It is unclear when the bus mobility scooter trial, which was recommended to start this month, will begin.

Currently, mobility scooters are not accepted on Bus Vannin services.

In the April 2021 sitting of Tynwald a motion was agreed which committed the Department of Infrastructure to accept the carriage of mobility scooters.

A report on improving bus accessibility, in particular looking at ways that the island’s bus service can meet the commitment to allow mobility scooters on buses, was published in September 2022.

It recommends a 12-month trial for mobility scooters to be able to access buses on route 21 between Douglas and Farmhill. It suggested that this would start in April 2023.

The report said that if there are no issues, routes 22 and 25 will be included after six months.

Bus Vannin told the Courier that it ‘is currently awaiting advice from the Confederation of Passenger Transport [a UK transport advisory service] prior to progressing with the mobility scooter trial.’

At the time of the report, Eric Corkish, a former commissioner and campaigner for bus accessibility had concerns on the time frame of the mobility scooter trial.

He said: ‘I have been campaigning for this for four years. Nothing has been done.

‘The report’s time frame for mobility scooter access is too long, it states that access, that is not part of the trial, can be expected in 2024.’