A man who uses a mobility scooter has said he doesn’t ’see the point’ of the newly launched survey to improve bus travel for disabled people.

The consultation, run by the government, was released on Monday and covers a total of 10 questions which seek to gather information from people with a disability, their carers and families.

Questions include themes around accessibility, existing barriers to bus travel and how services and facilities could be improved.

Eric Corkish has one leg and is able to travel with the use of a mobility scooter.

The Ramsey man said: ’In my opinion, they’re just wasting time.

’There’s no real reason to do it because there’s a survey that’s been done in the UK.’

The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which represents the bus and coach sector and works with governments to make it easier for people to travel by these means, conducted a survey recently regarding the same matters.

The 65-year-old said: ’I’m a bit miffed they’re doing it now actually, especially when it’s all gone through Tynwald but by the time they get the results and it comes into force it’ll be all different people dealing with the issue.’

Mr Corkish felt the questions in the survey were ’simplistic’ and said that it was a ’very easy consultation’ but felt there was ’no point’.

This follows the former commissioner taking Bus Vannin to an equality tribunal last year over their refusal to accept mobility scooters on their buses.

He was involved in a row with the company and the Department of Infrastructure over the ban on mobility scooters for 12 months.

Bus chiefs had said that, unlike wheelchairs, which have a standard brake and securing system, scooters did not and therefore posed a risk to their users and passengers.

Mr Corkish mentioned a few Bus Vannin vehicles were acquired by companies in the UK and are now apparently taking those on mobility scooters.

The consultation will run for six weeks and concludes on Monday, September 27.

It builds on one held earlier this year by the Department of Infrastructure which gathered information on concessionary fares.

The document can be accessed via the Isle of Man Government website under infrastructure.

Written comments can be emailed to [email protected].

A man who uses a mobility scooter has said he doesn’t ’see the point’ of the newly launched survey to improve bus travel for disabled people.

The consultation, run by the government, was released on Monday and covers a total of 10 questions which seek to gather information from people with a disability, their carers and families.

Questions include themes around accessibility, existing barriers to bus travel and how services and facilities could be improved.

Eric Corkish, of Ramsey, has one leg and is able to travel with the use of a mobility scooter.

He said: ’In my opinion, they’re just wasting time.

’There’s no real reason to do it because there’s a survey that’s been done in the UK.’

The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which represents the bus and coach sector and works with governments to make it easier for people to travel by these means, conducted a survey recently regarding the same matters.

The 65-year-old said: ’I’m a bit miffed they’re doing it now actually, especially when it’s all gone through Tynwald but by the time they get the results and it comes into force it’ll be all different people dealing with the issue.’

Mr Corkish felt the questions in the survey were ’simplistic’ and said that it was a ’very easy consultation’ but felt there was ’no point’.

This follows the former commissioner taking Bus Vannin to an equality tribunal last year over their refusal to accept mobility scooters on their buses.

He was involved in a row with the company and the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) over the ban on mobility scooters for 12 months.

Bus chiefs had said that, unlike wheelchairs, which have a standard brake and securing system, scooters did not and therefore posed a risk to their users and passengers.

Mr Corkish mentioned a few Bus Vannin vehicles were acquired by companies in the UK and are now apparently taking those on mobility scooters.

The consultation will run for six weeks and conclude on September 27.

It builds on one held earlier this year by the Department of Infrastructure which gathered information on concessionary fares.

The document can be accessed via the Isle of Man Government website under infrastructure.

Written comments can be emailed to [email protected].

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