Better access to buses

DUNDEE’S main bus operator is moving forward in making public transport more accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

The company’s training scheme for customers with mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs has been shortlisted for the Scottish Transport Awards 2018, in the category of Accessibility Project of the Year.

The initiative has been running for the past five years and this year has assisted its 30th person to achieve better access to public transport and increased independence.

The bus operator’s team of driver training instructors provides a bespoke training session for mobility scooter users at a time and place convenient to the customer.

More recently, the training has been extended to patients receiving treatment at t h e Tay s i d e Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Technology Centre at Ninewells.

Driving instructors take a bus to the hospital and make it available for new wheelchair users to practice boarding and disembarking so that they’re more comfortable with using public transport.

Judith, a recent recipient of the training, said it has been “life-changing”.

She adde: “I can’t tell you what being able to take my wheelchair on a bus will mean to me. I’m 46 years old and desperate to get out and about. The fact that Xplore offers this service i s genuinely lifechanging for the likes of me and I can’t thank them enough.’’