Wheelchair bus case

Dan83

this is a load of crap. If a bus stops at a bus stop and is full, all seats taken and all floor space taken by standees, will the person in the wheel chair expect people to get off the bus to make space for them?

If they want to be treated equally, fair enough, but don't start moaning when things do go your way.

CLAPTON

Dan83 wrote: »

this is a load of crap. If a bus stops at a bus stop and is full, all seats taken and all floor space taken by standees, will the person in the wheel chair expect people to get off the bus to make space for them?

If they want to be treated equally, fair enough, but don't start moaning when things do go your way.

I don't think they want to be treated 'equally'; they want to be able to live a close to a 'normal' life as possible : this requires the rest of us to make reasonable adjustment to accommodate them.
I see no problem with this although sometimes it is difficult to deteminine the 'best ' solution but then that's true of many situations.

Mojisola

Dan83 wrote: »

If they want to be treated equally, fair enough, but don't start moaning when things do go your way.

We used to treat disabled people as equal - that's why they weren't able to do so many things - they were expected to stay away from places if their disabilities meant they needed any adjustments to the environment.

We've moved on since then. In order to provide equal opportunities, people with disabilities have to be provided with things that the healthy population don't get - dedicated spaces on buses being an example of this.

lisyloo

Just to add to what the others have said.
Helping disabled people to travel is also about helping them be able to work.
If you shut them all away then you'll have to pay for them.

michaels

One thing I often wonder - it may well be cheaper to provide taxis to allow disabled people to get about and send one out each time a bus only has one disabled space and two disabled passengers turn up or similarly to allow disabled tube users to book uber at tube ticket prices rather than try to make tube stations disabled access friendly. Just because this is the cheapest option does it make sense or is it still discrimination?

lisyloo

send one out each time a bus only has one disabled space and two disabled passengers

I think it's a good idea.

or similarly to allow disabled tube users to book uber at tube ticket prices rather than try to make tube stations disabled access friendly

There are loads of people with suitcases, pushchairs or bicycles who travel on public transport so I think we do need access (lifts and ramps) anyway.

I don't think it's discrimination, I think it comes under making adjustments.
In general I think we should make adjustments for disabled people to use the "normal" facilities and partake in normal daily life but there may be exceptions where it makes sense to do something different.

Malthusian

michaels wrote: »

One thing I often wonder - it may well be cheaper to provide taxis to allow disabled people to get about and send one out each time a bus only has one disabled space and two disabled passengers turn up or similarly to allow disabled tube users to book uber at tube ticket prices rather than try to make tube stations disabled access friendly. Just because this is the cheapest option does it make sense or is it still discrimination?

That actually sounds like a really good idea to me. But the comrades would have an absolute fit if you suggested the government "subsidise" Uber in that way. They would insist that the government set up its own non-profit taxi service for the benefit of the disabled, with a vetting process for drivers, a full suite of middle management and a stakeholder committee, which of course the Treasury would immediately kibosh as unaffordable, and that would be the end of it.

Great idea but too simple for the current system.

CLAPTON

michaels wrote: »

One thing I often wonder - it may well be cheaper to provide taxis to allow disabled people to get about and send one out each time a bus only has one disabled space and two disabled passengers turn up or similarly to allow disabled tube users to book uber at tube ticket prices rather than try to make tube stations disabled access friendly. Just because this is the cheapest option does it make sense or is it still discrimination?

it seems a good idea
but I'm sure within a year or so we will another 1 million registered disabled because they have a phobia abour using public transport and some other expensive unintended consequences

lisyloo

but I'm sure within a year or so we will another 1 million registered disabled because they have a phobia abour using public transport

This was for the exceptional case of 2 wheelchairs turning up at the same time. It was not for every disabled person (most of whom aren't in wheelchairs) to be able to avoid buses.

You cannot choose to be registered disabled i.e. get a blue badge.
You need to fill out a lengthy form that asks lots of questions and put down medical and doctors details.

The proposal would be only to provide taxis when requested by the bus company and I'd expect a blue badge and a wheelchair.
I don't see why it would need a lot of admin or have to be uber.

CLAPTON

lisyloo wrote: »

This was for the exceptional case of 2 wheelchairs turning up at the same time. It was not for every disabled person (most of whom aren't in wheelchairs) to be able to avoid buses.

You cannot choose to be registered disabled i.e. get a blue badge.
You need to fill out a lengthy form that asks lots of questions and put down medical and doctors details.

The proposal would be only to provide taxis when requested by the bus company and I'd expect a blue badge and a wheelchair.
I don't see why it would need a lot of admin or have to be uber.

well, maybe , maybe not
I'm reluctant to believe that there are truely over 9 million disabled people in the UK
being registered disable bring financial gain .
I've talked to many doctors about this and they all say that it is very difficult to distinguish between some-one genuinely suffering and one who isn't.