London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, Thomas Turrell, asked raised concerns about the accessibility features of the 358 tram bus which came into operation in November.
Concerns about drivers either not being able to let wheelchair users on the bus, or on occasions, off the bus were first raised with Thomas in a meeting with the deaf and disabled organisation Bromley Experts by Experience. Thomas subsequently raised this with Transport for London who said there are no driver recorded instances of this happening. Thomas then raised the issue with the Director of Buses at TfL at a meeting of the Transport Committee.
Thomas challenged the Director on what proactive monitoring TfL does when a new model comes in to ensure the accessibility features are working correctly, and secondly what spot checks are carried out to access this.
At the same meeting Thomas also challenged the Deputy Mayor for Transport on how he uses his powers to influence rail operators to end the “patchwork quilt” of accessibility support on the rail network, noting that some operators are severely lacking. Thomas also raised the delays in changing the various bus stop displays in Shortlands Village after a bus stop name was changed in September, but other changes such as the onboard displays, app displays and onboard announcements were not changed until later.
Thomas said: “When new bus models, like the tram bus, are introduced we need to ensure that they increase accessibility. The issues with the 358 may be teething problems to TfL, but to the people who cannot get on or off the bus its having a real impact on their day. Making them late to appointments, causing huge inconvenience and embarrassment. That’s why TfL must be more proactive to these issues.”
