Dial-a-ride Delight As Fares Abolished
Valerie Shawcross, London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark has welcomed Mayor Ken Livingstone’s announcement that Dial-a-ride fares for elderly and disabled Londoners are to be scrapped in the New Year. Dial-a-ride provides a lifeline for those Londoners who are unable to use mainstream public transport due to mobility problems or other disability enabling them to maintain independence. 50,000 Londoners make use of the service to take trips that many take for granted, such as going shopping, visiting friends and relatives, attending doctors or hospital appointments and accessing education facilities. Val said ‘This is great news for Lambeth and Southwark Dial-a-ride users, who I have met with on a number of occasions. I know how vital this service is for people. Our older and disabled residents are keen to be independent but often have to survive on a low income, so a move like this, which makes travelling around free for them is a real boost. ‘This shows the Mayor’s great
commitment to opening up access to everything London has to offer to everyone,
regardless of age or disability. I hope that people will be encouraged
to use the service even more now that the cost has been dropped’.
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