An East Kilbride woman has slammed SPT for “overlooking” disabled people by changing the renewal scheme for a disability bus pass.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that SPT has stopped issuing reminders to residents when their National Entitlement Card (NEC) is due to expire, a claim SPT refutes.
The 58-year-old has a number of disabilities including COPD and says that her bus pass is a vital “lifeline”.
She told Lanarkshire Live: “The disability bus pass needs to be renewed every two years and the council used to send out a reminder from SPT about two months prior to them expiring.
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“But now they’ve stopped issuing reminders, meaning that people’s passes are expiring without them realising.
“I really need my pass, and it expired last week. I haven’t been out the house since, as I can’t go anywhere without my pass. I can’t walk far so I use the pass to do basic things like go for my shopping.
“One of my friends was left stranded after his pass expired. It’s totally isolating, and it’s shocking in this day and age.”
NECs are managed by SPT on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council.
The woman from The Murray also claims that users weren’t informed of the changes and that there is now a three-week waiting list.
She added: “This shows the lack of consideration for disabled people. No one was informed of the changes and it’s left people in the lurch.
“We have been totally over-looked and it is a shambles really. Now that I have…