Comedian refused aboard bus and tram with disability scooter

EDINBURGH transport chiefs have apologised to a Canadian-American comedian after she was refused permission to get aboard a tram and a bus with her disability scooter.

US comedian Tanyalee Davis, who was refused aboard a bus and a tram in Edinburgh with her disability scooter. Picture: Lewis Houghton

Tanyalee Davis, who was performing at the Edinburgh Festival and has appeared on The John Bishop Show and The Last Leg, was trying to get to the airport to begin her journey home.

Both Lothian Buses and the Edinburgh Trams refused to let her travel with her scooter so she was forced to shell out at least £25 for a cab.

After Tanyalee, 44, who has dwarfism, aired her feelings on social media, tram representatives apologised and admitted they were about to trial allowing scooters on board.

The comedian - who describes herself as “the Ferrari of comedy: low to the ground and kind of racy” - was appearing in her own Edinburgh show called Actual Size.

After being refused on public transport she tweeted: “No mobility scooters allowed on Edinburgh tram so forced to take Airlink bus to airport. Now refused to board the bus. Lothian Buses SUCK.”.

She added: “There is a tram and buses to the Edinburgh airport but I’m told because of my mobility scooter that I must pay for a taxi. BS Lothian Buses.

“They ARE accessible but they DON’T allow mobility scooters.

“They don’t consider mobility scooters wheelchairs so I get discriminated against a lot in the UK.”

The comedian’s dilemma caused a stir on the social media site, with the public expressing disbelief at the treatment of the 44-year-old.

Amy Warrington wrote: “Oh my god that’s terrible. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen, have they heard of disability discrimination? Just awful!”

Derek Mitchell added: “That’s just not acceptable. I can see an improv fringe show on a tram next year.”

Edinburgh Trams responded to the comedian’s complaints on Twitter by suggesting they are looking into the problem, while Lothian Buses apologised.

Edinburgh Trams said on Twitter: “Hi Tanyalee, sorry this doesn’t help your current journey but we are currently preparing to trial mobility scooters on board.”

Lothian buses replied saying: “I apologise for the inconvenience this may cause. For a full response into our reasons behind the decision please contact our customer service team.”

A spokesman for Transport for Edinburgh said: “We’re sorry that Ms Davis has had a bad experience. Accessibility continues to be a big priority across all of our services. We are planning to trial mobility scooter access on our trams in the coming months and we plan to carry out an initial assessment of the practicalities of carrying mobility scooters on a loaded bus.”