Edinburgh Trams are to allow mobility scooters to travel on board for a trial period from 1st January 2016 in a similar scheme to that seen on Manchester Metrolink. Any mobility scooters users are now being invited to sign up for a permit which will allow them to travel on board the trams between 1st January and 31st March 2016.
Anyone who holds a valid Scottish National Entitlement Card or Disabled Person’s Blue Badge parking permit can apply for the permit by completing an online form or popping into any of Transport for Edinburgh’s Travelshops. Their mobility scooter will then be assessed to make sure it meets the criteria and once approved a permit will be issued.
Ian Craig, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, said: “Transport for Edinburgh has been working hard to make sure this trial is able to support as wide a range of mobility vehicle users as possible and we look forward to welcoming customers on board. To make sure passengers in Edinburgh receive the best possible service, we have drawn on the experiences of other UK tram providers who have already trialled this system and feel confident we are offering the best approach. I would encourage anyone who wishes to try out this service to get their applications in as soon as possible to ensure they have plenty of time to make use of these special circumstances.”
This is surely a “kne jerk” response to a case reported in the Scottish press early September this year of an American performer at the Edinburgh Festival who was denied access by both Lothian Buses AND Edinburgh Trams owing to the size of her mobility scooter. Edinburgh’s public transport is “disabled friendly” and both buses and trams have space to park wheelchairs together with prams. What the media never divulged……..remember Americans NEVER go in for anything small……what was the size of the woman’s scooter ?!
In this particular case you refer to, the mobility scooter for Tanyalee Davis appears to be one of the smaller versions available as can be seen in photos on her Facebook page. In fact it appears to be smaller than some wheelchairs, especially as Ms Davis is a quite small person (suffering from a dwarf syndrome).