HC Deb 19 April 1993 vol 223 cc24-5W
Ms Lynne

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the number of low floor buses for use by people with disabilities.

Mr. Freeman

Decisions on the purchase of buses are a matter for the commercial judgment of bus operators. However, the Government wish the merits of low-floor buses to be fully assessed. I have therefore allocated resources for a trial of such vehicles in North Tyneside. London Transport have also decided to purchase 68 low-floor buses at a cost of £8 million, the first of which will come into service shortly. Both these schemes will be monitored and the results made widely available.