Enjoyable return to wheel life for retired bus driver, thanks to mobility scooter
A RETIRED bus driver is back out and about thanks to an all-terrain, allweather mobility scooter.
Barry Levitt, 69, of Hinckley, previously drove buses and HGVs for a living.
Four years ago, problems with his right leg forced him to give up driving, a major change as he had driven most of his life and lost much of his freedom when he sold his car.
Now, he is back on the road thanks to his new mobility scooter, the TGA Breeze S4.
At only 27 inches wide, the 8mph scooter is narrower than all the others he has had, so can get between bollards and barriers that obstruct pathways.
Barry said: “My TGA beats the lot when it comes to driving, it handles so much better than anything else.
“I’ve had other scooters before, but nothing like the Breeze.
“What’s really handy is that it will squeeze between bollards that block paths from being used by motorbikes and quadbikes.
“These barriers are a nightmare for so many people in wheelchairs and on scooters, they should be removed to make way for disabled people. I’m lucky though as they don’t stop me.”
Barry builds model dioramas of the bus depots he used to work at, complete with miniature Leyland buses, and is also a railway enthusiast.
As his dad worked on the railways, he had the unique experience as a young boy of riding on the footplate of the famous Flying Scotsman steam engine, a treasured memory.
He said: “I got a Breeze not so much for seeing friends, but for getting out on my own. I do all my socialising online these days but being outside is a must.
“I live alone down a quiet lane so I can easily pop to the shopping centre or the doctors about a mile away.
“The big ride is always on a Sunday though - around 10 to 15 miles. I go into Hinckley, through the park and onto the next village Burbage and then back home.
“I really enjoy being out, it’s freedom to go where I want.”
As the weather improves, Barry plans to get out and about more. He said: “What reassures me when I’m on my scooter is that I see lots of older Breezes about.
“A friend of mine in Sutton has three of them, with one over 10 years old and still going strong.
“As an ex-driver of bendy buses, which were so long and weird to drive, I appreciate how easy it is to steer a Breeze.
“It takes me to places that would be off limits and beats any pothole in its way.”