WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2266/96 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Special public transport facilities for the disabled
Date: 1996-08-27
Institutions: European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: Italy, bus, equal treatment, facilities for people with disabilities, physically disabled person, public transport, technical regulations, transport safety, vehicle parts













EUR-Lex - 91996E2266 - EN






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91996E2266

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2266/96 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Special public transport facilities for the disabled  


Official Journal C 072 , 07/03/1997 P. 0022 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2266/96 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (27 August 1996)Subject: Special public transport facilities for the disabledIn Italy a disabled youth was recently forced to get off a public bus because neither the driver nor the bus were authorized to transport disabled persons. By his actions, the driver may have safeguarded the legal liability of the Milan municipal transport company, but he also highlighted a situation that is intolerable.In Milan, as in all Italian cities, there are no pubic transport facilities for the disabled.Does the Commission consider that it should provide for a requirement that all European cities be equipped with transport facilities of this kind? In addition, could a deadline be set by which cities without such special facilities would be required to introduce them?Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (15 October 1996)The response to the Honourable Member's question depends in part on whether the disabled person is a wheelchair user or not. The Italian law on social integration and the rights of disabled people of 17 February 1992 covers the right of equal treatment in all areas. Therefore the situation described by the Honourable Member should no longer exist.However, if he is a wheelchair user, the difficulty could have arisen because of safety requirements for wheelchair users travelling in buses other than urban low floor buses. These requirements involve devices for anchoring wheelchairs securely in high floor buses and minibuses and in interurban buses and coaches - for the safety of both wheelchair users and other passengers - and the Italian ministerial decree of 18 July 1991 stipulates this requirement for all buses designed to transport disabled people.The Commission is currently finalising a proposal for a directive on bus and coach construction standards. This will contain provisions providing for better accessibility for people of reduced mobility.The safety aspects for wheelchair users in low floor buses have been very carefully researched in the Cost 322 action on the low floor bus system. The Commission regrets that Italy declined the opportunity to join this project, and points out that low floor buses are now operating successfully in all the participating countries of that project (Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary and Switzerland). Moreover, the findings of this project have been used, inter alia, as an input to drawing up the draft directive on bus construction for standards mentioned above.However, although the Commission would urge the operators to equip themselves with low floor buses, this is clearly an area outside its direct competence. Whenever the directive enters into force, there will inevitably be a certain delay in low floor buses coming into service, as vehicle fleets are renewed.