Blind users fight to retain free bus travel in city
BLIND and partially sighted bus users are fighting a council's plans to stop their concessionary travel.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is considering bringing free bus travel before 9.30am to an end.
-
ANGER: Bus user Sharon Sutton.
Charities including the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Action for Blind People (Action) have called on councillors to dismiss the idea.
And users claim the move could leave them in financial difficulty as many rely on public transport.
Call WHITEGATES Today 01782 209935 ..Limited offer. Available only up on production of voucher. Sell your home for £399 plus vat.* #EPC is required to market your home not included in offer.
Terms: *Upfront payment, non-refundable in the event of property remaining unsold, being withdrawn from the market or being sold by another agent, yourself or by any other means.#EPC £62.50 plus vat.
Contact: 01782 209 935
Valid until: Thursday, July 04 2013
Sharon Sutton, aged 46, of Beaconsfield Drive, Blurton, has diabetic retinopathy, which means she is now partially sighted.
"The government is saying get disabled people into work, then this happens," said Sharon, who works as an administrator at Action's Hanley-based office.
"I've got a problem with my foot so I have to get the bus because I can't walk very far.
"If I'm forced to pay to travel before 9.30am it would put a financial strain on me."
By ditching the free travel, the city council estimates it could save £100,000-a-year.
At the moment, bus pass holders who are aged over 60 or disabled enjoy free travel 24 hours a day, with the city council picking up the bill.
Similar plans to scrap concessionary bus travel before 9.30am in the city were rejected two years ago.
Rebecca Swift, RNIB regional campaigns officer for West Midlands, said: "If this proposal were to go ahead, many people would find the costs of travelling before 9.30am too expensive, limiting how often they could travel before that time.
"Blind and partially sighted people, in particular, rely on bus travel as their sole means of transport, as they don't have the option of driving a car and are unable to fund repeated taxi journeys."
The campaign to stop the proposals has also won the support of MPs.
Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Tristram Hunt has contacted the authority to formally object.
He said: "I can appreciate why they would remove it on budget grounds for OAPs, but I have reservations over removing the concession for blind and disabled groups, as they are going to find it more difficult to get to work.
"We want to be a working city and disabled and blind groups want to be a part of that.
"We need to remove the obstacles to help encourage this."
Councillor Adrian Knapper, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for transport and planning, said: "We have been listening very carefully to the feedback we have received on all the budget proposals, and in this case, officers met with Action for Blind People Stoke-on-Trent last week to hear more about their point of view.
"Officers also met with the RNIB yesterday to talk through the proposals. A meeting of the full council will take place on Thursday to decide on all the proposals and agree a legal budget for the new financial year."
Comments
by hanleygal
Thursday, February 23 2012, 7:31AM
“it is shocking how the council treat disabled ppl but their happy to give alcoholics £40 a week to fund their booze and drugs methadone to keep them high, yet they'll happily stop disabled and ppl over 60 from working by making them pay to use a bus before 9:30am. its rediculous how this lbour council can slash important things lik efree bus travel but can afford to have expensive meetings with top noth refreshments, chauffuer driven lord mayor around the city and £160,000pa plus executive staff. as long as the council in power are taking our money to line their pockets they dont give a dam about Stoke or its residents :(”
by bearbear87
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 10:40PM
“This is absolutly disgusting!!!theres something seriously wrong with the world today.Who actually comes up with these ideas.Hows about these useless people who sit behind their desks in these offices take a slight pay cut.It may ac***ilate to a substancial amount to cover the bus passes for these poor people.But they dont care, aslong as its not their own. Hows about they stop paying out for the fuel costs for the SIGHTED, DRIVING council staff to get to work, which would save a few bob to prevent cutting the only means of transport for those less fortunate hmmmm”
by truestokie
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 11:07AM
“Thats the old, young sick,disabled, and now the Blind.
Now tell me how many out there were told by their prospective Labour councillors before the election they were going to elect a Gestapo type council by voting for them??????
Our three Labour monkeys (MPs) have dissappeared off the radar.”
by MusicHallFan
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 10:56AM
“Unbelievable!”
by hanleygal
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 7:25AM
“i myself am a disable bus user working full time if i have to pay to get into work in the mornings (with bus fares rising to £2 a journey) it will cost me £10 a week to get to work but nothing to get home. so i will have to pay £40 a month because i dont want to be stuck at home all week claiming benefits, if the council accept this idea i will be resigning from work and joining the sick and unwell not working as i will be better off finacially by more than £40 a month , it is an utter disgrace, the council can afford a £160,000pa cheif exec assistant job but they cant help the sick and elderly stay off benefits . Joke -on-Trent council take but never give anything back!!!”
by yamerama
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 9:29PM
“If the council are paying £100000 pa to bus firms for blind peoples travel there's a big scam going on somewhere. In fact, I wonder if all these figures are real. Yesterday we read that they are spending £100000 pa to maintain an empty building in Cheadle. Then we read that a 64ft length of bus lane in Huntbach St., Hanley had yielded over £300000 motorist fines. Whatever the figures, to target the blind and partially sighted is despicable. Who suggested this exactly? Are they human?”
by android789
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 3:37PM
“Why is this even been thought of, blind people especially have a difficult enough time of it as it is i should no as i am blind myself and use a specialist computer system to do all my work, sack the people who thought this up.”
by proudmamma
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 1:24PM
“Where do I sign a petition? What a diabolical idea.”
by davoknype
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 12:39PM
“The council should get rid of some of their bone idle workforce and overpaid fatcats before they cut support to the people who really need it.”