Pressure mounts on Lothian Buses to do pram ban U-turn

Published on Wednesday 11 February 2009 09:07

MSPs are upping the pressure on Lothian Buses to drop its controversial pram ban after it emerged it is the only Scots company to employ such a policy.

The Scottish Parliament's public petitions committee is calling on the firm to meet campaigners to try and find a solution.

More than 2000 people have signed the petition calling for prams and buggies to be allowed on buses. And three of Edinburgh's leading disability charities have written an open letter to Lothian Buses calling for a solution to be found.

Capability Scotland, the Edinburgh Disability Forum and Ecas say there needs to be a more consistent policy on wheelchair space and an education campaign to increase awareness. They also asked for extra spaces so prams and wheelchairs could be carried at the same time.

Lothian Buses claims the ban is necessary to ensure the space is kept free for wheelchair users, and says its policy is in line with the Disability Discrimination Act.

The committee discussed the petition for the second time yesterday, after writing to bus companies throughout Scotland to compare policies.

It found only Lothian Buses had a blanket ban on unfoldable prams and buggies.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, who represents the Lothians for the SNP, said: "We see this as discrimination towards carers with young children. This isn't a pram ban – it's a baby ban.

"If equal opportunities are to be taken seriously, they have to apply to all vulnerable groups. The Scottish Parliament should ensure these vulnerable groups are properly represented and not forgotten about."

She said Lothian Buses had failed to provide accurate figures on the number of complaints about pram users.

She said: "If wheelchair access is a problem, we need to deal with it in its entirety, rather than picking a policy out of thin air, which is not based on legal advice or complaints."

Bill Butler, a Labour MSP, said: "I would hope that Lothian Buses would not want to be seen as a company that's deaf to its owners and customers by instigating a baby ban.

"A baby ban is one of the least productive slogans I would think for a publicly-owned company to attract customers."

And Nigel Don, an SNP MSP, added: "I'm mystified as to why Lothian Buses persists in an approach that is not supported by any other bus company."

The committee's convener, Frank McAveety MSP, said ensuring disabled users could access buses should be a priority. But he suggested writing to Lothian Buses and urging it to meet campaigners to discuss a solution.

Ian Coupar, the marketing director for Lothian Buses, said: "We are sure that the public petitions committee gave fair and reasonable consideration to all points raised within the petition. Over the next few days we will be discussing today's outcome along with the proposal that was also received today from Edinburgh's three main disability charities, which offers a practical and sensible way forward."