TfL’s plan to improve bus stop accessibility through making 70% of bus stops fully accessible has been completed two months early.
Bus stop accessibility has risen from 29% in 2008. An additional £18m funding will ensure at least 95% of bus stops will be accessible by 2016. Making stops accessible means ensuring the kerb is at the correct height, ensuring that the bus can stop parallel to the kerb and removing any street clutter from where the bus doors open.
Boris Johnson said: “We are building on the legacy of the Paralympic Games to ensure London continues to have the most accessible transport network in the country. The capital already has one of the most accessible bus fleets in the world but there is still more we can do. That is why I have set a new target of making 95% of bus stops in London accessible by 2016 and will also be investing an additional £50m to improve bus driver training.”
Leon Daniels, TfL’s MD of Surface Transport, said: “London already has the most accessible bus network in the country – however we are far from complacent and are striving to improve the service we offer to disabled and older passengers. We will continue to work with London boroughs and the City of London to deliver fully accessible bus stops that allow buses to deploy wheelchair ramps.”
TfL has worked with Local Authorities to achieve this – as a significant proportion of the capital’s 19,500 bus stops are not on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN).
All 8,500 buses in the TfL fleet (apart from a handful of Routemaster buses operating for tourists on routes 9 and 15) are low floor, wheelchair accessible and fitted with wheelchair ramps that are checked every day before the bus enters passenger service. All buses have the iBus system, which provides passengers with audio and visual next stop information that is of particular use to people with sight or hearing impairments.
