Arriva cuts lifeline to arthritis sufferer
31/10/2006
A bus company’s intransigence over carrying a fold-up mini-mobility scooter could have implications for disabled travellers all over the UK.
Story by Jayne Warren. Image courtesy of the Kent Messenger Group.
Marshall Vine, 63 is badly affected by arthritis. His lifeline to independence is his trusty Road Knight portable mini mobility scooter. It’s a scooter with a very limited range, but folds up so that it can be carried on trains, cars, buses, etc – much like a baby’s pushchair.
Sadly, Arriva, the bus company which Marshall had been happily using for the last six years, has now announced that he could not longer take it on the bus for ‘Health And Safety’ reasons.
A devasted Marshall contacted the Mature Times and his local papers in Kent to ask for help after the Mobility and Inclusion Unit of the Department of Trade and Industry told him that there were no regulations for mobility scooters.
Marshall told the Mature Times: “Arriva, until this recent incident, have been really marvellous. I can’t fault the bus crews or the service - I love the company. But I am now very confused. For the past six years I have been taking my Road Knight on our local bus service into Maidstone, with no problems. Then about three months ago I was told by one of the drivers that he wasn't supposed to carry it, but he did, bless him.
“I went into the local Arriva office to query what he’d said, only to be told by one of the inspectors that these little scooters were quite OK. It was in fact no more than what they were designed for. He gave me his name on a sheet of Arriva paper and said I should show it in case of any future problems. Other inspectors saw me on the buses over the next few weeks, but the story was always that the fold-up scooters were OK.
“Then one suggested that I went into the local office and got official clarification in the form of a proper note to show any driver who was uncertain whether the scooter was permitted or not.
”Then everything changed. A ‘jobsworth’ type told me that not only was there to be no permission note, I was not to take the scooter an any more buses. I explained that these little scooters, when stowed on the bus, take up less room than a child’s buggy, but while the little scooters now seem to be banned as dangerous, Arriva are obviously quite happy to carry large two seat pushchairs which inevitably block the gangway and have more sticking out bits than any scooter ever did.
“I also told him that I had been travelling with it without incident for six years. He took no notice and brought in the ‘jobsworth’s’ favourite, Health and Safety regulations.”
According to Marshall, the Arriva official was adamant. “He said it would fall over and hurt someone, so was a hazard to other passengers. It was obvious that he didn't know what he was talking about, as when stowed, the scooter has to tilt about thirty degrees out of the vertical before it even starts to fall! Needless to say I was given no chance to demonstrate as he went on to say that all the other inspectors were wrong, and that ALL scooters, regardless of size and type, were banned.”
Marshall continued: “So determined was ‘jobsworth’ that he wouldn't even allow me on a bus to go home, saying rudely that I should go on the scooter. He did eventually condescend to put me on a bus with the parting shot that I needn't think I could sneak back later as he would discipline most severely any driver caught carrying a scooter in future. When I rang Arriva's head office on getting home I found he'd got in first, and of course management backed him up with the usual vague "Health and Safety" business that we're all so familiar with today.”
”I just don’t know what to do. This ban has completely taken away my independence, Arriva being the only bus operator that I can use. Now, if I want to go out I have to find someone else to come with me, to help put the scooter in a car, whereas I could previously easily wheel it straight on to the easy enter, disabled friendly buses we have round here.
"I cannot now go shopping or even get to my Doctor independently. I might just as well have been given an ASBO, except that instead of a local ban, mine covers the whole Arriva bus network. Also, even the worst yob has the chance to defend himself in court, something denied to me.”
Marshall also pointed out that his situation is, unfortunately, unlikely to stop with just him. Arriva is a national network, and, in spite of the Disability Discrimination Act, many people using scooters all the UK might have to face losing their freedom and independence.
Determinedly, Marshall then contacted The Department of Trade and Industry. Their Mobility and Inclusion Unit, were, said Marshall, ‘more than helpful’. But they also informed him that there were no rules covering scooters. Bus operators do have an obligation to carry wheelchairs, both manual and electric, where the buses are suitable, but scooters are not mentioned at all.
Added Marshall: “It is therefore obvious that Arriva are making up their own rules or worse, telling fibs. How can they be following guidelines which do not exist?”
We rang Arriva Southern Counties, who were extremely friendly and efficient – and rather concerned about being ‘stuck in the middle’. Mr. Kevin Hawkins, a spokesperson for Arriva, provided this statement: “Like many other regional bus operators we run lots of different types of buses with varying carriage and luggage storage capacity. Collapsed scooters need to be acceptable hand luggage, which would need to be stowed in the luggage rack provided and carried in such a way that it did not represent a hazard to any bus users - this includes potentially hazardous protrusions in the event of accidents or sudden braking, blocking access or compromising the safety of the scooter user’s or any other customers.
“There is a wide range of scooters on the market, which can vary dramatically in size and weight. Some scooters are simply too heavy and large to be carried on board and stored in the appropriate areas. We recognise that customers are disappointed if we are not able to allow them to travel. However, we would not want to permit someone to travel with a scooter on one service and then find that their return bus could not accommodate it.”
“We accept that it is important that rules are applied consistently and apologise for any confusion Mr Vine has experienced regarding boarding our buses. We will be reminding our drivers of our procedures relating to motorised scooters and storage of large items, as a matter of urgency to ensure greater clarity in the future. In the meantime, we encourage customers wishing to travel on one of buses using a scooter to contact us in advance on 08701 201 088 so that we can offer them advice and support.”
Arriva sent MT the guidelines they had, which are:
“The Department for Transport’s Mobility Inclusion Unit (DfTMIU) policy is that ‘mobility scooters are not suitable for public transport’.
At the moment it is generally accepted that bus and coach operators do not accept unfolded mobility scooters based on health and safety considerations and only accept folded where they can be safely accommodated within the designated stowage area.
Collapsed scooters need to be in such condition as to constitute acceptable hand luggage which would need to be stowed either in the rack provided or carried in such a way that it did not represent a hazard to any bus users (this includes potentially hazardous protrusions in the event of accidents or sudden braking) or block any isles.
The basis for this is that mobility scooters were originally designed for outdoor use as an alternative to public transport methods and as such can be large, heavy or difficult to manoeuvre and therefore are not easily carried by public transport.
However it is appreciated that recent improvements in scooter design in terms of weight, size and stability are now making the mobility scooter comparable with the "reference wheelchair" and therefore the argument for refusing its carriage is diminishing.
It’s easy to see the blurred areas. Marshall’s scooter is clearly a new design: not large, heavy or difficult to move. In fact, one that is intended to be taken on public transport and the manufacturers even have information in the form of studies to that effect on their website.
Mature Times says:
Surely the DfTMIU’s recently commissioned feasibility study into whether their policy that "mobility scooters are not suitable for public transport" is an open admission that legislation needs to come up to date with the whole area of modern mobility scooters?
The simple fact is that the new generation of fold-up scooters are light and relatively easy to stow away.
Their stated main objectives were: ‘to establish the circumstances where it would be reasonable to allow disabled persons using mobility scooters to use the space provided for wheelchairs or permit carrying of scooters in the stowage area’ and to ‘provide guidance for both the scooter user and public transport operator and recommend changes where necessary to relevant Regulations.’
Let’s hope the results don’t take to long to materialise, not only because all parties concerned are understandably confused, but also because Marshall, and thousands like him, have lost a desperately needed public service – and their independence.
We would welcome your comments and experiences on this issue. Please email editorial@maturetimes.co.uk.
The full download of the DfT document is available through the link below or by clicking onto the download
Relevant links
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| dft_mobility_pdf_611791.pdf | 933.1 KB |