Jun 21 - Gibraltar Disability Society Calls For Wheelchair Access On Buses To Become Compulsory
The Gibraltar Disability Society hit out at the Ministry for Transport, after it claims the Ministry has seen fit to remove signs from local buses regarding space for wheelchair users.
A spokesman for the Society said: “As the Minister for Transport has made no public statement regarding this matter it can only be assumed that this is due to pressure by certain groups regarding the issue of wheelchairs and prams using the local bus service.
“The Disability Society has always maintained that the buses the Government chose to buy are not fit for purpose for those with disabilities particularly those with wheelchairs and disability buggies.
“In fact the following is quoted from the GSLP Government 2015 manifesto: “When we acquired the new red EURO6 buses that are in circulation, we had a guaranteed buy back. We will exercise that guaranteed buy back so that we can once again acquire new buses that will be more accessible and usable by the elderly and disabled.”
“It now seems quite clear that the Government has made no attempt to exercise this guaranteed buy back despite the many complaints over the unsuitability of the buses for the disabled and the elderly.
“The Disability Society therefore insists that the Government not only replace said signs but go one step further and follow the example of the UK to make it compulsory for the seats in the wheelchair space to be given up should the space be needed by a passenger using a wheelchair or disability buggy. After all there are many seats available on the bus but only one space for a wheelchair. Discrimination of wheelchair and disability buggy users using our local transport system is simply not acceptable.”
GSD Reaction
The GSD called on the Government to provide explanations as to why the signs providing priority for wheelchair users have been removed from the wheelchair area on all Government owned buses.
Lawrence Llamas, Shadow Minister for Persons with Disabilities, Children and Families, said: “Upon reading the Gibraltar Disabilities Society’s press release on this matter, it appears that the signs have been removed and not replaced with a new sign. It is extremely untimely for the Government to be playing around with rights of persons with disabilities the same week Parliament is scheduled to be debating the Disability Bill.
“No doubt, I trust citizens have the common sense and education to prioritise the area for persons with disabilities, followed by strollers and the elderly. However, the Government needs to ensure that this is not only just civic etiquette, but a right that cannot be called into question as a result of the appropriate signs.”
For his part, Trevor Hammond, the GSD spokesman for transport added: “We discussed very early on in this Parliament the issue of the buy-back of the buses. We felt that the public had been misled during the last election into believing that the bus fleet would be replaced for more suitable and user-friendly buses soon after that election. The Government made clear in Parliament that despite what the public might have thought had been promised, they had no intention of exercising the buy-back clause and replacing the bus fleet in the near future.”
Government Response
A spokesman for Number Six responded to the claims made by the Gibraltar Disability Society, saying: “HM Government of Gibraltar, a government that has done so much for people with disabilities, is surprised and disappointed to hear the Disability Society’s accusation that ‘the Ministry for Transport has removed signs from the local buses regarding the space for wheelchair users.’
“Quite simply, the signs for wheelchair users have not been removed from the buses as the accompanying photographs (taken yesterday) make clear.
“The Bus Company has been working closely with the Ministry for Equality to ensure that all relevant legal obligations have been met.”
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