CONFERENCE: Public transport going nowhere say disabled delegates

From Cathy Reay in Bournemouth

wheelchair and taxi Disabled delegates at the Liberal Democrat party conference today asked a panel of transport executives and MPs for a more accessible public transport system.

During a fringe meeting, which was hosted by the Passenger Transport Executive Group (PTEG), disabled campaigners said that accessibility on public transport across the UK is still a huge problem.

Susan Carson, disabled vice chair of the Liberal Democrat Disability Association, said: “Local bus companies inform me on a regular basis that people like me, who use mobility scooters, cannot use their vehicles. I am denied a public right and discriminated against and this should not be allowed.”

Neil Scales, chair of PTEG, which raises awareness of transport problems in six regions around the UK, admitted that there is a difficulty getting mobile scooters onto public transport.

He added: “Barbara Castle wrote a white paper on bringing in a single, integrated and accessible transport system back in 1966. This still isn’t happening.”

Christopher Brock from Leonard Cheshire Disability told Disability Now that he does not take public transport because it isn’t accessible for his heavy-duty, wide wheelchair.

“There are not enough low-lying buses, making it very hard for anyone with a larger than average chair to board,” he said.

Putting a question during the meeting, Nicholas Russell, disability officer at Guide Dogs for the Blind, asked: “Do you agree that it should be a requirement that all buses should have audio-visual communication?”

Mr Scales said: “With 72,000 buses it is difficult to do. We have put enunciators on trains and we are pushing for this to happen on buses too