Teaming up with Henshaws Specialist College for International Wheelchair Day

Did you know that the Harrogate Bus Company was the first transport operator in Yorkshire to introduce vehicles that feature not one, but two wheelchair spaces?

This International Wheelchair Day (March 1), we are reminded that for many young people, a wheelchair is a lifeline – and feeling confident getting around with it makes a world of difference.

To mark the day, the Harrogate Bus Company teamed up with Henshaws Specialist College to discuss the impact that two wheelchair spaces on buses have on the lives of their wonderful students and support staff.

Two wheelchair spaces boost confidence

“International Wheelchair Day is important because people need to know more about wheelchairs,” said Georgia, a 20-year-old student at Henshaws, with 26-year-old Elle adding that these days “raise awareness about wheelchairs and the lives of wheelchair users.”

The students told us that it can be particularly frustrating when they want to travel together, but have to split up because of a lack of available transport that can accommodate two wheelchairs at the same time.

The Harrogate Bus Company has been investing in two-space buses for several years, and as they boarded one of these state-of-the-art buses at Henshaws, the students were delighted to learn that they were able to travel together on the same vehicle.

“It is good because you can travel with a friend who also uses a wheelchair,” said Georgia – who was particularly pleased to know that they also had the single-decker bus all to themselves.

“It’s important that wheelchair users can access the community easily, and having an extra space means you and a friend can travel on the same bus together with two wheelchairs,” said Elle.

A member of the support staff added that having two wheelchair spaces gives both the students and their colleagues at the college more confidence to use buses.

The Harrogate Bus Company also provides free bus passes for Henshaws students and support staff, for the purpose of travel independence training and accessing the local community.

Accessibility on our state-of-the-art electric buses

We’re incredibly proud of how accessible and inclusive our buses are – especially since the vast majority of our vehicles feature two wheelchair spaces as standard.

Each bus includes a built-in wheelchair ramp for easy access, wheelchair-facing stop announcement screens, hearing loops for customers who require hearing aids, and audio next-stop announcements.

We also train our drivers to the highest standard – being taught by industry experts on situational awareness, best practice, and how to safely operate the access ramp.

By this Spring, parent company Transdev will be running a grand total of 70 vehicles across the North of England that feature two wheelchair spaces.

You can track your bus and buy mobile tickets on the Transdev Go app.

And if you need any support or information, our customer service team are always on hand to help. Just call on 01422 553 576 or email [email protected].