Shortage of low-level buses putting lives in danger, say mums

Oct 2 2008 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

FED-UP young mums this week urged travel bosses to provide more low-level buses on a vital service in Hamilton before an elderly person or child is seriously injured.

Furious parents waiting on the Henderson Travel No13 from Hamilton to East Kilbride claim they have been left stranded at the bus-stop because they can’t get their babies and buggies onboard.

They blasted the firm for using an American-style school bus which they claim is not suitable for them or elderly passengers who can’t get on because the vehicle is too high.

Now the mothers have called on the Hamilton-based company to provide more low-level buses on the route.

The service picks up passengers from Hamilton’s Holy Cross High, Hamilton Interchange, Eddlewood Toll, Quarter, Glassford and Strathaven.

Single parent Jean Smith (28), who lives in Quarter with her two children, Luke (6) and 18-month-old Bailey, fumed: “I have to wait until a low-level bus arrives and sometimes that can take up to four hours..

“We just want the ‘buggy’ buses back so that we can do our shopping in Hamilton during the day.

“It’s a very serious issue for parents and the elderly in this area.

“Many pensioners who get about with a walking stick,need to be lifted onto the bus because the step is too high.

“Someone is going to fall off and injure themselves unless something is done. We live in Quarter and this service is vital to get around.”

Ann Watson (34), who lives with her two daughters Stephanie (1) and two-week-old Stacy in Glassford, also slammed the service.

She added: “I phoned the firm every day to find out when the ‘buggy’ bus would be on.

“There are a lot of folk in Glassford exactly in the same position with young children and prams and these buses are not suitable.”

Debbie McLaughlin (31), who uses the bus to visit friends in Quarter, said: “It’s terrible that we can’t get our prams on the bus.

“I think there should definitely be low-level buses. How many folk are there out there with young children who use this service?”

But John Henderson, owner of Henderson Travel, said they firm have been using the American-style bus on the route because their new 08 plate low-level bus was involved in a serious road smash in the Cumbernauld area and needed to be repaired.

Mr Henderson apologised to passengers for the inconvenience and added: “We have two new £120,000, 35-seater ultra low-level buses and have been waiting on them being delivered as there has been a delay.

“We will have more low-level services on this route in the next couple of weeks.”

Mr Henderson said the firm have invested a whopping £3million on a new fleet of buses over the past few years and splashed out £90,00 each on eight brand-new vehicles last year alone.

“We have more buses in the evening and weekends than any other operator in Lanarkshire,” he added.

“From seven in the evening to midnight, all our vehicles are low-level and also at the weekends. And, 30 of our 36 buses are low-level.”