LEEDS, UK, 2015-5-19 — /Travel PR News/ — BUS users on First Leeds services can now benefit from accessible services across the network following an announcement made by the operator today.
With the last “step-entrance” Volvo Olympian bus donated to Keighley Bus Museum, First Leeds’ network of 400 buses now all provide low-floor, accessible service. The move has been welcomed by Bus Users UK who joined the celebration in Leeds today.
The move also means that every First Leeds bus service provides wheelchair accessibility with kneeling suspension, a ramp facility and wheelchair area. The accessible buses provide a more spacious area and allows bus users to get on and off the bus more easily. This makes it easier for all customers including parents with pushchairs.
The improvement for customers has been possible through significant vehicle investment, the most recent buses introduced on route 49 in late 2014 with 18 double deck buses at a cost of £3.5m. The new buses feature luxury interiors designed to make the bus journey as relaxing as possible with features such as increased legroom and leather seats as well as low emission engines.
Bob Dorr, Business Manager for First in Leeds said, “We’re delighted to announce that our customers can now enjoy low-floor, accessible services on every First Leeds bus across our network.
“With great value fares and an extensive network, the donation of our last step entrance bus in Leeds now guarantees low-floor services providing better accessibility for all our customers across every First Leeds route. I’m sure this will help attract even more customers to use bus services in Leeds by providing a real alternative to the car.”
Claire Walters, Chief Executive of Bus Users said “We welcome First’s achievement in making their buses more accessible, particularly to wheelchair and pushchair users. We look forward to seeing all buses being this accessible to all their passengers.”
Iain Simpson, Company Secretary of the Keighley Bus Museum Trust said, “I’m very grateful to First for donating the last step-entrance First Leeds bus to the Museum. Due to the investment in new buses by First, customers in Leeds can take advantage of the accessible bus network and also visit our Museum to see a range of buses that have made up the history of services across West Yorkshire.”
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- FirstGroup plc is the leading transport operator in the UK and North America with revenues of more than £6.7 billion. Our services help to create strong, vibrant and sustainable local economies. During the last year around 2.5 billion people relied on us to get to work, to education, to visit family and friends and much more and, each day, every one of our 117,000 employees works hard to deliver vitally important services for our passengers.
- UK Bus – FirstGroup is one of Britain’s largest bus operators with around a fifth of bus services outside London. A fleet of some 6,400 buses carries approximately 1.6 million passengers a day in a huge number of communities including 40 of the UK’s largest towns and cities. We operate some US-style yellow school buses and have a fleet of coaches available for charter. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
- Bus Users is an independent group which champions the interests of bus and coach users and campaigns for better bus and coach services. They have the ear of all the major bus companies and a lot of the smaller ones too, of their trade organisation and of the Government and local authorities. Bus Users operates a complaints appeals service for bus users who are dissatisfied with the response they have had from bus companies, and runs events for bus users to meet their local bus company management and local authority staff.
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Pictured left to right: Bob Dorr, Business Manager, First Leeds; Victoria Walker, Bus Users; Iain Simpson, Keighley Bus Museum; Jeff Howarth, Bus Driver in Leeds with 39 years service who has driven both buses