Disabled People Given Free Travel For Early Shopping Hours
Cumbria residents who are either elderly or disabled will be able to access free transport to be able to make the most of priority shopping hours at supermarkets.
NWE Mail reported that Cumbria County Council will allow bus passes to be used for free before 09:30am on weekdays throughout the region, in order for them to go to stores before other customers so they can get their essentials as soon as the shops open.
The local authority’s cabinet member for highways and transport Councillor Keith Little said: “I am pleased the county council, working with bus operators in Cumbria, has been able to make this change, which supports our wider efforts to protect older and vulnerable people from coronavirus.”
The change will come into affect immediately and will continue until the end of July 2020.
Most of the nation’s supermarkets have issued priority shopping hours for the elderly and disabled, so they can get the food they need before other customers fill up their baskets.
This is in response to the hoarding that has taken place over the last few weeks, with many shoppers emptying shelves in a panic, meaning stores have not had enough products for other customers.
When it comes to priority shopping hours, Tesco will open between 09:00 and 10:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the vulnerable only; Sainsbury’s will open its doors from 08:00 to 09:00 on the same days; Iceland is allowing the elderly and disabled to shop for two hours on Wednesdays without disruption; while M&S allows the first hour of opening on Mondays and Thursdays to be just for vulnerable consumers.
Mr Little added: “There are other measures in place to allow vulnerable people to stay at home and receive shopping there, I’d hope [the free transport] would only be used as a last resort.”
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