Bristol wheelchair user told he couldn't use First bus
A DISABLED pensioner believes he was wrongly told he could not board a First bus.
John Rippon, 74, was shocked when a driver turned him away from the number 8 service he uses almost every day. He was told he could not get on because his motorised wheelchair was too large – even though he has been taking his mobility aid with him on First buses for the past three years.
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Wheelchair user John Rippon at home in Clifton, Bristol
Mr Rippon believes some First drivers are ill-informed about which wheelchairs and mobility scooters are banned from buses and which ones are acceptable.
He says that although his Class 3 wheelchair is more powerful than standard models – travelling at a maximum speed of 8mph and legal for use on the road – it meets the size and weight requirements for use on buses.
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Mr Rippon, who needs a wheelchair because he suffers from a condition affecting his nerves called peripheral neuropathy, believes his wheelchair was mistaken for a Class 3 scooter – a type of mobility aid which is outlawed from public transport due to its size.
A member of Bristol Disability Equality Forum, Mr Rippon, who lives in Clifton, was twice turned away from a bus at a stop near the BBC studios in Whiteladies Road at lunchtime on Wednesday as he tried to catch the number 8 service to Blackboy Hill.
He said: "The driver said he wasn't allowed to take me anymore. I said 'What? I've been using this bus for years.' I was in shock.
"He said the bus company was telling their drivers not to take Class 3 wheelchairs but he didn't give a reason. Another number 8 came along and the driver also said he wouldn't let me on. Then a number 1 came along and the driver gave me the same story.
"I told the drivers it was the first I had heard of it.
"I rang the company's customer support service and they didn't seem to know anything about it."
Battery-powered Class 3 wheelchairs can reach a speed of 8mph and can be used on the road if tax and a licence is in place. They can also be used on the pavement at a maximum speed of 4mph.
Class 2 wheelchairs are also motorised but can only reach 4mph and are not permitted on the road. Class 1 wheelchairs are pushed or self-propelled.
Of his wheelchair, Mr Rippon said: "It's quite big because you have bigger batteries and more power but it is well within the Government's requirements for access to buses in terms of size and weight. It has indicators and flashing lights on it."
Karen Baxter, spokeswoman for First, said: "As a company we take our responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act very seriously.
"We would like to understand more about the problem Mr Rippon faced when trying to board one of our buses recently and with this in mind would urge him contact us, providing more details about exactly what happened.
"While class 3 wheelchairs are generally larger than standard ones, with many capable of travelling up to 8mph, if Mr Rippon's wheelchair fits within the wheelchair space, and the weight of it does not exceed the safe working limit of the bus ramp, we would be happy to allow him to travel on board our buses.
"We would urge Mr Rippon to contact us so we can discuss these issues with him directly, arranging, if necessary, for an individual assessment to be carried out on his chair."
Comments
by jas6251546
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 6:37PM
“Tody123.. Not all fat people use scooters, you should be ashamed of yourself... robynj88... The bus driver did not allow the "girls" to get away with what they said, in the end they had to fold down there pushchairs.
smart4us. I think what roybnj88 is saying is that wheelchairs get priority over pushchairs.”
by smart4us
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 5:12PM
“sorry Robynj88 the bus is for all passangers including Mothers (+ Dads) with buggys I used to go into town wiht my 3 month old son IN his BUGGY on the bus was I ment to walk the 6 miles there just cus I can walk and have a buggy NO”
by robynj88
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 4:29PM
“for the record, there is no such thing as a "buggy bay". The bays on these buses are designed for wheelchairs. Hence why the signs all read "space for wheelchair user", not "space for buggy". Wheelchair users should get priority over buggies on buses. The people pushing the buggies can obviously walk!
Its a disgrace if what jas6251546 said is true, and I cannot believe a driver would have allowed that.”
by Tody123
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 4:21PM
“when I clicked I thought he was gardening”
by Bristolexpat
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 2:41PM
“Poor photograph BEP.....
SUrely the SOP is to transport this man back to Whiteladies Road, stick him in front of the bus stop, wait for a bus to pull in and THEN take the picture.....
The obligatory mardy look on the face is there though....”
by Tody123
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 2:38PM
“Has anyone noticed that fat people use these scooters , not just disabled?”
by Cider_Dog
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 2:25PM
“Why did he need the bus if his scooter went up to 8mph?”
by jas6251546
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 1:03PM
“Lolly 60 "Chairs like these are always causing problems on buses because they are so big and take up space in the gangway (if the buggy bay is full)where people cant get off if there was a crash there is no way the people could escape of the bus easy".........I think you will find that Buggys also cause problems...... On the x73 the other day, a lady got on the bus with a wheelchair, and had to stand in the middle of the gangway, 2 young parents where asked to fold there buggys down and the refused. ( the children in the buggys where over 18months.... One of the "girls" said to the bus driver "we where on here first, and why can't she fold the wheelchair down".... So before you say "chairs are problems" maybe it's Buggys!”
by blotto_otto
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 12:38PM
“Ok, so, the lives of other passengers should be put at risk because a wheelchair that is designed to be used on the public highway (as long as it is taxed and licensed) should be wedged into a space designed for pushchairs and small, mobile scooters/wheelchairs? If the story was about a bus accident that had resulted in casualties because a wheelchair such as the one in this story had either become stuck or held up the rescue of more able bodied persons, then i am sure the replies would be just as vindictive.
The working capacity of the ramps on all buses caters for the sort of mobility vehicles (class 1 and 2) that are easily transportable and currently, a scheme is being put into place where wheelchair users can apply to the bus company who will send out someone to see if the chair can be transported on buses safely and then they get given a pass which they can show to the driver of the bus to show they can use it on the bus. This is part of the Disability Discrimination act which ALL public transportation has to adhere to. The driver was simply doing what he had been taught using the GOVERNMENT'S guidlines and not something that Firstbus simply plucked out of the sky.
The majority of comments on here are typically from those that have no idea as to the reasons or thoughts behind the actual story and seem to think that First can account for everything wrong in Bristol. Rather than simply sniping at every given chance the second a First article is published, how about taking a step back and actually looking a little deeper. Also, rather than painting the majority of drivers with the same 'rather low in the gene pool' brush, i would suggest you look a little deeper into your own attitude towards people and maybe then, you would see things from a slightly different angle.
Anyone suggesting that what happened here is worthy of legal advice, as mentioned, it is part of the DDA act and there were safety issues. Quite simple really.”
by lolly60
Wednesday, April 25 2012, 10:55AM
“Chairs like these are always causing problems on buses because they are so big and take up space in the gangway (if the buggy bay is full)where people cant get off if there was a crash there is no way the people could escape of the bus easy”