Today (March 8) the Government have announced new measures to ensure the safety of wheelchair users when accessing wheelchair spaces on buses. The announcement follows the Supreme Court case brought by Doug Paulley last year on the ‘reasonable adjustments’ which bus operators should provide for wheelchair users.
Muscular Dystrophy UK Trailblazers are delighted by the announcement as in our End of the Line report (2016) we discovered nearly two thirds of respondents had experienced problems getting on a bus owing to the attitude or behaviour of the driver or fellow passengers. According to the Government news story announcing the new measures, disabled people are “make 10 times as many journeys by bus as by rail”. This makes it even more imperative for there to be ease of access to these services.
Along with the announcement today, Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani has said:
“Passengers with disabilities must have the same opportunities to travel as other members of society, and it is essential that the services they rely on are accessible and work for them.”
Trailblazers manager Lauren West said:
“We are really pleased the Government is taking action to make it easier for wheelchair users to access buses. In our End of the Line report, launched in 2016, we called on the Government to ensure accessibility in transport works so spontaneous travel is possible. With disabled people more likely to use bus travel, the Government needs to ensure disabled travelers have equal and consistent access to buses. We are hopeful these new measures will make this a reality.”
For further information contact Trailblazers: 020 7803 4846 or email on trailblazers@musculardystrophyuk.org