Claire Walters, CEO of Bus Users UK, discusses the ins and outs of accessibility and the latest consultation surrounding it
There are lots of consultations and calls for evidence around at the moment for those of us who have lots of spare time over the summer. Among them is a consultation on a proposed new UK-wide law called the Accessible Information Regulation. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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We all want public transport to be available to all, regardless of disability or mobility challenges, and it’s fair to say that the vast investment of the coach and bus industry in adapting its vehicles and services to meet these needs is not really given much credit in the consultation document, which seems a bit strange.
However, it’s clear that there is still a lot more that needs to be done to make it feasible and easy for people with mobility issues or disabilities to be able turn up and go on any journey without advance notice, and be able to change vehicles or modes at any point in order to get where they want to go.
The infrastructure is not in place to make interchanges easy and some of the rules governing these are occasionally causing more problems than they’re solving, such as the time assessments between bus arrival and train departures in some rural areas causing odd delays to running times.
However, there is a move towards making more places accessible and addressing some of the issues (such as the thorny problem of inconsiderate pavement parking) that we’ve all suffered from in the past.
One of the key elements is the requirement for audio-visual information to be available for all passengers on each deck. This sounds like a no-brainer and, of course, all passengers should have access to the information they need to be confident they’re heading the right way and know when to get off.
But what about the person in the wheelchair space? Currently, with some exceptions, the standard design has the wheelchair user facing the rear of the vehicle with the visual announcement board above their head and behind them. So, how’s that going to work? Clearly that kind of radical change can’t happen overnight, and a serious amount of redesign work will have to go into devising a solution in the longer-term, so a short deadline won’t be feasible. Is that a reason to exclude it from the legislation?
I would say not. I think our vehicle designers are more than up to the challenge and, given sufficient time and research funding, will come up with solutions faster than we think. There will need to be an understanding that this will take years to finalise, and then there will be a lengthy period for the current vehicles to live out their useful lives and the new designs to become the norm – as happened when step-free access became a requirement.
And what about the marginal service operator who makes very little if anything from a route? Is that operator expected to stump up significant sums to retro-fit all vehicles with electronic signs and speakers? Or will they just throw their hands up in the air and pack it in altogether?
Many of you were at seminars and round tables when this legislation was being proposed and will remember the phrase, “low-tech options will be fine, up to and including the driver shouting the next stop and a black or whiteboard stating the route information.” That seems to have disappeared from the consultation document, but the good news is that this is still completely acceptable, as is the habit of regular drivers knowing the needs of their regular passengers and meeting them in whatever way is practicable, which is pretty common on rural routes.
We just need to make sure we say this in our responses to the consultation. The aim of the legislation is to ensure that people can travel, regardless of disability and mobility, and the good thing about the coach and bus industries is that you all want everyone to feel welcome and motivated to use the bus. It’s also an industry full of creative people used to solving practical problems. While a gold-plated service is the aspiration of all, we all want to have services available, doing the best they can for the people who want to use them.
I am assured that such opinions and suggestions will be valued, so please don’t leave it to us if you’re concerned about these or any other aspects of the legislation. You can respond to the consultation over the next few weeks to make sure your own views and suggestions are taken into account.
Comments and ideas are welcome by 1145hrs on 16 September 2018; the document can be viewed at: bit.ly/busservicesact.
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