Chamber and committees

Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP submission dated 29 December 2021

PE1866/D - Introduce Legislation to Improve Bus Travel for Wheelchair Users

Thank you for inviting me to give evidence on this crucial matter. I trust that the committee will consider my short evidence, alongside more detailed evidence from organisations of disabled people, who will be able to provide more wide ranging evidence and represent their members diverse views. However, as a disabled person, and as a member of this Parliament with lived experience, I think it is important to provide the evidence I have to assist your work. I thank you for inviting me to give the evidence.

The problems

For too long, and too often, disabled people have been excluded from bus travel for a variety of reasons, including but not restricted to:

• a lack of accessible buses that can lower to allow wheelchairs on board. This means that disabled people have less access to already stretched routes and fewer buses to get
• poor joined up transport meaning that some routes are only partly accessible by bus, a connecting bus is inaccessible or other forms of connecting transport is inaccessible thus the disabled person cannot complete their journey
• no seating at some bus stops, meaning people with mobility problems cannot wait for the bus without being in significant pain or distress
• only one wheelchair user being allowed on a bus at a time, largely due to problems in policy, and outdated paternal views on health and safety as opposed to a design issue with much of the fleet, which, has space for more than one wheelchair user. This reduces the services available to wheelchair users significantly. It also means wheelchair using friends/couples/colleagues cannot travel together.
• My husband and I are both wheelchair users and have been split up at 3am to get on different buses, meaning we travelled alone and one of us to wait, alone, at either end of the journey. This is not safe. It also means that when we are travelling for a special occasion, we can’t arrive together
• inaccessible information on bus times and routes for people with communication impairments, including sensory impairments meaning many disabled people have no way of knowing what transport is available and when
• lack of information on what buses and routes are accessible, meaning disabled people find it hard to plan journeys

This has a huge impact on disabled people’s ability to get to work, visit family and friends, enjoy a social life, participate in society and lead a life on an equal basis to non-disabled people. It also means that disabled people have to rely on private cars and are restricted in their ability to contribute to a carbon free society.

The outcomes of such restrictions on disabled people’s use of buses, added to the many other ways that disabled people are denied equal opportunities, are seen in the persistently lower employment and participation rates of disabled people, their lower representation in education, and representation rates in public office and in all other aspects of public life – details of which are widely available to the committee. For these reasons, it is important that this discrimination is addressed. It is also important to remember that discrimination on the grounds of being a disabled person can constitute a breach of the law.

Suggested actions and next steps for the committee

I’d suggest the committee take evidence on ways to ensure that:

• a significantly higher proportion of buses are accessible to many more people
• disabled people can wait for a bus without being in significant pain or distress
• several wheelchair users can travel together (Sweden has a good model for this that the committee may wish to explore)
• accessible information on bus times and routes for people with communication impairments, including sensory impairments are mandatory and provided in all circumstances
• information on what buses and routes are accessible is clearly set out so that disabled people can plan journeys

To do this, I would suggest that the committee invite evidence from the following groups of people:

• Disabled People’s Organisations on their experiences and ideas for solutions
• Bus companies on their responsibilities, understanding of these and views on the current situation for disabled people
• Local transport authorities on their responsibilities, understanding of these and views on the current situation for disabled people
• The Minister for Transport to outline their responsibilities, understanding of these and views on the current situation for disabled people