AN elderly lady's holiday was fraught with anxiety that she would not make it home after she was forced to walk the length of the bus station juggling two walking sticks and a suitcase to get to her coach.

Doreen Gallagher was visiting her 92-year-old sister in Llandudno last week when she was hit with problems. Mrs Gallagher has no family in the area and only gets to see her sister on rare occasions, but an incident at Bolton Interchange 'ruined' the long-awaited reunion.

Mrs Gallagher, who struggles with mobility and uses two walking sticks, was taken by a neighbour to the interchange. But she says that limited parking around the interchange meant the driver was unable to drop her off close to the coach stand, forcing the 87-year-old to walk the length of the bus station to get to Stand G.

Mrs Gallagher said: "I had to have one hand with my crutches and the other hand with my suitcase.

"I realised the distance I had to walk to get to Stand G, you have to walk past 15 bus stops to get there.

"At the back of my mind I was dreading what would happen when I got back to Bolton and I would have to do the same thing. It ruined my visit because I was worried I wasn't going to get home — the interchange needs interchanging."

"There should be facilities to drop people off right outside Stand G."

A Bolton taxi driver from Metro Taxis voiced similar concerns, calling streets around the interchange 'chaos' with little space to pick up and drop off, especially for private hire cars.

Shahid Yusuf told The Bolton News that he's concerned for the community's safety, saying: "At the side of the train station on Great Moor street, there is a lay by with around eight or nine spaces, but a lot of people go there to pick up and drop off their family and they may be there 15 minutes. Those spaces are nearly always full."

Mr Yusuf added that private hire drivers are unable to use spaces reserved for black cabs on the Newport Street side of the interchange, forcing them to use disabled parking spaces outside Olympus Fish and Chips — a considerable walk to the transport hub for passengers with limited mobility.

He said: "I might have a passenger who is an elderly lady at 85 who needs to get as close to the interchange as possible. We need to serve those people in the right, effective manner — they rely on taxis and private hire cars."

After spending her holiday worrying about how she would get home, Mrs Gallagher had to pick up a taxi with the help of friends from the spaces outside Olympus, only adding to her frustration.

She said: "The length of Newport Street — it's a long way to walk with two crutches. The interchange is an absolute disaster for anyone who is not 100 per cent fit."

Transport for Greater Manchester said there are lots of design features for people with access needs at the station, but remained tight lipped over whether taxi ranks and drop off zones could be improved.

TfGM’s Interim Head of Facilities Management, Howard Hartley, said: “TfGM is continually looking at ways of making public transport accessible to as many people as possible, ensuring that all members of society, especially those who are disabled, are able to access and use our facilities as easily as possible and we’re sorry to hear about the customer’s experience on this occasion.

“During the construction of Bolton Interchange, we worked with our Disability Design Reference Group to identify and install important design features for customers with disabilities.

"These included handrails, step-free access, induction loops, audio announcements, tactile paving, contrasting floor colouring and raised signage among other measures.

“However, we appreciate that it is a large facility and would advise anyone requiring further help to approach our trained staff at the interchange, who are happy to assist customers where necessary.”