SATA
Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance
PRESS RELEASE

Disabled people call for important new rights for disabled bus and coach passengers.

The Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance (SATA) calls upon the UK Government to support and sign up to legislation which would ensure the right to accessible travel information and make disability awareness training mandatory for all bus drivers and terminal staff, here in the UK and abroad.

SATA represents disabled people's organisations and individual transport users across Scotland in order to achieve better access to all forms of transport.

Negotiations to seek agreement between governments and the European Parliament were due to start at the end of September, with the UK playing an important role in the negotiations.  Unfortunately some governments, including the UK government, do not support the proposed improvements.

The European Parliament is proposing new rights for disabled passengers using buses and coaches which could significantly improve the journey experienced by bus passengers here in the UK. If the proposals are accepted they would ensure:

• accessible information (eg. accessible timetables or information about delays)
• mandatory disability awareness training for all bus drivers and terminal staff.

However EU governments, including the UK government, are not supportive and do not want new rights to apply to local bus and coach services. We need to make sure our Ministers understand that the proposed regulations are urgently needed to deliver equal access to transport for disabled people - and they should apply to ALL bus and coach transport in the UK.

Mr Stanley Flett, Chairman of SATA, said “Bus travel is essential for many of us to be able to lead an independent life. Currently too many disabled people have problems accessing bus and coach services. These measures would greatly improve this and the journey experience."
Over the next few weeks, we have a once in a generation opportunity to secure important new rights for disabled bus and coach passengers and we call upon the UK Government to act now to bring these about! Please help us put pressure on the UK government to change its position before these vital negotiations begin.

          To prove just how effective this can be, for over two years, two of our members, James Page and Jack Carr have taken part in equality training of Stagecoach bus drivers.
This is welcomed not only by Stagecoach, but by the drivers themselves as they agree that Disability Training is essential if they are to be able to give an equal and full service to disabled people.
As a result we have received many reports of improved attitude of drivers towards disabled people and a better understanding by them of the problems we face in accessing public transport.