Teeswide Safe Places Scheme
Hartlepool Council and the Tees Valley Authorities are committed to encouraging access to facilities in their communities via all transport options, with particular attention being paid to vulnerable members of society.
Teeswide safe places is a scheme operating across the Tees Valley, providing a safe place to anyone feeling unsafe or who may have experienced an incident during their journey.
Teeswide Safe Places provides:
- Somewhere safe and friendly
- Staff to understand and give reassurance
- Staff to listen and provide help and advice
- Make a phone call
- Provide information (bus timetables, bus numbers, directions or any information required by the individuals
For further information on the safe places in Hartlepool or around the Tees Valley, contact Passenger Transport Services on passengerts@hartlepool.gov.uk or click here.
Bridge Card
The Bridge Card has recently been relaunched in Hartlepool and is available to any individual who may require support whilst travelling on public transportWhen you show your bridge card to the driver, they will recognise that you may need extra help during your journey. This could be:
- Extra time to get to your seat
- Assistance with remembering which bus stop you get off the bus
- Help with knowing which bus you need
- Help with your fare or to count your money
- Use the bus features, i.e. ramp to access the vehicle
The card is free of charge and can be obtained from Passenger Transport Services at Passengerts@hartlepool.gov.uk.
English National Concessionary Fares Scheme (ENCTS)
Concessionary Fares scheme is also known as the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS). The scheme provides free travel entitlement on public transport between 09:30 and 23:00. There is also a Local enhancement to allow travel at a subsidised fare before 09:30, currently set at 30 pence per journey in the Tees Valley.
The Scheme is open to two broad categories of people eligible for a statutory concession: men and women who have attained the state pension age and eligible disabled people (where no age limits apply). Those applying on the grounds of disability must meet one of the categories detailed below:
- Is blind or partially sighted
- Is profoundly or severely deaf
- Is without speech
- Has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to walk
- Does not have arms or has long-term loss of the use of both arms
- Has a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of the mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning
- Would, if he or she applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have his/her application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness), otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
Applications for ENCTS travel passes must be made at the Civic Centre, Opening times:
- Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5:00pm
- Friday: 9am to 4:30pm
Successful applicants will have a pass posted to their address within ten working days.
Mobility Aids and Scooters
Mobility aids give a sense of freedom. They offer an excellent way of staying independent and give the user the ability to visit shops, friends and family. They are simple to use, easy to maintain and economical to run.
Classification of Mobility Aids
Three types of invalid carriage are defined in the Use of Invalid Carriage on Highways Regulations 1988:
Class 1 – Manual Wheelchairs
These wheelchairs are not electrically powered. You use your arms to move the wheelchair forward, or another person pushes you.
Class 2 – Powered Wheelchairs and Scooters
These are only suitable for riding on pavements or footpaths and have a top speed of 4 miles an hour (6 kilometres an hour)
Class 3 – Powered Wheelchairs and other Outdoor Powered Vehicles (including Scooters)
These are suitable for riding on roads, have a top speed of 8 miles an hour (12 kilometres an hour) and must not weigh more than 150 kilograms without the driver and any load. These also have a switch to limit the top speed to 4 miles an hour (6 kilometres an hour) on pavements or footpaths.
A Class 3 vehicle is not legally defined as a motor vehicle and the user does not need a driving licence or to take a test.
However, a Class 3 vehicle can only be used by a disabled person aged 14 or over, or by a person who is demonstrating a vehicle before selling it, training a disabled user, or taking a vehicle to or from a place for maintenance or repair.
For further information on the legal issues and safe use of mobility aids you can obtain the Integrated Transport Units ‘Mobility Aid’ leaflet or access the Dept for Transports guidance document below. Mobility Scooters and Powered Wheelchairs on the road: guidance for users
