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PE1866: Introduce legislation to improve bus travel for wheelchair users

Petition summary

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce legislation so that wheelchair users are able to face frontwards when travelling on a bus.

Petitioner: Daryl Cooper

Status: Closed

Date published: 20 May 2021

Click here for the full petition

SPICe briefing (132.3KB, pdf) (132KB, pdf) posted 01 March 2022

Committee Meetings

8 September 2021: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government.

Official report of meeting 8 September 2021

1 December 2021: The Committee agreed to write to Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP.

Official report of meeting 1 December 2021

9 March 2022: The Committee agreed to refer this petition to a relevant subject committee. It also agreed to write to the Scottish Government.

Official Report of Meeting 9 March 2022

Written submissions

PE1866/A: Scottish Government submission of 17 June 2021

PE1866/B: Petitioner submission of 24 June 2021

PE1866/C: Scottish Government submission of 21 October 2021

PE1866/D: Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP submission of 29 December 2021

Committee Meetings

1 November 2022: The Committee considered the petition. It agreed to keep the petition open, and to—

write to COSLA to seek information about how local authorities intend to use new powers conferred by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, regarding bus service improvement partnerships and local services franchises, to deliver improvements for wheelchair users on public buses; and
write to the UK Government to seek clarification on the safety implications of wheelchair positioning in buses and highlight concerns raised in the petition to inform the Department for Transport’s 2023 review of the Public Sector Vehicles Accessibility Regulations.

Read the Official Report - 1 November 2022

7 March 2023: The Committee considered the petition. It agreed to close the petition on the basis that the main issue raised by the petitioner relates to a reserved matter, but agreed to write to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, which is undertaking an inquiry on accessible transport, to highlight the concerns raised in the petition.

Read the Official Report - 7 March 2023