BUS bosses have been widely condemned for a ‘cut too far’ after announcing they are to scrap most of the wheelchair-friendly buses to the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Instead double deckers, which are difficult to access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, will be used for the number two service.

Council leaders, the opposition, disabled groups and people with mobility problems joined together to criticise the ‘crazy decision’ by Lancashire United.

Hospital chiefs are also to raise their concerns in a meeting with the firm.

The announcement comes days after the Lancashire United announced changes to every bus route in Blackburn and Darwen in a bid to save £1million.

To raise cash, bus chiefs are selling a number of their 25 state-of-the-art single-decker buses which have the ability to lower to kerb level.

Despite the need to cut costs, commercial director David Wilson said the high-demand for the hospital service meant a double decker would better cope with the number of passengers.

But critics said the firm should instead buy more single deckers, not take the ‘backward step’.

David Crossley, 63, who uses a mobility scooter, of Blackburn, said: “I wouldn’t be able to get up the steps, and the double decker buses have less room downstairs forcing people to go upstairs.

“If they reduced the number of low floor buses then I would have to get a taxi.

“They are now making it very difficult for people with mobility problems or pram users to use get on the bus.”

Ruth Carter, of the Blackburn And Darwen Disabled Access Group, who uses the number two bus route regularly, said: ”You would have thought that it would have been common sense to make sure the buses going to the hospital would have disabled access.

“There are some people who are in wheelchairs who use the bus service regularly and this will affect how they get to hospital and into town.”

Bob Simpson, also from the disabled access group, said the move was ‘like moving back to the dark ages’.

He said: ”It is not only wheelchair users who will struggle. It will be people with young children, the elderly and the infirm.”

Trevor Jackson, 46, of Lower Darwen, a stroke sufferer who is now wheelchair bound, said: ”If the I can’t use the bus I will have rely on the community bus and taxis. I think it is disgusting that they would even think to remove the buses from the route.”

Coun Kate Hollern, leader of the Labour group on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said it was a ‘crazy decision’.

She said: "It's an absolute nonsense.

"The council and the bus company need to get their acts together. This is a cut too far.

"The frustrating thing for me is that this was never discussed in Blackburn. If it had have been, then they would have realised that it was madness.”

Council leader Mike Lee said they would bring the matter up with the company.

He said: “It doesn't look like the bus company has thought about the people who use the buses.

"These people need assistance getting on and off, and this will not help.

"I suppose there might be some economical sense behind it for them, but it isn't good for the users.”

John Dell, strategic planning officer at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said they were to discuss the changes at their next meeting.

In a memo to drivers about the Royal Blackburn Hospital route the firm said: “Most journeys will not be operated by wheelchair-accessible buses”.

As well as the new number two and 2a services, which take passengers between the hospital, Blackburn and Darwen, the number 12, which connects the town centre to the Newfield Drive area, will also no longer be wheelchair and pushchair-firendly.

Lancashire United commercial director David Wilson said: “Whilst many of the routes have seen a drop in passenger numbers, there are some services that are still well used at certain times of the day.

“To cope with this, we are having to make use of double decker buses with a higher capacity. Unfortunately this means some of the journeys will be operated by step access buses.

“As yet we are not sure how many will be changed and are holding meetings soon to discuss this.”

“We will be looking at selling some of the single decker buses but more buses will be replaced in the future.”