Following a recent Supreme Court ruling on the wheelchair priority space on buses, Transport for London have released a new guide for drivers and will be hosting several Accessibility Bus Driver Forums, to which users of wheelchairs or mobility scooters are invited. The event on 14th December will be held at Palmers Green Bus Garage (off Green Lanes, just north of the North Circular Road).
Accessibility Bus Driver Forums
These forums are intended to give drivers a closer understanding of various passenger issues, and will have a focus on the revised guidance to better assist wheelchair users wishing to board buses.
We are looking for wheelchair and mobility scooter users to attend for a couple of hours on the days, so that bus drivers and garage managers have an opportunity to better understand the most common issues first hand and to speak with people with different impairments. All our older and disabled customers and stakeholders are welcome to join one or multiple events, although we will have to limit numbers to no more than two people at a time so we have a good spread of people across the day.
We aim to have further events in 2018 so there will be other opportunities in other parts of London.
The forums will be held between 10am and 4pm on the following dates and locations:
- Thursday, 26 October, at Ash Grove Garage (Arriva & CT Plus);
- Tuesday, 31 October, at Battersea Garage (Abellio);
- Tuesday, 7 November, at Merton Garage (Go Ahead);
- Thursday, at 16 November, at Enfield Garage (Arriva);
- Wednesday, 29 November, at Tottenham Garage (Arriva);
- Tuesday, 14 December, at Palmers Green Garage (Arriva).
If you are interested in participating, they should email and we will allocate places on a first-come basis.
Transport for All, a leading campaigner for better accessibility of public transport, has more details of recent changes to the advice given to bus drivers and is providing a link to download the new leaflet for drivers. You can also view the leaflet below.
Transport for All's view is that TfL's new instructions to drivers are an improvement but are not yet sufficiently clear and unambiguous about the situation where people occupying the wheelchair area (eg with buggies or suitcases) refuse to vacate it for a wheelchair user.
Links
New leaflet and bus drivers forums – Further steps from TfL on wheelchair priority (Transport for All, October 2017)
