Coach seating dispute delays design plans

Date: 06/02/1997

By Simon Coss

A ROW between European Commission departments over the provisions to be made for disabled passengers on buses and coaches is delaying the publication of keenly awaited proposals for design changes.

The dispute centres on the question of whether special seating arrangements for wheelchair users should be required on inter-city coaches as well as local buses.

Officials working for Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock argue that forcing the makers of motorway coaches to change all their designs to accommodate wheelchair users would have severe cost implications for public transport.

They are calling instead for the requirement to be limited to local buses.

Kinnock's staff stress that the Commissioner is committed to the principle of access for disabled passengers, but say workable solutions should be sought rather than insisting on impractical, 'ideological' approaches.

This view is echoed by the bus and coach industry, which argues that having to redesign vehicles and reduce seat numbers to accommodate wheelchair users could force some operators out of business.

But groups representing the disabled insist that the new requirements should apply to buses and coaches on all routes.

“Universal access is important. Low-floor, kneeling systems, ramp or lift systems can be used to ensure accessibility for wheelchair users. All operators, not only local authorities, but also regional bodies, member states and private operators should comply with this directive,” said the European Disability Forum in a statement.

The current version of the draft text has been amended, apparently by officials in the Directorate-General for social affairs (DGV). This would require special seating on both inter- and intra-urban routes.

DGV officials have defended the move, stressing that both Social Affairs Commissioner Pádraig Flynn and his industry counterpart Martin Bangemann are bound by an agreement to provide equal access for all to public transport by the year 2002.

But sources close to Kinnock point to the US Disabilities Act, which obliges all major public transport operators to make provisions for wheelchair users.

“Everyone, including disabled groups, agrees that the act has had a severe effect on the cost of public transport,” said one.

Experts say the only way to provide for wheelchair access and ensure adequate safety on high-speed vehicles would be to install devices such as expensive lift systems.

“Inter-urban coaches move at over 100 kilometres an hour so it is not possible to use the same sorts of features you would for local buses. It is not safe to have low floors when you are moving at that speed, for example,” said one transport official.

Officials in DGV confirmed this week that there was “some difficulty” in inter-cabinet discussions, but added that Flynn was “pushing” the issue and they hoped for a decision soon.

Sources in Bangemann's Directorate-General for industry (DGIII) also admitted that there were problems with the draft proposals now circulating inside the Commission.

Another bone of contention in the current text is the issue of seat sizes, with DGIII pushing for standard dimensions to be included in the directive.

But officials close to Kinnock say such a move is a clear case of pointless over-regulation. “This would have serious implications for cost,” said one official.

The battle currently being waged over the proposals within the Commission is a foretaste of the rough ride they are certain to face once they reach the Council of Ministers.