Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that bus operators educate their drivers on wheelchair use of the accessible space on buses.

Andrew Jones

Buses subject to the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) must incorporate a designated wheelchair space.

Priorities for the use of this facility are currently the subject of proceedings at the Supreme Court.

The assistance provided by drivers can be key to giving many disabled people the confidence to travel by bus however, and we have asked Mott MacDonald to review disability-awareness training from across the transport sector to inform the development of best practice guidance for bus operators. Our aim is to ensure that every bus driver has the skills and knowledge to provide disabled customers with a first class service.