(19 Feb 2016, 8:13 pm)MrPottski wrote I have to say these regulations have just gone beyond a joke. Rendering perfectly good buses obsolete just because their wheelchair bays are 2cm too narrow or their poles are in the wrong place is just pathetic. The point has been mentioned that the big companies can absorb the cost of modifications or new vehicles, but it is still a cost that has to come out of a budget which can't be spent on other things. I have been driving a few MAN EcoCitys this week and I've noticed once the front few rows of seats are full, the aisle becomes extremely narrow, probably down to the design of the plush e leather seats. So, add 2 pushchairs or a wheelchair into the mix and where do the elderly/infirm/pregnant passengers go? I think the new regulations are giving the operators and body builders too many loops to jump through in an already over regulated industry. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for accessibility for those that can't normally travel and I get pleasure from helping these customers on and off but there has to be common sense somewhere.
If you don't set a standard or benchmark, then where do you draw the line for common sense? Genuine question. Thornley is not in the Durham District zone for Arriva's tickets, but Bowburn is. I'd call it common sense that it should be, but like I say, the line has to be drawn somewhere.
If not statutory, then it's always open to interpretation. That goes for anything.