Ms Anne Graham:

The customer would need to know the space is available for him or her when seeking to use the service. It is preferable currently to book in advance to ensure there is a vehicle with a wheelchair lift and that the seats have been removed so the vehicle can be accessed. We are not saying that is a good customer experience, by any means.

With regard to rail, because of the difference in height between the platform and the entrance to the carriage, a ramp is required. Again, the operator requires 24 hours' notice for intercity services but it has been able to reduce the notice period to four hours for DART and commuter services. Again, we are not saying that is the best customer experience and we would like to work with the operators. They, too, want to see improvements.

The new coaches we are putting into service with our operators regionally have low-floor entry from the front. The services still need to be booked in advance to ensure space is available and a bus is available on the service one wants to use. It is not the best service, by any means, but we are on a journey of improvements. The first aspect of this was improving the fleet and ensuring a more appropriate type of fleet for our wheelchair using customers.