Can't use taxis with my dd - her wheelchair is too large (it does fit in the spot in buses though). Additionally, bus fare into town is £3.60. Taxi £15. Oh - and bus fare for a physically disabled adult with a pass - nil.
Can't use community transport as it's a) only for adults and b) only allows for a maximum of 1 person accompanying the disabled person - what am I supposed to do with siblings? Even if we could use it, it needs to be booked several days in advance and only operates 1 day a week here. Buses run every 10 minutes.
Can't use hospital transport as same problem with siblings plus they insist on person being ready any time from 8AM onwards even if appt not until 2PM, and then can't guarantee a return until 6PM. Buses to hospital run every 30 minutes.
Motability is not the same as Mobility Allowance. You can't get motability funding unless you have mobility allowance, can't get mobility allowance until age 3 (dd was in a proper big wheelchair from age 1, couldn't use a folding buggy or pram ever.
Motability does not automatically provide a free car for everyone. There are a few wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) which may be provided without any kind of downpayment on the scheme but they are small and don't have space for carseats for siblings. Motability won't provide a vehicle (side note- it is NOT a free car, no matter what Joe Public seems to think) if there is only a short time left to run on the mobility allowance award (nor is it automatic that an individual who needs a wheelchair will get mobility allowance. Some people get it indefinitely or until the age of 16, others have to keep on renewing it every few years or so. Can't get a motability vehicle very easily if you keep having to renew.
Assuming you do somehow get your hands on an adequate adapted vehicle (and we're lucky, we do have one, it's a minibus. Ridiculous for a family of 3), then you've either got loans to repay on it or you've saved up huge amounts for it. Mine cost £10K several years old, most basic model, several years ago; if dd had not been disabled then we would have managed absolutely fine with a more basic small family car - the Micra I had for years before she arrived would still be doing us just fine. Trust me; the allowance does not come close to covering that cost!
Sure, I could drive that everywhere instead of catching the bus but parking in the city centre is obscenely expensive (yes, blue badge holders still have to pay round here). And I don't want to drive a minibus around everywhere we go - we use it for trips to the hospitals which don't have easy bus access, for rescue trips (I'm not waiting for a bus when dd is having constant fits), for days out (can't ride a bus carrying all the equipment we need for a full day out) and for holidays (definitely can't ride a bus with wheelchair, toilet chair, sleep system (think folding bed), adult sized nappies, enough drugs to stock a pharmacy, etc.
Buses were made accessible for wheelchair users. Policy here is that wheelchairs have priority. If no wheelchair then buggy/pram may use the space (only one space per bus here). But if there's a wheelchair user waiting at the next stop then the person with the buggy must be asked to fold it.
I've usually found people to be way beyond helpful. Bus drivers are occasionally reluctant to let down their ramps, and if I can bump dd up the gap I will. Not possible with a powerchair though. Most people will move out of the space as soon as they see us waiting for it. And if there are other buggies waiting in the bus queue then of course we'll gladly hold babies or shopping to help fold the buggies. I've only once had someone refuse to fold their pram for us - and the other passengers on the bus actually put in an official complaint on our behalf!