Electric vehicle to ferry patients to Maó hospital

Christine Watterson Maó19/01/10 0:00

An electric vehicle, similar to a golf buggy but larger and adapted for this use, will be used to ferry patients from the bus stop on the Via Ronda to the Mateu Orfila Hospital in Maó.

This is the solution chosen by the Island Council following complaints from patients arriving by public transport for appointments and finding difficulty in walking the distance from the bus stop to the hospital. It would not be possible to move the existing bus stop to within the hospital grounds as the town bus has a fixed route which takes 30 minutes and any new stop would mean altering the frequency of the service.

The Councillor for Transport, Damià Borràs, has held talks with hospital management, gaining their approval, and with the Foundation for Disabled People with the aim of employing a disabled person to drive the vehicle.The Island Council hope to start the service this year and are currently looking for a vehicle that would be suitable.