DISABLED people are being put at risk by a rule where only one wheelchair is allowed on a bus at a time, a Glasgow MSP has said.

Pam Duncan-Glancy, Glasgow Labour MSP, told of an experience where she and her husband had to travel home at night on separate buses, leaving her feeling “scared” when she got off the bus.

The MSP said there is not enough accessible transport in the city leading to a reliance on taxis with disabled access.

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She told the Scottish Parliament of the experience she and her husband had in Glasgow recently.

She said: “I am unable to travel on the same bus as my partner, because we both use wheelchairs.

“Three months ago, late at night, when we were returning home after a light lemonade in town, we had to split up and get on separate buses.

“As we travelled home separately, I was followed off the bus by a man, who proceeded to ask me detailed questions about my impairment and where I lived.

“I had to wait 20 minutes, on my own, with a strange man, until the next bus came with my partner on it.

“I was frightened and, instead of going home happy after a night out, I went home scared and angry.

“Other countries do not have that rule of one wheelchair user in each bus, so we must urgently address the issue in Scotland.”

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The MSP said bus fares were expensive in Glasgow which was another barrier.

She said during the past five years, bus fares in the Glasgow region have gone up twice as fast as the average across the UK, while bus usage has plummeted.

She said: “People in Glasgow are paying among the highest fares in Scotland. A two-mile journey with First Glasgow costs £2.60, whereas it costs only £1.80 to travel across Edinburgh, where buses are council owned."

A cap on fares should be introduced, she said, similar to schemes in Manchester and Liverpool.

The MSP added: “Disabled people across Glasgow are being let down by a lack of accessible public transport – we can’t access the subway, and we can’t travel together on buses – it’s putting us at risk.

“I am very grateful to be able to rely on Glasgow’s black cab industry as the only truly accessible form of transport in the city, but not only is this an expense many disabled people cannot afford - and shouldn’t have to – the future of Glasgow’s black cabs is also under threat.”

A spokesperson for First Bus Scotland said: “The interior design of all buses in use today must comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (commonly referred to as PSVAR) which state that they must have one dedicated wheelchair space. 

“Since 2012 the buses we have bought include a separate buggy space, which reduces the risk of conflict where a passenger with a pushchair or buggy wishes to travel without folding this up, and a passenger in a wheelchair wishes to travel. 

"We have also worked with vehicle manufacturers to redesign bus interiors, to allow this buggy space to become a “dual purpose” wheelchair or buggy space, but this is not always possible due to the arrangement of the vehicle components. 

"Nevertheless, this revised interior layout should be possible for many of the vehicles we are purchasing in future.”