TfL Ref: FOI-2444-2425
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 31st October 2024 asking for information about buses with two wheelchair spaces.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding buses equipped with two wheelchair spaces. This inquiry is in relation to the Mayor's recent comments about the challenges associated with introducing a second wheelchair space on buses, specifically:
"While introducing a second wheelchair space on buses remains an aspiration for Transport for London (TfL), it is not possible at present without significant compromises..."
I would like to request the following information:
1. Any specifications, reports, or studies conducted by TfL regarding the design and implementation of buses with two wheelchair spaces, including any analyses of the potential impacts on seating arrangements and passenger safety.
2. Records of any consultations or communications with bus operating companies and transport authorities in other countries regarding the feasibility of dual-door or triple-door buses that accommodate two wheelchair spaces. Specifically, I am interested in any inquiries made to KMB and Citybus in Hong Kong, as well as the Land Transport Authority in Singapore. And on 4th November 2024 you added: In addition to question 2, could you also include whether TfL made any inquiries to the National Transport Authority in Ireland regarding double-deck buses with two wheelchair spaces?
3. Records of consultations or communications with the Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG), Transport for All, London TravelWatch, and other disability groups regarding buses with two wheelchair spaces.
4. If you are unable to release any communications due to the appropriate limit of £450, please provide any summary information or insights in relation to my request.
5. Are there any plans to include a second wheelchair space in the upcoming New Bus Vehicle Specification, similar to the approach taken by Transport for Greater Manchester for their Bee Network's New Bus Specification?”
In regard to Question 1, TfL does not hold any such information. In relation to Questions 2 and 3, we have been unable to find any specific documents, but can instead provide the following “summary information” and “insights” as requested.
Colleagues in our buses team speak regularly with stakeholder groups (including a number that represent older and disabled people) and the question of providing two wheelchair spaces on buses has been raised previously. We recognise that having two wheelchair spaces would help customers using mobility aids. However, current bus designs retaining two doors would not allow provision of a second wheelchair space without losing the priority seats at the front of the bus. On that basis, priority seats would need to be moved just after the middle doors and, while we could install a few tip-up seats in the second area, there would be a reduction in the number of fixed, forward-facing seats in the low-floor area of the bus. This disproportionately affects a greater number of customers, as raised by stakeholders and individuals where the subject has been discussed.
Regarding liaison with other operators, colleagues from the buses team visited Reading Buses in 2018 to look over a new bus that had two wheelchair spaces and two doors. This was discussed at subsequent stakeholder meetings, with the conclusion as outlined above. The team have also reviewed photos of Brighton Buses, with two doors and two wheelchair spaces, but the same issues arise.
Regarding the potential for longer buses, as used by Hong Kong and Singapore operators, these work well based on the majority of streets being wide and grid-like. One of the London bus operators (Capital Citybus) trialled a 12-metre tri-axle bus in the 1990s but it was determined that it was unsuitable for London's streets - not just in respect of turning and manoeuvring but also negotiating through tight spaces caused by poor parking. Go-Ahead bought a new 12-metre low-floor, tri-axle bus in 2018 but they have encountered the same issues and now it sees little service on London's bus services.
Our bus engineering colleagues looked at the concept of extending the wheelchair area from 1.6/1.7 metres to 2 metres on the majority of new London buses by asking bus manufactures to redesign the staircase on double deck buses (and lose a pair of seats) and this became part of our bus specification around 2017. While we have received complaints about the loss of a pair of seats in the low-floor area, it was accepted by the majority of stakeholders as a reasonable compromise to not having a second wheelchair space while offering a better opportunity for wheelchair users to share the space with other customers and retaining the two pairs of priority seats between the front and middle doors. As such, the answer to your Question 5 is that there are no such plans currently.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
