A protracted row over a fleet of north-east buses took a fresh turn last night when the Traffic Commissioner said she had “no doubt” the vehicles were not accessible for elderly or disabled passengers.
Commuters across Aberdeenshire have condemned operator Stagecoach for introducing a replacement fleet of Buchan Xpress coaches with high steps to access the seating deck.
Now, Scotland’s most senior vehicle licensing and regulation chief, Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken, has agreed with those concerns.
In a letter to Central Buchan councillor Jim Ingram – who is campaigning for Stagecoach to modify the buses – Mrs Aitken confirmed she had met with senior bosses at the firm.
Mrs Aitken also revealed that she tested out the same model of coach at Glasgow bus station and spoke at length to the driver.
She said: “I am in no doubt this style of vehicle presents difficulties to any traveller for whom stepping up is a difficulty and there are other features relative to layout, including the bell location which are not compatible with restricted mobility or reach.”
Mrs Aitken has called for the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to issue a full technical report.
SNP councillor, Mr Ingram has been a vocal critic of the multi-million-pound Buchan Xpress fleet since it was launched eight months ago, but thanked the commissioner for her interest in the issue.
He added: “It’s moving forward, it’s going in the right direction. What troubles me is that it’s going slowly.
“People of all ages with walking difficulties just refuse to use the vehicles.”
However, last night, a spokeswoman for Stagecoach responded to the claims in saying: “The DVSA has now undertaken the checks requested by the Traffic Commissioner.
“The DVSA has also confirmed to us that these checks have reaffirmed our position and that of the coach manufacturer – that our vehicles fully comply with the relevant accessibility legislation.”
Stagecoach are now looking at modifying the Buchan Xpress vehicles to address issues raised by “a small number of passengers”.
The spokeswoman added: “Overall, there is no doubt the new coaches offer a number of improvements and a recent survey showed eight out of 10 Buchan Xpress users believe these vehicles have delivered better services.”
