The problems that happen when one operator allows mobility scooters on board

[northwichcat]

See: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=126390330715076&topic=178

This woman obviously think it's the law that she can use any size scooter on any train, despite someone pointing out her scooter won't fit through the 153 and 156 doors.

 

[Matt Taylor]

In my local area Southern have a much more generous policy than SWT who require scooter users to have a card issued from SWT in order to travel. We have a number of regular customers who have no problem whatsoever with these two policies and I'm afraid that just like other passengers there will always be a minority who feel they should be allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want.

 

[northwichcat]

It's doesn't exactly require a rocket sciencist to notice that 507s and 508s have double doors and one step, while 142s have a double step and 153s and 156s have single doors though.

 

[Kernowfem]

Sadly disabled discrimination laws and political correctness have drowned out some common sense. I have one leg, and sometimes use a wheelchair or crutches when i cant wear my limb. Ive always found it possible to get onto a train with one or the other, and when needed have been given full assistance by excellent staff. Mobility scooters are in my opinion a pain, i also find it hard to believe this lady could not get out of the scooter and board the train with assistance, and allow the scooter to be carried on board and stored somewhere that would allow for it safely. SOME people just refuse to get their lazy bums out of them and expect everyone to follow their every command.
You may think im being a little harsh, and for this i apologise, but it has been made possible for people to take advantage of certain situations. Rail companies have rules for a reason, mainly safety. Im sure this lady would have been the first to complain and sue if she got hurt as a result.

 

[northwichcat]

Rail companies have rules for a reason, mainly safety.

I've heard lack of accidental insurance cover mentioned as a reason for conductors asking mothers to fold their own baby buggies, so presumably the same would also apply to wheelchairs, scooters etc.

 

[tbtc]

Rail companies have rules for a reason, mainly safety. Im sure this lady would have been the first to complain and sue if she got hurt as a result

Spot on

 

[Kernowfem]

Tha article doesnt state whether she wanted to board the train ON her scooter or simply walk on board and leave the scooter in an appropriate place so its a bit difficult to grasp the full situation. If she wanted to bored the train ON the scooter then i find myself a little taken aback at the ladies lack of common sense. As for my knowledge of motability scooters i believe the bigger ones can not be folded or made smaller, where there are some smaller, more portable ones that enable them to be made more compact.
As i said in my previous post certain laws and legislations have made it easy for people to take advantage of certain situations, while others just love to cause fuss. I do feel for rail companies (and all other business's etc) that have been left vulnerable by disability rules and legislations. Its a shame that something brought in to help the vulnerable has indeed in some cases been turned a full 360 and used against others purely for devilment.
I hope the lady gets a full explanation and that some sort of compromise can be reached for further travellers with scooters, and that will be equally fair to rail companies also.

 

[WatcherZero]

Like the person who drove a scooter off the platform and onto the track on the Metrolink recently, one of the main problems of mobility scooters isnt the size (which is bad enough) but their poor turning circle as opposed to a wheelchair that can turn on its axis.

 

[northwichcat]

Tha article doesnt state whether she wanted to board the train ON her scooter or simply walk on board and leave the scooter in an appropriate place so its a bit difficult to grasp the full situation.

Read this bit

I can fit my scooter in the wheelchair space. why should I fold up my scooter and carry it on.

and note that she was replying to a post where someone stated that her scooter was too wide for doors on 153s and 156s so would have to be folded up on those types of trains.

 

[Z12XE]

Bring back the electric wheelchair.

At least these were used sensibily, and only used by those who truly needed them, plus they wern't massive and could be taken anywhere a normal wheelchair could.

 

[Kernowfem]

Read this bit

Thanks for that. So where would the rail company have stood should a wheel chair user have required that particular spot at a later time of the journey?

No win situation for them in my opinion....

 

[Ferret]

A slightly random observation, but has anybody noticed how there seem to be millions of these scooters about now? I often wonder how many people actually need them, and how many have just bought one cos they're too f#~*ing lazy to walk!!!!!

 

[northwichcat]

Bring back the electric wheelchair.

At least these were used sensibily, and only used by those who truly needed them, plus they wern't massive and could be taken anywhere a normal wheelchair could.

