Accessibility on Public Transport

We all know that Dublin Buses are all accessible now for at least one wheelchair or buggy and also many seats have a little more legroom and have more grab rails to help the elderly or disabled but how do other companies and forms of transport fare?

Afaik all Bus Eireann city/town buses are wheelchair accessible with a ramp and dedicated space much like the Dublin bus fleet. But often these services are operated by commuter or expressway coaches which are not as accessible. Many other town/city based services I have seen operated by private companies are using accessible buses.

Bus Eireann commuter and Expressway services use coaches with a lift and removable seats so all that is needed is a call the day before travel(not ideal but better than nothing) or notice of a wheelchair user moving to an area so all services can be prepared to take a wheelchair. All bus stations are wheelchair accessible.

Train travel is quite good with wheelchair spaces and accessible toilets on all services and most stations are accessible to one or more platforms but as far as station accessibility goes is there more that can be done?

Often Lifts are out of order in many stations and there is no information updated either weekly or daily which is available to passengers. One of the main responsibilities when dealing with accessibility is giving the passenger a choice and they must be given the proper information to make a decision for their own benefit and convenience. There is no point having a notice in Connolly or Skerries that the lift there is locked up if a disabled person would have been able to make alternative arrangements if this information was readily available beforehand! Offering taxis from alternative stations is not acceptable or cost effective!

How hard is it to make a list of stations with no available wheelchair ramps or lifts not working and update this daily or even twice daily? Are unmanned stations not checked at least twice a day?

It is not just those in Wheelchairs who need to use lifts when crossing the railway. many of those with free travel especially the elderly are unable to negotiate steps due to mobility impairment. One prime example is the barrow crossing in Carlow station which is still used quite often for elderly passengers so they don't have to risk slipping or falling on the slippery worn down steps of the footbridge.

As seen from recent incidents at Howth Junction & Donaghmede station which is served by Dart and Commuter services the wheelchair ramps are removed and locked away when the station is closed leading to scenes like this. Afaik this is the case in most stations not just those in Dublin. Also staff in these situations usually go above and beyond to sort out a mess not of their making.

Should these ramps be carried on all services or would that pose other issues over working practices or safety for staff and other passengers? Maybe it is time to stop pandering to the disabled as it is costing Irish Rail too much?

Are there other things that can be done on buses and trains to make life a little easier for those with a disability or impairment?

Edit

To include as many forms of transport as possible does anyone have experiences of air travel and boat/ferry travel for Disabled people?

It is well known that airlines do not want the responsibility of providing wheelchairs to bring disabled passengers to the departure gates or onto the runway for boarding and in the past have charged exorbitant amounts for the privilage, how do people fare with the ferry operators from Dublin and Rosslare?