Mums 'force disabled off buses'

LOTHIAN Buses has hit back at a campaign to allow prams on buses by claiming half of mothers refuse to leave to make room for a wheelchair.

Hundreds of parents, as well as councillors and MSPs, have called for the company to end its controversial ban. They say parents with prams and buggies should be allowed to use the wheelchair space if vacant, on condition they leave or fold their pram if it is required.

But Lothian Buses says a survey of bus drivers has found that 20 per cent of users refuse to fold their buggies when asked. This rises to 50 per cent when the pram cannot be folded, and the only option is getting off the bus.

The response comes as pressure is mounting on the company to find a compromise. More than 750 parents have signed a petition, while eight MSPs have signed a motion in the Scottish Parliament.

Council leader Jenny Dawe is the latest to call for a "common sense" approach.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has discussed the issue with Lothian Buses, and Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP is planning to lead a delegation meeting with parents.

Neil Renilson, chief executive of Lothian Buses, said a significant number of parents refused to accept that disabled passengers should have priority. This has led to the need to enforce a complete ban on unfoldable prams and buggies.

He wrote: "On a typical weekday, the number of occasions when wheelchair users board a Lothian Buses vehicle ranges from between 285 to 340.

"Typically, circa 20 per cent of requests by drivers to adults with pushchairs to vacate the wheelchair space to allow a wheelchair user to board result in a refusal to do so. The level of refusals can vary depending on the time of day and the route involved, but, as a result, every day a substantial number of wheelchair users find that they cannot board the bus they wish.

"Some give no reason and simply tell the driver 'No', while a few supplement their 'No' with abuse directed at the driver.

"When a request to vacate the wheelchair space is made to those who have boarded with a pram that cannot be folded and stowed in the luggage rack, and the only option to vacate the wheelchair space is to leave the bus, the rate of refusal climbs to circa 50 per cent."

He was responding to a letter from Councillor Maureen Child, who represents Portobello and Craigentinny. She wrote: "I would imagine everyone agrees that wheelchairs come first and get absolute priority, but the space is not used 100 per cent of the time by a wheelchair user."

However, a Lothian Buses spokesman was not able to confirm where they got their figures from. Many campaigners said the figures did not match their own experiences.

Nicki Lewis, 26, pictured left, a mother-of-two from Musselburgh, said: "These figures seem to have been plucked from nowhere. Surely, all the driver has to do, when someone with a pram or buggy boards, is tell them that if the space is needed they will need to fold or vacate."

Another mother, Alison Lynos, added: "The law-abiding, considerate public are being victimised here."