Arriva North West - Southport Depot

[Vbg111v]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(27/06/2012 09:14)skemnational Wrote:  Agreed mate the 375 only went full low floor about 15 months ago when skem got the ex London deckers,but since 2004 when I started at skem that is the first time I can remember a step entrance bus on lates

Allocations from CR were a bit up & down yesterday weren't they.

[V671 DVU]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(26/06/2012 21:12)skemnational Wrote:  That's it mate people get used to them one pram before wouldn't fit through door folded some prams are massive,it's not a bad one mate it's got the old arriva seats on this one not MTL fast though

Shame, many years ago it was Get a buggy, or leave it at home and carry the kid! 3312 is a complete oddball, it was the only Bootle Palatine to be treated to Arriva seats. Good to hear, good batch of buses them WVR's. Nice pictures mate, like how you used the double blinds to their full advantage!

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(27/06/2012 14:53)V671 DVU Wrote:  Shame, many years ago it was Get a buggy, or leave it at home and carry the kid!

"Many years ago" being the cause of the problem. Low floor vehicles have been in production for nearly 20 years and we're at the point now whereby they vastly outnumber step vehicles therefore, it's not unfair of disabled users and people with prams to expect an accessible vehicle. Especially on a late duty. If this had just been out during the day then that's a different matter but during the evening and into the night when low floor vehicles sit in depot, I don't personally think it's fair. That said, I'm not familiar with the bus swap process at Southport.

In addition to the above though, I think it's very poor that Southport have these step entrance vehicles in service at all having been previously all low floor. If they were brought in to operate a schools unit, that's where they should stay in my opinion and if they're out to cover B7s which can't cope with what they've been brought in to operate, then something needs to be done about that too.

[V671 DVU]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
I do agree actually, High Floor buses are way past their time and have been for a number of years. Aren't Southport supposed to be short? In the night though, B7's and Pulsars will be lying about unused. Whilst it's great for us enthusiasts to see a Palatine out, for the general passenger it's a pain in the backside.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
To be fair they are not a pain to the general able bodied passenger, but to a wheelchair user or those with prams they are certainly not. Either way, 3312 should really have been swapped for the evening.

[J654UHN]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot
Low floor buses are designed for wheelchairs not prams. people seem to forget about that

[V671 DVU]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(27/06/2012 15:48)J654UHN Wrote:  Low floor buses are designed for wheelchairs not prams. people seem to forget about that

Exactly! Good point very well made! I think it's disgusting that wheelchairs are (very rarely, I will admit) are turned away in favour of a pram in the buggy spot. I will admit, most mothers are decent enough to fold the buggy up and sit elsewhere. But there are the select few who literally think they own the bus as such, and will not move for anyone.

[CX54 DKD (Moderator)]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(27/06/2012 15:48)J654UHN Wrote:  Low floor buses are designed for wheelchairs not prams. people seem to forget about that

That's rubbish. They may well have been designed primarily to make disabled access easier but a clear and obvious by-product of that is increased ease of use for pram users. In addition to that, they're easier to access for people with walking difficulties and the elderly with their shopping trolleys etc.

All that your point comes back to is that there is a responsibility upon pram users to fold down when someone with a wheelchair boards. What I don't believe (which your posts seems to insinuate) is that they should still be expected to fold down just to board a bus in this day and age of low floor access.

(27/06/2012 15:52)V671 DVU Wrote:  Good point very well made! I think it's disgusting that wheelchairs are (very rarely, I will admit) are turned away in favour of a pram in the buggy spot. I will admit, most mothers are decent enough to fold the buggy up and sit elsewhere. But there are the select few who literally think they own the bus as such, and will not move for anyone.

I have never witnessed a wheelchair turned away in favour of a pram. Drivers insist upon the prams being folded in this case.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(27/06/2012 15:52)V671 DVU Wrote:  

(27/06/2012 15:48)J654UHN Wrote:  Low floor buses are designed for wheelchairs not prams. people seem to forget about that

Exactly! Good point very well made! I think it's disgusting that wheelchairs are (very rarely, I will admit) are turned away in favour of a pram in the buggy spot. I will admit, most mothers are decent enough to fold the buggy up and sit elsewhere. But there are the select few who literally think they own the bus as such, and will not move for anyone.

At the same point, there are also so able bodied people who sit in those seats and are very reluctant to move for Wheelchair or Pram, this particulary applies to the City Centre/Prescot Road corridor.

[anw2015]

RE: Arriva North West - Southport Depot

(27/06/2012 15:56)CX54 DKD Wrote:  

(27/06/2012 15:48)J654UHN Wrote:  Low floor buses are designed for wheelchairs not prams. people seem to forget about that

That's rubbish. They may well have been designed primarily to make disabled access easier but a clear and obvious by-product of that is increased ease of use for pram users. In addition to that, they're easier to access for people with walking difficulties and the elderly with their shopping trolleys etc.

All that your point comes back to is that there is a responsibility upon pram users to fold down when someone with a wheelchair boards. What I don't believe (which your posts seems to insinuate) is that they should still be expected to fold down just to board a bus in this day and age of low floor access.

(27/06/2012 15:52)V671 DVU Wrote:  Good point very well made! I think it's disgusting that wheelchairs are (very rarely, I will admit) are turned away in favour of a pram in the buggy spot. I will admit, most mothers are decent enough to fold the buggy up and sit elsewhere. But there are the select few who literally think they own the bus as such, and will not move for anyone.

I have never witnessed a wheelchair turned away in favour of a pram. Drivers insist upon the prams being folded in this case.

Well said! I think its clear that anybody who says that mums with prams should automatically fold it up don't have experience of that situation. I remember when my sister was a baby and how badly my mum struggled on her own with a pram. Just because people coped in the past doesn't necessarily mean its a good thing!