Support group People with Disabilities in Ireland (PwDI) has called on Bus Éireann to account for its decision to purchase 60 new expressway vehicles which are not wheelchair-accessible.
PwDI said it told the bus company and the Department of Transport of the availability of wheelchair-accessible coaches last February, before Bus Éireann signed a €16 million contract for the new vehicles.
PwDI's Stephen McWhite said he met Bus Éireann personnel at a meeting of the department's Public Transport Advisory Committee and told them of the availability of such buses.
Mr McWhite said he was "shocked, surprised and disappointed" when he read in The Irish Times yesterday that the company had selected new coaches which were not accessible to people in wheelchairs.
Mr McWhite said the decision ran contrary to the Government's transport policy "Transport for All".
He added that access to public transport was a major issue for people with disabilities, particularly as it impacted greatly on access to employment.
"The lack of access is one of the primary impediments to people with disabilities playing an equal role in society. This decision by Bus Éireann will effectively deprive people with disabilities from enjoying the same travel opportunities as the rest of the community for many years to come," he said.
"This decision has been taken at a time when the Department of Transport's motto is 'Transport for All' and in an era when the Government says disability is a priority under the national disability strategy."
Mr McWhite has now called for Bus Éireann to account for the decision. "This is an incredible development" he said. "PwDI, through its involvement in the Public Transport Advisory Committee, made it abundantly clear to Bus Éireann and the department, that wheelchair-accessible coaches are the norm in many countries.
"For example, in New York, 70 per cent of the Coach USA fleet is accessible. Coach USA is one of the largest coach firms in North America. Accessible coaches are also manufactured in the UK."
Bus Éireann city bus services in Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway are wheelchair-accessible. Expressway services use coaches which are designed for passengers travelling longer journeys, with a higher level of seating, significant capacity for luggage under the floor and bigger engines.
The order for the new buses was placed with international bus builder Scania, which does offer a wheelchair-accessible coach although Bus Éireann did not opt for this vehicle.
The new vehicles are Scania Irizar PB coaches. The vehicle was "Coach of the Year" in 2004.
