DISABLED campaigners have branded wheelchair access to buses as "disgraceful".

Darlington Association on Disability (DAD) is calling for a meeting with Arriva, Stagecoach and the town's borough council to discuss the situation.

Gordon Pybus, of the association and chairman of the Access Interest Group, said: "There is a general misconception that low floor bus means wheelchair accessible bus. This is not the case.

"While there are some wheelchair accessible buses which run between Darlington and Barnard Castle and Spennymoor, there are none whatsoever which run in the town itself."

"The only form of public transport open to wheelchair users in the town are wheelchair accessible taxis, and that can prove to be very expensive."

He claimed Darlington Borough Council should, like Durham County Council, subsidise bus companies to provide wheelchair ramps.

Mr Pybus said: "Although we know that all new buses purchased by bus companies, have to by law, be accessible for wheelchair users, we have been told that because the fleet of buses in Darlington is so new, it could be years before they are replaced with the new wheel chair friendly buses."

A spokeswoman for Darlington council said the authority was not in a financial position to pay for ramps on buses.

She said: "We are working with Darlington Association on Disability and the bus companies to make public transport as available as we can for wheelchair users."

Steve Burd, a director at Arriva, said it had spent £3.5m over the past four years on new buses in Darlington.

He added: "Therefore we are not able to replace all of the buses in the town quickly. It could be several years before we were able to provide all wheelchair friendly buses in the town.

"One option would be for Darlington Borough Council to help fund the ramps through leaving their pavement lowering scheme, and paying for the ramps.