There are no plans to incentivise operators to ensure their fleet are DDA-compliant, the government in Westminster has confirmed.
The news comes after Shadow Minister of Transport Daniel Zeichner MP (Labour, Cambridge) asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce financial incentives for bus and coach companies to bring forward capital investment in Passenger Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) compliant vehicles ahead of the deadline for compliance of January 2017.
Andrew Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport) responded: “By January 2017 all buses designed to carry over t22 passengers on local or scheduled services must comply with the PSVAR. Bus operators have had a long time to prepare for these new duties, and around 89% of vehicles are already compliant, compared to just 59% in 2009/10. We have no plans to introduce financial incentives ahead of the deadline.”
