Hucknall woman pleads with county council not to end her free tram travel

Emma Donaldson, aged 36, lives on Watnall Road and has a rare illness that forces her to use a wheelchair.

And she says she finds the tram the best way to travel as a wheelchair user.

But now, Nottinghamshire Council has started a public consultation that could see free travel for concessionary pass holders come to an end.

The consulation has a number of options that the council could look at and people can take part in it at nottinghamshire.gov.uk/transport/public-transport/concessionary-travel/tram-concessionary-pass-consultation.

These include revised tram travel arrangements such as introducing a half-fare payment, withdrawing the scheme for everyone except disabled passholders and their companions and withdrawing free tram travel for all passholders.

But Emma says this will massively impact her and many other disabled people like her, as well as the elderly.

She said: “The tram has been my absolute lifeline since day one, I’m a permanent wheelchair user and I can’t use the tram ticket machines so if I can’t use my pass, it’s game over for me.

"The tram is far more comfortable than the bus, mainly because of the state of the roads, and if I’ve got a hospital appointment at QMC, for example, it takes me straight there.

"People like me are probably the people using the tram the most, because it takes us to places like QMC where we often need to go and so if we lose that free travel, it’s going to ruin a lot of people’s independence.

"With buses, you have to get the ramp down to get on or off, whereas you can just roll on with a tram.

“And you can’t get a direct bus to QMC from Hucknall and you can on a tram.”

There is also the option to continue with tram concession arrangements as they are – and that’s the option Emma wants them to take.

She said: “Let’s hope that happens but I’m fearful it won’t.

"Having looked at the figures, I don’t think it will be a lot of money they’d be saving by ending free travel for people like me.”

Speaking when the consultation was announced, Coun Neil Clarke (Con), cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “As a Travel Concession Authority (TCA), we have a duty to provide free travel on local bus services for holders of a valid English national concessionary travel pass.

“Access to transport is just one of the ways we hope to achieve a healthy, prosperous and greener future for Nottinghamshire residents and alongside our statutory duty, we also currently support passholders by offering extra entitlements.

“These entitlements mean that passholders have access to free travel on the tram, a companion travel facility attached to passes issued for certain severe disabilities and free travel for disabled pass holders on Section 19 minibus services in the county.

“The costs of these additional measures are funded entirely by the council, and due to the current cost of the tram concessionary offer, we want to seek the views of residents and pass holders to make sure that our future offer best suits their needs.