Many passengers who are less mobile can relate: traveling by public transport is not always easy. An entrance that is too high, a staircase, a passage that is too narrow: it creates additional obstacles.
Jan Meursing from Gieten knows this better than anyone. He is dependent on his wheelchair and on public transport, such as the bus. “But because of the high entry, I was dependent on a lift. A bus driver had to operate it for me. To do this, he had to leave his seat and get out, because the lift was built into the side door.”
Jan regularly felt bad because he caused delays. “I could often tell by the bus driver’s body language whether he was happy with me or not. He was often not happy.”
The Qliner was therefore not accessible to everyone. The Groningen Drenthe public transport agency took this into account. That is why the agency, together with Qbuzz, presented a new bus in Gieten today that is accessible to everyone.
“This bus has a low floor and a ramp at the entrance. This is folded out by the bus driver when necessary, so that anyone who is less mobile can board easily and quickly,” says Erwin Stoker of the Groningen Drenthe public transport agency. “There is also a wide seat for wheelchairs and the bus is fully electric.”
King’s Commissioner Jetta Klijnsma attended the ‘christening’ of the new bus. She has been advocating for accessible public transport for years. “I have had spastic legs all my life and travel a lot by public transport. People have to help me, because I cannot get there on my own. That is why it is a gift that you can now use this bus very easily.”
Gietenaar Meursing was approached by the engineers of the bus if he wanted to think about the design. “I gave advice about securing the wheelchair. They have used that system in this bus,” he beams.
Anyone traveling with the new Qliner should buckle up. “This bus drives a direct, fast route on the highway and often goes 100 kilometers per hour,” Stoker explains.
There will be 54 new accessible Qliners from the end of November. In Drenthe they operate on the Emmen-Stadskanaal, Groningen, Assen and Veendam routes.