Policy on PSVAR for coach and bus has occupied time, thought and column inches, but less often discussed is the reality on the ground for drivers.
Senior Traffic Commissioner (TC) Kevin Rooney – a pragmatic man – used a mock Public Inquiry (PI) at the recent UK Coach Operators Association conference to tell delegates that staff training on associated vehicle access equipment could be “the next bridge strike issue.”
One need not be Alan Turing to decode that as reference to the hard line taken by TCs on collisions with bridges. When one happens, call-up is highly likely. Mr Rooney looks to be hinting that complaint to authorities from a wheelchair user about accessibility failures due to a driver’s lack of training or willingness will bring the same.
A Scottish operator found that out after a disabled coach passenger encountered difficulties caused by training and access equipment problems. Deputy TC Hugh Olson took no action after those were tackled, but his decision makes clear that excuses do not wash.
Said before is how drivers may not be confident in using passenger lifts and securement devices. Words from Mr Rooney and Mr Olson show that will get short shrift from regulators. That is before reputational damage of any media coverage is considered.
Transport lawyer James Backhouse expects training around PSVAR to become a more common PI trigger. Most staff will use such access equipment infrequently. But the regulatory position is clear: if it is there, they must be able to use it. And perhaps that theory does not just apply where PSVAR is concerned.
