Mobility scooter users across Greater Manchester are being offered the chance to try out buses at a city centre event next week.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has appointed Stagecoach to run replacement bus services during the Metrolink summer transformation starting Sunday 26 June.
Bus operator Stagecoach will be at Shudehill Interchange from 10am to 6pm on Wednesday 22 June to offer guidance and allow people to practise manoeuvring on a bus with their mobility scooter.
The event will allow Metrolink customers who don’t normally use buses to become familiar with the service.
174 Metrolink customers are already registered to use their mobility scooters on trams thanks to a successful scheme pioneered by TfGM, ShopMobility Manchester and their volunteers. TfGM officers will be on hand at Shudehill Interchange to answer any questions.
The Metrolink mobility scooter permit is not directly transferable to bus. This is due to the Metrolink permit scheme including more types of mobility scooters as larger scooter turning circles can be accommodated on trams.
Customers wishing to use the Metrolink replacement buses over the summer may need to register for a Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) mobility scooter permit.
Anyone who is not already registered for a CPT permit for bus use will be able to do so at the event. TfGM has written to all Metrolink permit holders to advise them of this.
TfGM Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: “We’re making sure we provide vital bus links during the summer Metrolink transformation works and we want as many people as possible to be able to use them.
“This event offers a great opportunity for people with a mobility scooter to try out the buses and ask us and the bus operator any questions they have about travelling on buses or trams.”
