The lack of progress on bus access for those with mobility scooters is disappointing, a user has said.

Currently, there are no scheduled bus services available with access for class 2 mobility scooters with a permit to travel.

In April 2021, the Department of Infrastructure committed to adopting the UK Confederation of Passenger Transport Voluntary Code of Best Practice for the acceptance of mobility scooters on low-floor buses.

Later in October, a steering group was put together to ’inform’ adoption of the code and put together a report of recommendations.

The government also held a public consultation, which attracted 246 responses.

In the House of Keys last week, Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall blamed the general election and appointments of members to each department for the delay ’of several months’ to the progress of this matter.

He said: ’I appreciate and understand [the] frustration regarding what might appear to be slow progress on this matter, but I can assure that the work has been ongoing in the background to move this matter forward as quickly as possible.

’I am disappointed and I am sure those who have been involved in this are disappointed so far that this has not progressed further, but I will assure members that this will be progressed as quickly as possible.’

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

On the motion to be put before Tynwald and the committee, he said: ’The government isn’t listening and has done nothing. It’s incredibly disappointing and I’m disappointed with Tim Crookall.

’It’s almost been a year since they said they’d sort this out. Months after the consultation they did and we’re no further along. This should have been dealt with a long time ago.’

Mr Corkish has struggled to get around the island because he cannot get on buses.

’This is stopping me from doing what the government are telling me to do, which is be active, but in effect the fact I can’t get on a bus is stopping me from doing just that. It really limits me in what I can do.’

He added: ’The government is claiming that there need to be kassel kerbs [designed for low floor buses and feature a concave section that allows for easier alignment for buses] at bus stops to make them accessible, which cost around £6,700 each, but in reality if you’re on a mobility scooter, you can get on and off the bus wherever there’s a pavement.

’All buses have a ramp which makes them accessible, that’s why they have ramps! These are perfectly adequate to do the job.’

Mr Corkish also felt that if wheelchairs can access buses, so should mobility scooters. This was a point made by Douglas Central MHK Chris Thomas in the sitting as he asked Mr Crookall if this was just a question of issuing guidance to bus drivers and staff and setting up the arrangements for mobility scooter users to register their vehicles and undergo any training needed.

’We need to stop talking and put this in place, otherwise we are a laughing stock inside the British Isles and potentially in breach of international conventions,’ Mr Thomas said.

Mr Crookall said he was ’tempted to agree completely’ but there was a ’bit more to it than that’.

Meanwhile, the DoI is looking for two people with a disability to join its Bus Vannin Accessibility Steering Group.

Focus will initially be on mobility scooters but will also consider a range of accessibility issues.

More information can be found on the government website.