£14 a day for taxis
Cost for disabled woman
A wheelchair- bound woman is spending almost £100 a week on taxis to Livingston as her local bus stop is inaccessible to her because of stairs.
Claire Gardiner, 31, who lives in Almondbank Drive in Craigshill, cannot access Pentland Park bus stop to get transport to The Centre because there are stairs blocking all ways paths to the stop.
Claire’s mum Liz says that her daughter is now having to fork out a fortune each week just to leave the house.
Liz said: “She spends £14 a day on taxis to get up to The Centre and back.
“When she leaves the house, if she goes under the underpass there’s stairs up and if she goes up to the ramp there’s stairs to go down to the bus stop.
“I phoned the council last year and they said it’s up to the bus company and the bus company said it’s up to the council, so we’re just getting shoved back and forth.”
West Lothian Council have said that the Pentland Park bus stop predates current mobility standards but that is has been added to a list for consideration when funding becomes available.
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The bus stop at Pentland Park has been in place for a number of years, and predates current mobility standards.
“It is not possible to bring every bus stop in West Lothian up to modern standards, and the funding for accessibility improvements is fully committed until 2020. The request to improve access to the Pentland Park bus stop has been added to the list for consideration when funding becomes available.
“There are two wheelchair accessible bus stops within a half a mile of Almondbank Drive at Craigwillow or Spruce Drive as possible alternatives.
“Schemes such as Dial-A-Ride and Dial-A-Bus are also available to support residents who have difficulty accessing local bus services.”
When she leaves the house, if she goes under the underpass there’s stairs up and if she goes up to the ramp there’s stairs to go down to the bus stop Mum, Liz