutely disgusting whilst i appreciate we cannot have an unlimited amount of disabled spaces on a bus that in this day and age someone who cannot walk or walk easily for themselves gets refused access to a bus.

Its bad enought that you have to ring train companies to book assitance and turn up to the station 30 mins before boarding and adequate provision isnt made for people with mobility problems . My friend cannot drive due to a medical condition (not related to his legs) and i cannot drive due to problems with my health and so we both heavily rely on public transport and were both extremley upset by our problems yesterday .
Has anyone else experienced this ?

System

Did you expect the bus driver to turf off the person with the pushchair?
Would it have been feasible/practical for the person to fold the buggy up and hold the child on their knee? Your view was from outside the bus, the driver probably had a better perception of the situation and decided not to ask.
The space is for either a pushchair or wheelchair. The wheelchair would have priority if both where waiting at the bus stop but in this situation it was already occupied so no space was available.

withabix

Why was the person in the wheelchair not using the Patient Transport Service? (I'm assuming they were a patient and not a visitor - the OP didn't say?) - that's what it's there for.

Is there any reason they didn't book a wheelchair accessible taxi?

Buses are only required to be wheelchair accessible if they have been registered since the start of 2001. In real terms, this means that only around 35% of buses are currently required to comply.

Bus companies do not have to keep that space empty, because wheelchair users are quite rare in terms of percentage of bus passengers.

If the bus was too full, was not wheelchair accessible (pre 2001 registration) or the space was being used by someone else who was allowed to use it, the bus driver cannot let the wheelchair on for safety reasons.

I would recommend that the OP's friend uses a wheelchair accessible taxi or the PTS in future, to prevent similar inconvenience.

robpw2

withabix wrote: »

Why was the person in the wheelchair not using the Patient Transport Service? (I'm assuming they were a patient and not a visitor - the OP didn't say?) - that's what it's there for.

Is there any reason they didn't book a wheelchair accessible taxi?

Buses are only required to be wheelchair accessible if they have been registered since the start of 2001. In real terms, this means that only around 35% of buses are currently required to comply.

Bus companies do not have to keep that space empty, because wheelchair users are quite rare in terms of percentage of bus passengers.

If the bus was too full, was not wheelchair accessible (pre 2001 registration) or the space was being used by someone else who was allowed to use it, the bus driver cannot let the wheelchair on for safety reasons.

I would recommend that the OP's friend uses a wheelchair accessible taxi or the PTS in future, to prevent similar inconvenience.

i did say that i had just finished in the hospital

robpw2

withabix wrote: »

Why was the person in the wheelchair not using the Patient Transport Service? (I'm assuming they were a patient and not a visitor - the OP didn't say?) - that's what it's there for.

Is there any reason they didn't book a wheelchair accessible taxi?

Buses are only required to be wheelchair accessible if they have been registered since the start of 2001. In real terms, this means that only around 35% of buses are currently required to comply.

Bus companies do not have to keep that space empty, because wheelchair users are quite rare in terms of percentage of bus passengers.

If the bus was too full, was not wheelchair accessible (pre 2001 registration) or the space was being used by someone else who was allowed to use it, the bus driver cannot let the wheelchair on for safety reasons.

I would recommend that the OP's friend uses a wheelchair accessible taxi or the PTS in future, to prevent similar inconvenience.

he wasnt the patient i was and i am not entitled too it ,i still do not think its acceptable or fair that those without wheelchairs can go on any bus any time yet those who need one are expected to wait till a bus comes availible

GlasweJen

Lothian buses do ask prams and buggies to vacate the wheelchair space. I know this as I was asked once to fold my nieces adapted buggy and had to explain to the driver that this was the equivilent of a baby wheelchair and that it wouldn't be safe to have her on my knee on a seat (spina bifida).

withabix

robpw2 wrote: »

he wasnt the patient i was and i am not entitled too it ,i still do not think its acceptable or fair that those without wheelchairs can go on any bus any time yet those who need one are expected to wait till a bus comes availible

Some bus companies won't have ANY wheelchair accessible buses, ie if they were registered before 2001.

For sensible reasons, the various Acts and Regulations which deal with disability/disability and transport only require the access to be possible (subject to age of vehicle) and for it to be assisted when practical and safe to do so. Anything more than this would be positive discrimination, which is quite rightly illegal.

It sounds like the wheelchair user in this case made an unnecessary journey and should really have made arrangements to ensure that his journey could be completed at the times he wanted to travel. This is no different to what an able bodied person has to do, it's just that the necessary checks are different.

Horace

I know that the West Midlands Travel buses have wheelchair bays and areas where disabled people can sit with fold down seats, I have seen most people with buggies fold the seat up in these areas and park their buggies in there rather than take up a wheelchair space.

Certainly write to the bus company to see what they have to say and the attitude of the driver especially the one that wagged his finger.
Unfortunately it isnt feasible for buses to have an unlimited amount of disabled space - yes they have some priority seats for disabled and infirm people but they cannot have unlimited wheelchair space. An alternative would be to contact the Ring & Ride service because they have more space for wheelchair users.

HTH

dmg24

and disabled people are meant to have priorty

Do you have an authority for this statement, or is it just a local rule?

My local companies will do their best to fit both wheelchairs and pushchairs on, but neither takes priority.

I am struggling to see discrimination as such, just bad timing?

robpw2

withabix wrote: »

It sounds like the wheelchair user in this case made an unnecessary journey and should really have made arrangements to ensure that his journey could be completed at the times he wanted to travel. This is no different to what an able bodied person has to do, it's just that the necessary checks are different.

sorry i forgot all wheelchair users should be prevented from doing anything unless its nesscary - nothing to do with the fact hes my firend and i needed moral support at my appointment or that he is able to live his life !
you cant book wheelchair spaces on buses but your spouting rubbish any able bodied person has approximatley betwenn 27-52 seats depending on the size of the bus .

robpw2

dmg24 wrote: »

Do you have an authority for this statement, or is it just a local rule?

My local companies will do their best to fit both wheelchairs and pushchairs on, but neither takes priority.

I am struggling to see discrimination as such, just bad timing?

it states so on the bus itself ! that the licence allows them to carry a wheelchair passenger or up to 3 buggys but the wheelchair passenger has priorty i saw it on the bus on the way in