Back efforts to secure fare deal

Nov 13 2008

WE are asking readers of the Advertiser to support our ‘A Fare Deal?’ campaign to help the thousands of older and disabled people across Scotland unable to benefit from the Scottish Government’s free bus travel scheme.

A Fare Deal? highlights this discrimination against people who are excluded from a lifeline service, either because they cannot access conventional buses, live too far from a bus stop, have no bus service at all or the timetable does not suit their needs.

People in this situation often have to use other forms of transport, such as those provided by a voluntary organisation like Dial-a-Bus or Ring’n’Ride.

This type of transport is known as Demand Responsive Community Transport (DRCT), and is not included in the concessionary scheme.

Twelve major organisations representing Scotland’s older and disabled people, led by Help the Aged in Scotland , Capability Scotland and the Community Transport Association Scotland, have joined forces to ask the Scottish Government to include demand responsive community transport in the scheme as a matter of urgency.

We are asking people to sign up to the campaign, and will be presenting these signatures to the Scottish Government next month to demonstrate public backing for extending the free bus scheme to include demand-responsive community transport.

We want to show Parliament how important this issue is to people, so please also contact your local MSP and ask them to support the campaign.

You can support the campaign by signing a postcard – available throughout Scotland, including Capability and Help the Aged shops or by contacting Gail Brown, Campaigns Officer, on 0131 551 6331 or infoscot@helptheaged.org.uk

To encourage local MSPs to support the campaign, please click onto the Help the Aged in Scotland website at http://campaigns.helptheaged.org.uk/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=31&ea.campaign.id=1443

Alan Dickson, chief executive, Capability Scotland; Elizabeth Duncan, director, Help the Aged in Scotland, and John MacDonald, director for Scotland, Community Transport Association.