Bus accessibility
Assistance Animals
Whilst most assistance animals are dogs, we do recognise that in a few cases assistance is provided by other animals. All references to dogs below also apply to other officially recognised assistance animals.
We want to make travelling easy for you, so we make sure that all recognised assistance animals travel for free on all First buses. These include:
- Guide dogs for the blind, including a guide dog in training with a registered puppy walker who has their ID card
- Hearing dogs for deaf people
- Disabled support dogs
- Canine partners for independence
Don’t hesitate to let the driver know if you are partially sighted or require assistance to identify your destination.
Buggies and Pushchairs
Boarding the bus
When your 'buggy friendly' bus arrives, you should lean the buggy onto its rear wheels, move the buggy forward and lower the front wheels onto the bus. You can ask the driver to lower the step if you need to. Do not try to board when the step is lowering, as you could trap your buggy's wheels between the step and the kerb.
On-board
- Make sure your buggy is in the special 'buggy zone' on board
- Apply the brakes and keep hold of your buggy at all times
- Never leave your child or buggy unattended whilst on board
- Don't hang shopping or other bags on your buggy, it could tip over.
Getting off the bus
- The first thing to remember is to make sure the bus has come to a complete stop before moving forward.
- Before attempting to get off the bus make sure that the bus is not in the process of lowering. This is to prevent your buggy’s wheels becoming trapped between the bus step and the kerb.
- When getting off the bus, lean your buggy back slightly on to its rear wheels and move forward until the rear wheels are at the edge of the step. Lower your buggy, keeping it as level as possible until the wheels make contact with the ground
- Remember, you can always ask the driver to lower the step for you
Unfortunately, there is limited space for buggies on board our buses. This can vary depending on the bus, the number of pushchairs and the size of them. If there are already buggies on board, the driver may ask you to fold it. Please help us make the trip safe for everyone and don't block the aisles or exits of the bus with your buggy or pushchair.
You may use the dedicated wheelchair space for your buggy but only if it is not required by a wheelchair user.
Of course, wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely. Non-wheelchair users, unlike wheelchair users, will normally have a choice about which part of the bus to sit or stand in.
Common decency and respect for wheelchair users should mean that other passengers make way for them. Passengers are urged to offer cooperation in allowing proper use of the designated wheelchair area.
If the wheelchair space is occupied with a buggy, standing passengers or otherwise full, and there is space elsewhere in the vehicle, the driver will ask that it is made free for a wheelchair user. Where a pushchair or buggy is occupying the space, the driver will ask that it is repositioned, moved to another part of the bus or folded and stored in the luggage space, where available.
If passengers do not respond to such a request, without good reason, and the bus is not full, the driver will advise passengers that they are required to move from the wheelchair space. The driver will consider other action such as not setting off from the stop until the situation is resolved.
Folding Bicycles
Folding bicycles are welcome on board our buses, however we do ask that you fold them and place them in an appropriate space. For everyone’s comfort and safely, we ask you to make sure they’re not blocking the aisles or access to any seats.
However there are instances when it may not be possible to accept folding bikes, for example:
- If there isn’t enough space on the bus
- When your folding bicycle could make the inside of the bus or its seats dirty, or could cause discomfort to other customers
Due to space and safety considerations, standard non-folding bicycles cannot be carried on our buses.
Low Floor Access
All First buses are built for easy-access, making it quicker and simpler for wheelchair users or people with pushchairs. With more bus stops now being adapted to be more accessible, it’s never been easier to travel.
Mobility Scooters
We have adopted the bus industry’s standard Mobility Scooter Code of Conduct. There is currently no legislation on the carriage of mobility scooters on local bus services. The Code is designed to be a clear and concise guide to the carriage of mobility scooters on local bus services, reducing confusion and uncertainty for users and helping to prevent situations of disagreement and conflict concerning accessibility. Please read The Code, and take the appropriate action before trying to take a mobility scooter onto one of our buses for the first time.
'Class 2' scooters with 3 or 4 wheels will be accepted provided they are no more than 600mm wide and 1000mm long, with a turning radius not exceeding 1200mm.
For further information or to arrange a training session to obtain a 'permit for travel' please contact us.
Please note that a valid permit can be used to take your scooter on board First buses even when issued by another operator.
Extra Help to Travel
We know that for some of our customers, travelling by bus can be a little daunting, so we’ve been working with many disability groups around the UK to design some journey assistance cards that you can show your driver as a way of discretely asking for a little extra help if you’d rather not ask them out loud.
For example, maybe you’re a little unsteady on your feet so need time to get to your seat before the driver pulls away from the stop or you lip read so need the driver to face you when they speak. Whatever the help you need, these little cards will either already have an appropriate message for you to use, or you can fill in one of the blank ones with your own request for help.
You can download our Extra Help to travel cards (Journey assistance cards) here.
If you don’t have access to a printer you can take a screen grab of the Extra Help To Travel card (Journey assistance card) on your mobile phone and show this to the driver instead.
Wheelchair Access
All our buses can accommodate at least one wheelchair and have one dedicated wheelchair space which is clearly signed. Other passengers may occupy this space when it is not required by a passenger in a wheelchair, but must give up this space for a wheelchair user.
When your low floor bus arrives at the bus stop the driver will lower the step and deploy the ramp to allow you to board, provided it is safe to do so.
Please ask the driver for assistance if you require any help.
Once you are on board, you should reverse your wheelchair into the dedicated area on board (so you are facing the back of the vehicle) and apply the brakes.
Aisles and gangways must be kept clear at all times.
Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely. Non-wheelchair users, unlike wheelchair users, will normally have a choice about which part of the bus to sit or stand in.
Common decency and respect for wheelchair users should mean that other passengers make way for them. Passengers are urged to offer cooperation in allowing proper use of the designated wheelchair area.
If the wheelchair space is occupied with a buggy, standing passengers or otherwise full, and there is space elsewhere in the vehicle, the driver will ask that it is made free for a wheelchair user. Where a pushchair or buggy is occupying the space, the driver will ask that it is repositioned, moved to another part of the bus or folded and stored in the luggage space, where available.
If passengers do not respond to such a request, without good reason, and the bus is not full, the driver will advise passengers that they are required to move from the wheelchair space. The driver will consider other action such as not setting off from the stop until the situation is resolved.
Please note that the driver has no power to compel passengers to move in this way and is reliant upon the goodwill of the passengers concerned. Unfortunately, if a fellow passenger refuses to move, the wheelchair user will need to wait for the next bus. If the bus is full or there is already a wheelchair user on board unfortunately we will not be able to carry another wheelchair user unless the bus has a second wheelchair space.
RNIB Charter
First has signed up to the RNIB Charter to assist passengers with vision impairment. This means that if you are waiting at a bus stop the driver will stop, unless you have clearly signalled that you do not want the bus to stop, and advise which route the vehicle is operating. Even if the bus is full, the driver will stop and advise that this is the case, giving an indication of how long you will have to wait for the next service.
If you require timetable information in an accessible format such as large print, Braille or a talking timetable, please get in contact with your local First operating company and they will arrange with RNIB to provide this for you.
