On The Buses

Hello dear readers!

You join me this week, in a state of mildly excited anticipation, a state that will probably only build as the day wears on.

I start my new job tomorrow!

Yes, finally, after what seems like millennia spent waiting for the bewildering amount of checks to finally be completed (see here) the day has arrived. This time tomorrow I will be an honest(ish), hard(ish),working, contributing member of society once more.

Of course there’s still plenty to be done before tomorrow... and I have the small matter of public transport nagging at the back of my mind.

Posh Pants
First of all, however there’s clothing to consider. Having been out of work for three months now, it’s probably understandable that any semblance of work attire has found itself firmly relegated to the back of drawers while my frankly magnificent collection of T-shirts has come to the fore. The same can be said for the smarter end of my trouser range which was replaced by combats and trackie bottoms faster than than Usain Bolt changes back into his training gear on a particularly nippy evening at the north pole invitational games.

That’s on the days I deign to put trousers on, you understand. (And now your wondering, aren’t you?)

I am led to believe that my new workplace has a slightly more conservative dress code however, so tomorrow will see me smart and almost professional. I might even break out a tie. If I can remember how to tie a Windsor knot.

So, sufficiently suited, booted, and, hopefully, caffienated, it only remains to get to my new workplace. This is not as straight forward as one may think.

An Uphill Struggle

Alright that may be just a bit strong. I have managed the trip on one previous occasion, namely when I went for the interview, and although the trip did not pass without incident (see here), I got there at the right time, on the right day, with no loss of life or limb, and my relationship with my wife miraculously intact. I was even granted a parking space for the morning in the compact and bijou car park directly outside the office.

And therein lies the rub.

It seems that I have secured a similar space for tomorrow, and hopefully for the rest of the first week. The limited spaces on offer mean that I may not be guaranteed this on an ongoing basis however. This would result in me either parking in a local NCP car park and suffering an admittedly shortish but decidedly uphill trundle to the office, or... investigating some alternative mean of getting there.

Now public transport and I do not always get on all that well. The situation is improving. Things are nowhere near where they used to be but they still are far from ideal for a wheelchair user. For instance there is a handily located train station not too far from Seated Perspective Towers. I’m pretty sure there’s a corresponding station in Bradford, where I will be working, too. So that works out well. Getting between the two… Well, unfortunately that is impossible.

The Train Strain

Don’t get me wrong, there is a regular service that runs that way. I’m even assured that occasionally trains arrive something approaching on time. The difficulty is that the platform I would need to reach to begin this journey is only, and I repeat, only, accessible up an impressively long and steep flight of stairs. If I wanted to head the other way, towards Manchester, then I would have not one single issue (apart from wanting to go towards Manchester perhaps). The platform on that side is lovely and accessible; a gentle and ramped slope leading as it does to it’s gateway to the world (and Manchester). I could head in that direction and turn around at the next station but that adds time. Waiting and a heck of a lot of kerfuffle to my morning. Not really Ideal.

So, that brings us, as the title of the post might suggest, to that other bastion of public transport, namely the great British bus.

I’m reasonably new to buses. They used to be a no-go service for disabled people. A pole in the doorway pretty much barring entry for people of the seated persuasion, although I may have struggled aboard once or twice with the aid of friends and a generous amount of alcohol. (sponsoring bad decisions since… well, forever.) The pole has been removed these days though and the buses even hunker down a bit to allow easier access. Really, apart from my inability to understand why they don’t go exactly where I want them to go, and why they choose such torturous routes to get there, there’s nothing stopping me hopping (hopping?) aboard a bus from just outside my house to the bus station that practically adjoins my workplace.

Apart from one that is.

Time &  Tide

Employers of all stripes tend to be quite keen on you turning up on time for your shift. They can get a bit annoyed if you don’t, especially if it becomes something of a habit. This probably goes double for call centre staff, maybe even treble. Imagine then, if you will, your friendly neighbourhood seated person waiting patiently for the bus to work. He has allowed himself more than sufficient time to get there and, with a little luck, might be able to grab a pre-shift coffee. The bus even turns up on time, which is a bonus… And then things go a bit wrong.

Maybe not quite that wrong.

You see, on this particular bus is a lady with a pushchair, one that will not fold down. This means the only accessible spot on the bus is already taken and I will be forced to wait for the next one. Bye bye coffee. Bye bye starting on time. Hello interesting chat with annoyed boss.

Scenarios like this are a rather large issue, especially for those disabled people who don’t or can’t drive. The renovation on public transport promised so much. It opened the potential for a much fuller, more independent life for wheelchair users, and to a degree it has achieved this.

The Moral Minority
The picture painted above is not entirely unusual however and it holds within it a moral dilemma. At the moment someone has to lose out and it would be the same if thee roles in our little hypothetical were reversed. Something similar has happened to people I know. It’s happened to me. It’s even something that has recently been addressed in the courts (see here).

For my money it isn’t fair for anyone to lose out and the only real way to solve the problem is an overhaul in the transport system itself. Breath holding is not advised regarding this due to the risk of going purple in the face and falling over.

For now, at least I have the car. At least I know I have a decent chance of making it in on time tomorrow. Others however… well I can only wish them luck.

Until next time...

Thoughts? Comments? Things you'd like to see me cover? Just pop a comment below. Thanks for reading.