Student left stranded by Glider buses settles disability discrimination case

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

A student who uses an electric wheelchair has settled a disability discrimination case against Translink after she was carried past her stop several times while travelling on the Glider bus service.

The case brought by Rosie Pidgeon, supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, was settled for £7,500 with no admission of liability.

Miss Pidgeon said she regularly travels on the Glider to and from her college course at Millfield campus in Belfast.

She said that to disembark, she needs to press a specific blue bell, while the Glider is moving, to alert the driver to lower the ramp at the next stop.

Since beginning her commute in 2022, Miss Pidgeon said that on various occasions, drivers have failed to deploy the ramp.

She said she has been unable to signal to the driver that the ramp has failed to deploy as the bell does not ring once the bus has stopped.

Without the ramp, she is unable to disembark and said she had been carried on past her destination on some occasions. She says she been left stranded at Dundonald Park and Ride where the Glider terminates.

Miss Pidgeon said: “I value my independence and just want to be able to travel to and from college without any worry or stress.

“Being carried past my stop is distressing, and exhausting.

“It leaves me late for class or I arrive home completely dispirited.

“Due to my disability, which I acquired as a result of Covid, it takes a long time for me to recover from each incident.”

She added: “I have raised complaints with Translink and explained the toll it takes on me.

“They did carry out investigations and previously apologised, but it continued to happen.

“I felt I had no choice but to pursue this case. I want to make sure that all wheelchair users can use the Glider with confidence.”

Eoin O’Neill, director of legal services at the Equality Commission said: “All transport providers in Northern Ireland have duties under the Disability Discrimination Act in relation to the provision and use of the vehicles they provide.

“This includes making ‘reasonable adjustments’ to take away or overcome elements in their services which present barriers to disabled people.

“The Glider has a system to alert the driver to deploy the ramp.

“All drivers must be fully trained in ensuring the ramp is deployed when requested and made aware of the potential impact on their disabled passenger if they fail to do so.”

He added: “Many people with disabilities rely on public transport to go about their daily lives.

“They must be able to board at the stop of their choosing and disembark where they need to.”

Ian Campbell, Translink’s director of service operations, said the company apologised for any hurt and distress caused.

He added: “We are dedicated to making our services and facilities accessible and inclusive for everyone, recognising the importance of this in enabling more people to live independent and productive lives.

“To better accommodate passengers who use wheelchairs, we have introduced changes to our procedures that will improve the consistency of service provided to our customers particularly when boarding and alighting Glider vehicles.

“Additionally, we have provided refresher training to further strengthen our procedures.

“We will continue to invest in our facilities, services and staff training as part of our ongoing accessibility programme.

“We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the Equality Commission and will continue to work closely with key stakeholders to understand the needs of people with disabilities, ensuring a positive customer experience for all.”