City Centre Aquabus Pier

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City Centre Aquabus Pier

2.5

A4161, Cardiff, CF10 1BJ, United Kingdom | 029 2087 7900 | Website

DystrophyDad

Johnstone, UK

133

Access at the Aquabus

2.5

1 like

Visit date: December 2024

This review is especially helpful for those who have or use the following: Walking Aid, Wheelchair

Overview

The Aquabus has been running for close to 25 years, with the route sailing along the River Taff from Barrage South to the city centre stop at Bute Park. The brochure and website state that the vessels are wheelchair accessible; however, the city centre pier did little to instil confidence, particularly for wheelchair and powerchair travelling alone. This review is specific to the pier area rather than the experience of travelling by Aquabus, as I wasn't able to experience the service due to a recent storm causing its cancellation.

Transport & Parking

There are no parking facilities at the pier, but paid parking can be found 50 metres away in the YourParkingSpace-owned car park. This appears to be an online-only service, which can be paid for by the hour or via subscription. There are also bus routes close to the castle, just a short walk from the pier.

Access

2.5

The paths around the park and up to the entryway to the pier are tarmacked and on a slight slope, which shouldn't pose an issue for either a manual wheelchair or a powerchair. However, the ramp down to the pier is mostly sand, which renders it all but unusable for wheelchair users. As I tried to go down the ramp, I got stuck in the sand and had great difficulty backing out of it. Unless boards are put down when the Aquabus is operational, I can't see how any wheelchair user would manage to get up the ramp to Bute Park. There are rails on either side of the ramp, which are metal at some points and wooden at others. The brochure insists that the Aquabus is wheelchair accessible, which is a good thing, but this is of little use when you can't board it or safely continue your onward travel. Beyond the ramp is the wooden pier, which I couldn't access. It features safety rails around the perimeter. There is no use of braille or alternative formats in this area.

Toilets

There are no toilets at the pier but accessible toilets can be found at the nearby Pettigrew Tearooms or the Servini's Summerhouse Café, with the latter requiring a RADAR key.