Passenger’s fear for safety on the buses Disabled resident wants McGill’s to introduce luggage racks
31.07.2018 A concerned Paisley resident has called on McGill’s bus company to introduce luggage racks or risk someone getting hurt.
Lindsay Docherty, 43, claims the 757 bus service that goes between Paisley and Glasgow Airport – has become a threat to health and safety as holiday-goers discard suitcases across the bus aisle.
Lindsay, who lives in the Shortoods area of Paisley, takes the bus every day and said:“People are coming on to and from the airport and abandoning their stuff at the front of the bus.
“They just leave it there and take a seat and the cases move around, blocking everyone else’s access to the aisle. Worst of all is that people are using the space reserved for people with disabilities or prams to stuff their luggage there. “It’s a massive problem.” During a recent trip, Lindsay had to help a woman salvage her zimmerframe from among the abandoned cases, and now he says it’s time for McGill’s to take action and add luggage racks onto the bus.
He believes that would allow parents with buggies, or people with mobility issues, able to get on and off the bus safely.
Lindsay, who lives with a disability himself, says without a rack, vulnerable members of the community remain at risk.
“I have a problem with walking myself and I struggle to get on and off the bus. But I’m worried about others. I had to help a woman in her late 70s get off the bus.
“A man boarded the bus and moved her zimmer frame and put his case where her frame had been. She was trapped and couldn’t reach her frame. “I had to help her get off the bus. “It’s ridiculous, those areas are for people with prams, wheelchairs and zimmer frames. It’s not for people to dump cases.”
Lindsay believes that until luggage racks are introduced, the bus is a dangerous place for those with mobility issues.
He said: “I understand why people are using the bus to get to and from the airport. It is the cheaper option.
“What I am concerned about is getting an injury or if I can’t get off the bus during an emergency because the aisle is blocked.
“A luggage rack would help to make the bus a lot safer. It’s just basic health and safety.
Lindsay claims he raised his concerns to the bus driver and to McGill’s but was unhappy with their response.
“I spoke to the bus driver and I’ve complained to the bus company but they’ve told me it is not their responsibility.
“They said if there is an accident, they’re not responsible. It’s the people who take the cases on board that are responsible.”
McGill’s managing dirctor Ralph Roberts said: “Our 757 service connects Paisley, Shortroods, Glasgow Airport, Inchinnan Industrial Estate, Erskine, Erskine Hospital and Clydebank. Less than five per cent of the passengers on the service use Glasgow Airport and, furthermore, only a small percentage of that five per cent have luggage.
“The airport service is mostly used by workers. To provide larger vehicles with dedicated luggage space would be very expensive and would mean that the remaining 95 per cent of passengers would have to pay more for their journey to cater for a small section of the other five per cent. McGill’s would be very happy to provide vehicles with luggage storage space, but the dilemma we face is that funding would have to be found from somewhere other than nonairport customers.”