BUS PASSES NOT ENOUGH - WE NEED MORE ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

BUS PASSES NOT ENOUGH - WE NEED MORE ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES

November 14, 2007 12:46 PM

Buses in Gloucestershire are inaccessible to some older people.

Beneficiaries of the Government's concessionary fares schemes can have difficulty boarding some buses in Gloucestershire, rendering the free bus passes frequently useless.

Cllr Bill Whelan, Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Churchdown St John's has voiced his concern about the problem.

Cllr Whelan said:

"I believe the concessionary fares scheme is of fantastic benefit to older people in Gloucestershire. However, as with the implementation of any policy, we have to use some common sense. It makes no sense to subsidise older people to travel on buses which they frequently have difficulty boarding. The 97 and 98 Stagecoach services from Cheltenham to Gloucester travel through areas where many older people live, but they have no low level facility. This means the bus can't lower itself to the level of the pavement when it stops, and some older people in wheel chairs or who have difficulty walking are therefore unable to board - even if they do have a bus pass. This also applies to mothers with young children."

Cllr Whelan is concerned that this issue may be widespread across the county, and he will be asking questions of cabinet members when the full County Council meets next week.

Cllr Whelan added:

"Many of the residents in Churchdown, Innsworth and Longlevens have signed a petition which will be presented to the council next week and currently has over 2,000 signatories. I would like to thank Mrs Sandra Pember who sits on Gloucester City Disability Equality Forum for bringing this matter to my attention; she has done a fantastic job of highlighting this problem. This issue could be a problem for many other older people both in Gloucestershire and across the country."