Request ID: FOI-2683-2324 Date published: 08 November 2023
You asked
Hi, My wife was on a bus with a buggy and 2 children and after 1 stop the driver told her she must go of by law, because a wheelchair is waiting by the stop, so i want to know is the law that a bus driver can force a buggy to go of the bus because a wheelchair is by a stop?
Thanks
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2683-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27th October 2023 asking for information about the carriage of wheelchairs and buggies on buses.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“My wife was on a bus with a buggy and 2 children and after 1 stop the driver told her she must go of by law, because a wheelchair is waiting by the stop, so i want to know is the law that a bus driver can force a buggy to go of the bus because a wheelchair is by a stop?”
I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
Operational procedures such as this are outlined to bus drivers in the Big Red Book – a copy of which is attached. As you can, the section “London’s accessible bus network” includes the following instructions to drivers:
“Wheelchair and mobility scooter users must be given access to the wheelchair priority area even if it is occupied by buggies and other customers. They can only travel safely in the priority area, so you must ask customers to move by using the pre-recorded announcements or making your own PA announcement. It is important you stay professional and calm as this will help wheelchair and mobility scooter users feel valued and more confident about travelling on London’s buses.”
And;
“If a wheelchair or mobility scooter user wishes to board your bus, you are required by law to ask non-disabled customers, more than once, to move, fold their buggy or share the space. You must speak to customers in the wheelchair space if they are unwilling to move.”
These provisions ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
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
