Mobility scooters are go on Edinburgh Trams

Posted on Saturday 23 July 2016 by Gareth Prior

Mobility scooters are to be permanently allowed on Edinburgh Trams following the successful completion of a trial period. Class 2 mobility scooters will be allowed on board Edinburgh Trams from 1st August 2016 provided that the user has a valid permit. Holders of Scottish National Entitlement Card (SNEC) or Disabled Person’s Blue Badge parking permit can apply for the permit and a full assessment will be made of scooters before the permit can be issued.

This entry was posted in Edinburgh Trams. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Mobility scooters are go on Edinburgh Trams

  1. Christopher Callan says:
    Saturday 30 July 2016 at 19:48

    Forgive me if am missing something obvious but what was the logic in preventing them in the first place. Is the “Class 2” significant presumably others were allowed. Perplexed that system would be able to prevent disabled visitors accessing a DDA Compliant LRT Tram with a mobility scooter in the first place

    • Paul says:
      Monday 1 August 2016 at 00:49

      Class one vehicles are powered wheelchairs and (almost) universally allowed on public transport in the UK without restriction/certification.
      Class Three vehicles are larger, heavier road-legal vehicles with a top speed usually of 8mph and can include petrol engined vehicles. These are not allowed on board any tram or bus in the UK and only a very limited number of ‘mainline’ railway services.
      Class two are the smaller, lighter ‘pavement’ scooters limited to 4mph and always battery powered. – It is this intermediate size of vehicle which is the subject of the permit scheme in this article.

      Before allowing them to be carried on any tram or train or bus, the operator has to satisfy the regulators that they wont present a danger to other passengers. The principle of requiring inspection and a permit to be issues before use is a sound one to ensure that the scooters meet the class 2 specification and are safe to be carried.

Comments are closed.