(15 Aug 2015, 9:51 am)Dan wrote Hardly anything has changed on Go North East's now DDA-compliant Volvo B10BLEs - sorry, I cannot see the removal of one seat and a few further minor modifications being of great assistance to disabled passengers.

Stand by what I said before... If a disabled passenger is not affected by something which makes a bus non-DDA compliant - what's better, that bus, or none at all (on what could potentially be a lifeline service to some passengers, given that a large number of independent operators do operate lifeline services).

There'll never be some generic catch-all for the typical disabled passenger though. What may affect one person with disabilities, may not affect another with disabilities. Of course, those not affected by it would always say 'that bus', but the Equality Act is all about inclusion - not exclusion. 

I can't personally see why the removal of a seat makes a difference either, but I find that things aren't always as black and white as they seem. Who am I to question a set of regulations, that someone a lot more qualified than I am, has come up with? It of course doesn't remove my curiosity. 

Village shops can also provide a lifeline service to locals. Having a step entrance and doorway not wide enough for a wheelchair may benefit the majority, but it'd exclude wheelchair users. It also amounts to indirect discrimination.