Wheelchair user in Bucks says bus should be more accessible
It's after the government announced last week grants would be made available to improve accessibility on buses
A wheelchair user from Aylesbury is calling on more to be done to improve accessibility on buses across Buckinghamshire.
While many bus companies have, over the years, made necessary adjustments to transform buses into disability-friendly spaces, Fiona Prescott, a wheelchair user from Aylesbury, believes more could be done.
Whether it is to eradicate buses which don't comply with the needs of passengers or amend accessibility on existing buses, she told Greatest Hits Radio the system currently isn't working.
She said: "Getting on the bus is fairly straightforward, most of the buses now have a ramp that flips out from the floor."
"Getting past the driver's cab and into the wheelchair spot is not so easy in some cases because some of the buses are designed with a very narrow gap."
"It usually means I can't travel on my own, I have to have my partner with me to physically take my power chair out of power mode and push it manually through the gap because it's just too narrow."
Fiona suffered a life-changing accident seven years ago following a poolside slip which left her with injured hips, an injured back, and pelvis.
Since the accident, she has been in a wheelchair, which has prevented her from returning to her fitness instructor job and has recently been looking for a job.
While applying for a job and obtaining employment is not the biggest concern for Fiona, travelling to and back from work is.
She said: "I have a bus stop right outside my house that, in theory, should allow me to get into town, but it's operated by one of the smaller bus companies that have the old style buses."
"So I always have to travel with my partner just so that I can get on and off the bus in relative safety and dignity."
"I'd love to be able to use the buses more often and travel more independently."
The government announcement last week £4.65 million of funding for bus operators to help disabled passengers travel with confidence, where small bus and coach operators would be able to apply for a share of the funding to install technology that will both display and announce information clearly for all passengers.
While Fiona, like other members of the charity BuDS she is a member of, welcomes this move towards better accessibility, she is hoping more will be done to support wheelchair users.
We've contacted bus companies Arriva, Red Rose, and Redline for comment.