WHEELCHAIR user John Watkins is campaigning for a regular low-floored bus service from Calne to enable disabled and elderly people to get out of town.

Stagecoach currently operates one low-floored bus on its Calne to Swindon run, but because it does not always run at the same time, the less able have to take pot luck on whether they will be able to get out of Calne for shopping and other errands.

Mr Watkins, of Braemor Road, who is the chairman of the Calne Access For All Group, wrote to Wiltshire County Council, which is responsible for public transport services, to complain, but his efforts have brought little success.

"The bus either turns up or it doesn't," he said. "Disabled people are experiencing all sorts of problems because they don't know whether they can use the bus service or not. It just isn't good enough."

The county council's passenger transport manager Ian White said: "The Disability Discrimination Act does not specifically require low floor vehicles to be used on any particular service."

"It is the view of the county's legal adviser that neither the bus company nor Wiltshire County Council could be open to challenge for not agreeing to guarantee to provide a low floor bus on particular journeys or providing information as to whether or not a low floor bus could be provided on a particular service."

Mr White said the council had applied for Government funds for improvements to bus shelters and kerbside access as a way of encouraging bus companies to invest in new, disabled-friendly vehicles."