The ongoing case about wheelchair users rights on public transport buses has progressed further today. The case is being brought by a man from Wetherby, near Leeds in West Yorkshire. Mr Doug Paulley was denied use of the wheelchair space on a First Group bus because it was already occupied by a young mother with a sleeping baby in a buggy.
The bus company in the spotlight is FirstGroup, who have a policy of requesting but not requiring able-bodied travelers to vacate the space for wheelchair users.
The supreme court will soon rule whether wheelchair users get priority over mothers with baby buggies on buses after judges overruled the decision originally stating that it was not discriminatory and so will now go before the most senior judges in the land for a final hearing. The appeal judges rejected Mr Paulley's claim of unlawful discrimination.
Last year Mr Paulley attempted to board a bus that displayed a sign saying: 'Please give up this space if needed for a wheelchair user.' However, under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, a judge at Leeds County Court ruled the policy was discriminatory and in breach of a duty .
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