YELLOW Buses said it hopes for better infrastructure on Bournemouth's Westover Road following an incident in which a wheelchair user was denied access to a bus due to a low kerb.

The individual was attempting to use the ramp to get onto a bus one evening last week, but because the kerb seemed to be lower where the bus had stopped it meant he could not board.

This resulted in the gradient of the ramp being too steep for the person to access the bus and he had to try to find an alternative bus, with Yellow Buses hoping for better infrastructure as a result of the incident.

Simon Newport, commercial director for Yellow Buses told the Echo: “We do sincerely apologise to the customer that was unable to board the vehicle at Westover Road.

“We work closely with BCP Council who are responsible for the roadside infrastructure.

“We hope to see improvements in infrastructure on Westover Road in the near future. We will raise the information about this incident with our council colleagues ”

Bus services were rerouted during June 2020 to allow for greater space at Gervis Place so people could socially distance with greater ease during the pandemic.

In a statement provided to the Echo by BCP they have insisted that wheelchair access should have not been impacted.

A BCP spokesperson told the Bournemouth Echo said: “This move should not have affected access for wheelchair users as the kerb arrangement is similar to Gervis Place, allowing boarding via the vehicle ramp from the kerb.

“We are therefore in discussion with Yellow Buses to determine why this was not possible, on this occasion.”

The statement from the council added that the changes to bus routes are here to stay and services will remain in operation from Westover Road.

The spokesperson added in their statement to the Echo: “Overall, the new bus stops on Westover Road are working well and following discussion with the bus operators, the council is seeking to make this a permanent arrangement, with new shelters provided.”

Mr Newport added that Yellow Buses does ask staff to help those less able to move around as much as possible while using their transport services.

He continued: “We ask our staff to help those less able to move around including wheelchair users as much as they can when boarding and alighting our buses without putting themselves at risk, and we have advised our staff of the legal requirements regarding wheelchair users."