Petition · past parliament
Legislate to give wheelchair users priority access to bus wheelchair spaces
Closed
233 signatures
What the petition asks
Wheelchair users do not have lawful priority over other passengers for access to designated wheelchair spaces/bays on public buses.
There have been frequent and media reported cases of such persons being able to travel as other passengers refused to move. Legislation is required to address this.
There have been frequent and media reported cases of such persons being able to travel as other passengers refused to move. Legislation is required to address this.
Unlike passenger railway systems, persons in wheelchairs do not have priority access to wheelchair spaces provided on buses, despite this being the only safe space for a person in a wheelchair to travel.
Despite the recent Supreme Court case brought by Doug Paulley, bus drivers have no legal power to force other passengers to move, and can still only request that they do so.
This is detrimental to any person in a wheelchair and has a significant impact on travel.
Despite the recent Supreme Court case brought by Doug Paulley, bus drivers have no legal power to force other passengers to move, and can still only request that they do so.
This is detrimental to any person in a wheelchair and has a significant impact on travel.
Timeline
| 22 Mar 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 22 Sep 2018 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
233
Status
Closed
Opened
22 Mar 2018
Closed
22 Sep 2018
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.