Does TfL issue bus operators with a standard procedure for bus drivers to deal with wheelchair ramp faults? If so, will you provide this procedure to me?

Checking the accessibility ramp is part of the first-use checks undertaken by the bus driver before a bus leaves the garage, specified in the 2019 edition of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Big Red Book, which is bus drivers’ instruction manual. This instructs drivers to report any problem and to arrange for the bus to be repaired or substituted before leaving the garage.

In the rare event that the ramp should fail when the bus is in service, drivers are directed to contact their garage immediately so that the problem can be fixed, or the bus substituted at the earliest opportunity. If this happens when a person requiring the ramp is on board, the driver is advised to contact the garage for advice, and to discuss options with the customer as the solution will differ based on circumstances.

Bus operators have further safety obligations concerning accessibility ramps stipulated by the Department for Transport’s Traffic Commissioner in relation to the Public Service Vehicle operator licence they hold.