A slightly random observation, but has anybody noticed how there seem to be millions of these scooters about now? I often wonder how many people actually need them, and how many have just bought one cos they're too f#~*ing lazy to walk!!!!!

Electric wheelchairs are still available - they are smaller and operate at a lower speed. However, I think they are hard to get hold of unless you are registered disabled. On the other hand a scooter is large, goes at up to 8mph and anyone can buy one - more worringly they are a motor vehicle which is sometimes operated by someone with limited vision.

 

[Kernowfem]

A slightly random observation, but has anybody noticed how there seem to be millions of these scooters about now? I often wonder how many people actually need them, and how many have just bought one cos they're too f#~*ing lazy to walk!!!!!

Lol Ferret...cheers for that, you just said what i was too polite to say

Ive just been reading some of the replies to other posters and it seems to me she is the kind of person who cannot listen to reason.

 

[Ferret]

Electric wheelchairs are still available - they are smaller and operate at a lower speed. However, I think they are hard to get hold of unless you are registered disabled. On the other hand a scooter is large, goes at up to 8mph and anyone can buy one - more worringly they are a motor vehicle which is sometimes operated by someone with limited vision.

And judging by the behaviour of some owners of these devices, they are quite an effective tank! Instead of driving to avoid pedestrians, the pedestrians have to avoid them!!!!!

Lol Ferret...cheers for that, you just said what i was too polite to say

Well, I don't know if any of you have watched 'Benidorm' on ITV but it seems that the same thought has crossed the minds of the writers of that show given that one of the characters has no need for a scooter but chooses to hire one for her entire holiday!

 

[Z12XE]

However, I think they are hard to get hold of unless you are registered disabled.

Exactly, used by those who need them, rather than those too lazy to walk

 

[Kernowfem]

Exactly, used by those who need them, rather than those too lazy to walk

The motablilty scheme now provide scooters, which means you do have to be in receipt of DLA to get one. However they are so easy and cheap to buy privately....

 

[northwichcat]

The motablilty scheme now provide scooters, which means you do have to be in receipt of DLA to get one. However they are so easy and cheap to buy privately....

I've seen them in the Argos catalogue for around £1000.

 

[Kernowfem]

I've seen them in the Argos catalogue for around £1000.

Our local paper has several private ads in it. Last month i noticed one was going for £200. My first thought was great, i can look forward to getting run over in the supermarket by yet another one....

 

[Z12XE]

A quick search online seems to suggest that the lightweight ones can be purchased new for around £550.

What makes me laugh is local to where I am there is this person who uses one of these (because she needs to) but her prefectly able daughter (late teens) now also uses one "because she can"

 

[Kernowfem]

A quick search online seems to suggest that the lightweight ones can be purchased new for around £550.

What makes me laugh is local to where I am there is this person who uses one of these (because she needs to) but her prefectly able daughter (late teens) now also uses one "because she can"

Bloody rediculous!!!

 

[142094]

The Metro up here has had a ban on mobility scooters for around 3 years now, due to a couple of incidents where people have gone through the open doors and hit the closed ones on the opposite side and either damaged the doors or fallen onto the track altogether. In tests it was said that a mobility scooter had a pressure on the door of higher than 1 tonne (somewhere around this mark), and of course the door wasn't designed to take this kind of impact. Few observations I have made:

1) Apart from the folding types, mobility scooters are actually quite large, so I wouldn't expect to get one on a train. A wheelchair is a completely different situation - I'd expect all trains to have space for one

2) People don't realise a lot of the stuff still around on the railways were constructed at a time when hardly anyone (probably no-one) had a mobility scooter

3) In the past buses didn't have room for pushchairs, never mind wheelchairs. Seems like everyone wants all the room they can get these days

4) As has been said I bet a good few of those using mobility scooter don't really need them.

 

[starrymarkb]

is it me or are they getting larger too, they seem to have huge off road tyres now

 

[Geezertronic]

is it me or are they getting larger too, they seem to have huge off road tyres now

Says it all really

 

[leedstraindude]

Not all people are lazy who use these.

