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Do Bus Éireann expressways have loos and if not why not?

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Comments

  • #32
    AlekSmart
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,002 ✭✭✭✭AlekSmart


    Motorist wrote: »
    Only the riff-raff travel by bus.

    Ah....!,Baroness Thatcher returns for a new season on Boards.ie :D


    Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

    Charles Mackay (1812-1889)



  • #33
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,782 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Motorist wrote: »
    Only the riff-raff travel by bus.
    No need to troll.


  • #34
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,559 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    To the point of wheelchair space taking up too much space. I was on a bus in Norway today and noticed that there is a door on the side of the bus for wheelchair lift, but no space for a wheelchair. The seats by the wheelchair door are removable if needed.

    So best of both worlds, wheelchair accessibility the rare times needed and the maximum number of seats available the majority of time.

    In the US some coach companies require you book online iron by phone in advance if you need a wheelchair seat. Seems like a fair compromise to me.

    Took a few buses in Norway, they all had floor level toilets. Which were nice and clean. This is despite announcements to always use the seat belt and not move around. So obviously they aren't worried about being sued. I assume they would argue the toilets are only to be used when the bus is stationary. If you get up and use the toilet when moving despite the warnings, then it is totally your own responsibility.

    The coach buses in Norway had many impressive features. The luggage hold doors opened automatically when the bus stops. They also had a seat where the seat in front of you could be converted into a baby seat,with the child facing the mother. Impressive.


  • #35
    AlekSmart
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,002 ✭✭✭✭AlekSmart


    bk wrote: »
    To the point of wheelchair space taking up too much space. I was on a bus in Norway today and noticed that there is a door on the side of the bus for wheelchair lift, but no space for a wheelchair. The seats by the wheelchair door are removable if needed.

    So best of both worlds, wheelchair accessibility the rare times needed and the maximum number of seats available the majority of time.

    In the US some coach companies require you book online iron by phone in advance if you need a wheelchair seat. Seems like a fair compromise to me.

    Took a few buses in Norway, they all had floor level toilets. Which were nice and clean. This is despite announcements to always use the seat belt and not move around. So obviously they aren't worried about being sued. I assume they would argue the toilets are only to be used when the bus is stationary. If you get up and use the toilet when moving despite the warnings, then it is totally your own responsibility.

    The coach buses in Norway had many impressive features. The luggage hold doors opened automatically when the bus stops. They also had a seat where the seat in front of you could be converted into a baby seat,with the child facing the mother. Impressive.

    Just to reassure bk on the wheelchair issue,the latest BE DD coaches (LE) have exactly such an arrangement with the (manual) whelchair ramp at the rearmost nearside door which leads to a removable section of the floor with two seat rows being sacrificed to accomodate the wheelchair user.

    Facilitating the wheelchair user in these cases depends upon them pre-booking the journey which allows for the removal of the seat-pod at the depot.

    I understand Aircoach disabled facilitation is under the same conditions and is also dependent upon a suitably trained Driver being designated to that particular journey.

    None of these answers are perfect,but I believe it's as close as can be achieved within the operational constraints of Inter Urban journeys.

    Again most of Bus Eireann's commuter and express vehicle orders have be specified with power luggage doors for some years now,although many private operators have been somewhat slower to accept the additional electro-mechanical complexity and weight penalty of the equipment.

    That only leaves the Baby Seat point which IS a perfectly valid one and perhaps not even considered up to this ?? :)


    Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

    Charles Mackay (1812-1889)



  • #36
    gbob
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 522 ✭✭✭gbob


    A lot of the smaller BE depots have one or two wheelchair accessible buses and you must book in advance to ensure one is used for your journey, however these buses were bought under the NDP plan and cannot be used on expressways. So useless for a wheelchair user who makes a last minute decision to travel across country. Doesn't that constitute discrimination ?


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  • #37
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 11,911 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    BE are not allowed to use taxpayer funded vehicles to shunt out competition, that is why they are not allowed to use such vehicles, as we may end up with the undesirable situation where we are paying for BE to remove competition rather than what they are funded to do.

    There are a batch of new Expressway vehicles coming on stream which should cascade some other wheelchair accessible vehicles on to other depots expressway routes, so this should help.


  • #38
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,559 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Thanks AlekSmart, that is very good to know and reassuring.
    gbob wrote: »
    So useless for a wheelchair user who makes a last minute decision to travel across country. Doesn't that constitute discrimination ?

    I'm sorry, but no.

    I'm all for making changes to help disabled persons, but really there is only so far this can be taken. So lets say you create one permanent wheelchair accessible, well now what if two or even three wheelchair users want to use the bus at the same time. Where do you draw the line?

    To me this seems like a very fair and reasonable compromise.


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