Issued jointly by the Disability Rights Commission, CalMac and the CalMac Users Committee

Ticket purchases for ferry travel in the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Area (SPT) will now be easier for disabled people, following an agreement between the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), Caledonian MacBrayne Users Committee (CMUC) and Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) Ltd.

Rothesay resident Barbara Booth contacted the DRC after the ferry company stopped issuing return concessionary tickets to disabled passengers on its Wemyss Bay / Rothesay service and the other 14 routes in the SPT Area last October.

This meant that Mrs Booth, who has severe mobility problems, could get a single ticket leaving Rothesay but was unable to get a return ticket. Given the nature of train and ferry timetables, sometimes there was not enough time for Mrs Booth to reach the Wemyss Bay ferry ticket office when travelling as a foot passenger, making it difficult to buy her ticket for the return leg of her journey in the time available.  This meant she then had to negotiate stairs down to the ticket office on the ferry when travelling as a foot passenger.

Following discussions between the CMUC, the DRC, SPT and CalMac the ferry operator will now introduce of concessionary return tickets at Wemyss Bay , and Rothesay along with the other 14 routes in the SPT area. The change will come into effect from Sunday (19 October) when CalMac’s winter timetable begins.

Ticket offices are also being opened later to allow tickets to be bought at sailing times as part of a move towards a wider policy of on-shore ticketing, which will mean that the issue of negotiating stairs to reach a ticket office, when not using a car should not arise.

Lynn Welsh, Scottish solicitor with the Disability Rights Commission, said: “We are delighted that this issue has been resolved. It is great to see CalMac make this policy change which will benefit many disabled people, who have the same rights as the rest of us to use these services which are a lifeline for many communities.”

Mrs Booth said: “I welcome this change in policy – I’m glad CalMac and the Disability Rights Commission have managed to get this sorted out at last. Sometimes to get a ticket on the boat you had to get down a steep flight of stairs, which was impossible for me.”

Mike Lunan, CMUC convenor, said “Having raised the issue of concessionary tickets at several meetings with CalMac, we are pleased that they have not only listened but acted on our representations. This change will not only benefit disabled passengers but other holders of concessionary tickets, such as the elderly”.

Bill Main, Chair of Caledonian MacBrayne's Disability Steering Group, said: "Obviously, the difficulty encountered on some routes in the SPT area was an issue we wanted to address at the earliest opportunity and we have now done that to everyone's satisfaction. We were pleased to work with the SPT, whose concession scheme this is, along with the CalMac Users Committee (CMUC) and Disability Rights Commission (DRC) to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

"CalMac recognises the inconvenience faced by disabled passengers in reaching ticket offices down stairs when travelling as foot passengers, particularly on older vessels. However, this is now being addressed through the design of new ships and on-shore ticketing.  The assistance of crew members is also offered at all times.

 “The company's Disability Steering Group has been set up to address issues such as these and we will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the changes. The enhancements we have been making to our customer services, including the move to more on-shore ticketing, and the highlighting of assistance offered to disabled through our literature has enabled us to deliver benefits for everyone.

“We will continue to work together with appropriate organisations to improve matters and we are meeting with Mobility and Access Committee Scotland (MACS) this month to consider the implications of current and future legislation.”

Notes to news Editors : See Page 3 below

DRC

·        Transport is currently excluded from the Disability Discrimination Act. However the DRC believes that ticketing is an ancillary service covered by Part III of the DDA. Under the Act, service-providers have a duty to change policies, practices or procedures which make it impossible or unreasonably difficult to use the service

·        The Disability Rights Commission is an independent body established by an Act of Parliament in April 2000 to enforce the rights of disabled people.  The DRC has offices in Edinburgh , London , Manchester and Cardiff . It employs around 180 staff and has 15 Commissioners, 10 of whom are disabled 

• The Disability Rights Commission’s role in Scotland is to work with all organisations to ensure that the one in seven Scots who are disabled can participate equally in our society.   We run a confidential Helpline for both service providers and individuals to provide information about the law, as well as conciliation and legal services. The Helpline can be contacted on 08457 622 633.

Please contact: Carol Stewart Media & PR Officer, DRC Scotland on 0131 444 4350 or 0131 444 4300 (outside office hours on 07776 171278).

CMUC

·        CMUC is a sister organisation to the Rail Passengers’ Committee (RPC) – Scotland.  It was set up by statute to represent the interests of all users (foot, vehicular and freight) of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd (“CalMac”) services in the Hebrides and Clyde areas.   CMUC comprises members from throughout Scotland , and currently includes regular ferry users resident in Arran, Barra, Bute, Colonsay, Cowal, and Lismore, a wheelchair user and the master of a (non-CalMac) cross-channel vehicle ferry.   This broad base of membership, appointed after public advertisement and a rigorous assessment process, gives access to very relevant experience of ferry services.

·        CMUC has two principal tasks.  First, to pursue complaints on behalf of users of CalMac ferry services who feel that their initial complaint to the company itself has not been adequately dealt with.   Second, to carry out research on ferry services and their integration into the transport network as a whole, and to make representations to CalMac, the Scottish Executive and any other relevant party with a view to improving the travel experience.   Much of this work is carried out behind the scenes, but the Committee holds a series of public meetings across Scotland each year where CalMac senior management is questioned by CMUC and the public about its policies and practices.

Please contact: Robert Samson, Secretary, CMUC on 0141 221 7760 (outside office hours 0719 656469).CMUC, 5^th Floor, Corunna House, 29 Cadogan Street, GlasgowG2 7AB.

For further information on the contents of this News Release on behalf of CalMac, please contact Hugh Dan MacLennan, Public Affairs Manager, Caledonian MacBrayne.

Tel: 0776 435 4021; e-mail hugh.maclennan@calmac.co.uk

Issued:  Tuesday, October 14, 2003