My mother has advanced multiple schlerosis and uses a mobility scooter. As she cannot drive any more it means she can take herself the couple of miles into town on her own when she wants to.
It is more comfortable for her than a wheelchair and she feels less vulnerable than if she is in a wheelchair. It also has better storage for her if she is shopping or has anything she needs to move.
As usual thanks to the small amount of people who misuse them most people on this post feel the need to slate them.
I seem to recall seeing a post a while back on here where some spotters were complaining about how they are treated by rail staff and the consensus there was it was a small group upsetting things for all!

 

[starrymarkb]

I was meaning things like this, which are really small cars!

And things like this which struggle even to fit through the aisles of the local supermarket
http://www.mobilitysmart.cc/mobilit...oters/nhc-venus-mobility-scooter-p-13618.html

 

[Ferret]

Not all people are lazy who use these.

My mother has advanced multiple schlerosis and uses a mobility scooter. As she cannot drive any more it means she can take herself the couple of miles into town on her own when she wants to.
It is more comfortable for her than a wheelchair and she feels less vulnerable than if she is in a wheelchair. It also has better storage for her if she is shopping or has anything she needs to move.
As usual thanks to the small amount of people who misuse them most people on this post feel the need to slate them.
I seem to recall seeing a post a while back on here where some spotters were complaining about how they are treated by rail staff and the consensus there was it was a small group upsetting things for all!

Erm, nowhere have all users of mobility scooters been slated! The standard of driving of them in my local area has been slated, but again it's pretty clear that was not aimed at every user, just the inconsiderate ones.

And yes, we're all well aware that some or even most users of scooters do have a genuine requirement for one. But still, there are those who have them because they are lazy! Hell, I've even had one user do a 'Little Britain' on me! Sat in my quiet zone smoking and swearing so two coppers who were travelling on board evicted him at Doncaster. They put the ramp down, he drove off the train, bailed off his scooter and legged it! I've never seen anything so funny in all my life, especially the part when he tripped over and was nabbed! Still, if you want to believe that I or anyone else is having a gripe at all users of scooters then feel free - but the fact is, we're not!

 

[leedstraindude]

Thanks for the reply Ferret,

I did not say all people were slating them, I did state most, which having re read the thread may have been an exageration which I will apologise for, but at the same time some people clearly are tarring mobility scooter users all with the same brush!

The only reason I felt need to comment at all was to try and remind people that there are lots of genuine people who use them out there (my mother always turns her speed down to its lowest when in shops or any other busy area), as it seemed to be turning into a bash the disabled scooter thread.

I did chuckle at your "Little Britain" story even though the fact people like that give the wider public a bad impression of scooter users!

 

[Ferret]

Thanks for the reply Ferret,

I did not say all people were slating them, I did state most, which having re read the thread may have been an exageration which I will apologise for, but at the same time some people clearly are tarring mobility scooter users all with the same brush!

The only reason I felt need to comment at all was to try and remind people that there are lots of genuine people who use them out there (my mother always turns her speed down to its lowest when in shops or any other busy area), as it seemed to be turning into a bash the disabled scooter thread.

I did chuckle at your "Little Britain" story even though the fact people like that give the wider public a bad impression of scooter users!

Well, it's a valid point to say that most users have a genuine reason - there's one who lives on my road who'd be stuffed without hers so I'm only too well aware of how useful they are. Should be the same rules as wheelchairs though - registered disabled, by all means have one. If not then tough luck!!!!

 

[Kernowfem]

Thanks for the reply Ferret,

I did not say all people were slating them, I did state most, which having re read the thread may have been an exageration which I will apologise for, but at the same time some people clearly are tarring mobility scooter users all with the same brush!

The only reason I felt need to comment at all was to try and remind people that there are lots of genuine people who use them out there (my mother always turns her speed down to its lowest when in shops or any other busy area), as it seemed to be turning into a bash the disabled scooter thread.

I did chuckle at your "Little Britain" story even though the fact people like that give the wider public a bad impression of scooter users!

While i certainly dont agree with the scooter user in question, i fully appreciate that not all scooter users are lazy people who have no mobility problems. There are responsible scooter users like your mum. I have no problem with the scooter itself, more SOME of the users of them who think that because they have one are above rules and regulations set for people saftey.