A FLEET of 24 "pram-friendly" buses are set to be introduced on some of the city's busiest routes.
Lothian Buses will be replacing all the buses on the 22 route, which serves Leith Walk and Princes Street, this autumn with the new design, which has space for a pram or buggy as well as a wheelchair.
The company will also be ordering another 26 n
ew buses this year, but has not confirmed how many will feature the new design.
If the trial is successful, around half the buses will have the extra space within the next three years.
The move comes after more than 2,000 people signed a petition criticising the company's decision to impose a ban on non-folding prams to keep wheelchair spaces free.
It was the only firm in Scotland to operate such a ban, claiming it was in line with the Disability Discrimination Act. The company has also been criticised for its ban on mobility scooters, as reported by the Evening News yesterday.
The Scottish Parliament called on Lothian Buses to find a compromise earlier this year and three of Edinburgh's leading disability charities wrote an open letter calling for a solution to be found.
Ian Coupar, marketing manager at Lothian Buses, said the new buses had almost been completed. They will be shipped over from Northern Ireland in the next few months.
He said: "They're being built as we speak. We'll know in the next couple of weeks when the first ones are finished. They'll be coming in this autumn. We've made quite significant changes to the inside, so they need to get certified by the Department of Transport. It's not just as simple as taking the seats out."
The company has not yet decided which other routes to replace the buses on this year. He said it would take into account the popularity of routes in deciding whether to use the new buses.
Some of them, such as airport buses, will be unsuitable for the new design.
Campaigner Catriona Black, 35, from Willowbrae Road, who gave birth to a baby daughter last week, said she was delighted by the news.
She said: "We've been looking forward to this. We're totally confident it will show that there's a great demand out there. There are a lot of new mothers who are totally dependent on buses.
"I think it's a great idea for a trial to concentrate on a certain route. People using those buses can be confident they can get on with their pram.
"It's important to involve disabled people and parents in reviewing this trial."
Lothians MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville, who championed the cause in the Scottish Parliament, also welcomed the news. She said: "It shows Lothian Buses have been listening to the mothers.
"I hope that mums and other carers are encouraged to use the bus. We have an award-winning bus service in Edinburgh that should be available to all."
The full article contains 500 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
