As advocates of mobility and accessibility, the Quingo team are keeping a keen eye on a story about new calls to review the ban of mobility scooters from trams in Edinburgh.
“Operational circumstances”
Edinburgh Southern MSP Jim Eadie said Transport for Edinburgh claimed “operational circumstances” meant they weren’t able to allow mobility scooters on board due to large passenger volumes coupled with the challenge of manoeuvring the vehicles on and off a crowded tram.
However, calls for allowing greater access to trams and buses is growing in the city. Mr Eadie, who has said he believed that transport should be accessible for all, called on Transport for Edinburgh to carry out a review on its controversial policy as soon as possible.
Accessibility & trams
Whilst the majority of modern tram services in the UK allow mobility scooter access, tram companies are not obliged by law to carry mobility scooters.
This means there that whilst some tram operators have permit schemes to allow mobility scooters on to their trams, others, such as Edinburgh, do not. To find out more about taking your Quingo on a tram take a look at our earlier blog post.
Finding a solution to transport in Edinburgh
Shortly before the Edinburgh trams started running last year it was revealed that mobility scooters would be banned. The decision was derided as “outright discrimination” by disability campaigners.
MSP Mr Eadie continued by saying, “The vast majority of people in Edinburgh rely on both the tram and bus networks for commuting to and from work, socialising or shopping. It is not right in today’s society that some in our community are being excluded from using either buses or trams.
“Let’s not forget that these methods are Edinburgh’s two main transport networks and they should allow access for all and not be selective.”
What did Transport for Edinburgh say?
Transport for Edinburgh’s chief executive Ian Craig said that accessibility was a priority across all of their services.
Mr Craig said: “We’re currently trialling bicycle access on our trams and once that’s complete we’ll look at options open to us around mobility scooter access.
“Our accessibility is presently very good but if we can make it better then of course we’ll do what we can to ensure everyone who wants to travel with us has the best possible experience.”
About Quingo
The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.
Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Quingo are proud to be working with Age UK. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
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