Ms Anne Graham:

The Chair referenced the percentage of people with a disability. A proportion of them would be wheelchair users, but there is also a large percentage of people whose mobility would be impaired who may need a seat rather than necessarily use a wheelchair. If we were to provide a second wheelchair space in buses, we are taking seats away from those people who cannot use the stairs to access the upstairs of the bus, who need those seats located on the lower deck in order to be able to sit down during their journey. Unfortunately, it is about the balance of getting as much available for all the different abilities and disabilities. It is important to have seats as well as to have wheelchair accessible spaces.