The Scottish Blind Persons Travel Card is available to residents in the Borders area who are registered as either Partially Sighted or Blind.

   This travel card gives free travel on all bus, coach, rail and ferry services within Scotland. In addition the Travel Card is also valid on bus services to Berwick-upon-Tweed and Carlisle.

   The cards are valid from 1st December to 30th November and cost £5 per year.

   A travel card marked ‘with companion’ is available at no extra cost. This will allow an adult to accompany the traveler during the journey at half the adult fare on all bus services throughout the Borders area only.

   Travel Cards are available for certain people over 16 years, such as;

• Older people (women over 60 and men over 65)
• People with learning disabilities
• People who cannot walk easily
• People who have been refused a driving licence on medical grounds
• Companions of people who cannot travel alone

   Tweed Wheels offer a vehicle adapted for hire by wheelchair users in the Tweeddale area.

   The vehicle has the capacity for two wheelchairs, four passengers and the driver.

   Volunteer drivers can be provided or a friend or family member can be trained to drive the vehicle and use the equipment.

   Teviot Wheels offers vehicles for self drive hire for disabled people in the Roxburgh area, priority is given to wheelchair users although the service is open to all people with mobility difficulties. Each vehicle can carry up to 2 wheelchairs and 4/5 passengers. Volunteer drivers can be provided by RAVS.

   Contact RAVS for a free registration pack that contains details of the scheme along with vehicle specifications, hire rates, and registration forms.

   Gala Wheels offer vehicles adapted for those who have difficulty using a normal car for users in the Central Borders.

   The vehicles have the capacity for two wheelchairs, 4/5 passengers plus driver.

   If required a volunteer driver can be supplied through Borders Disability Forum.

   The Blue Badge Scheme, provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with differing forms of disability. It allows badge holders to park close to their destination, but the national concessions apply only to on-street parking.

   The Blue Badge Scheme is effectively the replacement for the Orange Badge Scheme, all Orange badges will be replaced by 31 March 2003.

   You can get a badge if:

• You receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance.
• You receive a War Pensioners Mobility Supplement.
• You use a vehicle supplied for disabled people by a Government Health Department.
• You are registered blind
• You have a severe disability in both upper limbs, regularly drive but cannot turn the steering wheel by hand even if that wheel is fitted with a turning knob
• You have a permanent and substantial disability which means you are unable to walk or have very considerable difficulty in walking.

   The Social Car Scheme offers travel in the vehicle of a volunteer driver for people who are too frail to use public transport. Travellers must be resident in the Borders but may travel to places outside the area.

   For more information contact one of the local operators.

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