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Finding the Forgotten Passengers
Using a bus is something that many of us take for granted: you get on the bus, then get off at the stop you want. Sounds easy, right? Now imagine doing it blindfolded and things become much more difficult. Think about trying to keep a track of where you are along the bus route and all the little things that can disorientate you – the stops other passengers get on and off at, all those corners, waiting at traffic lights.
Now try to think of a way of helping those people who, through no fault of their own, cannot track their progress as easily as you or I might or see their stop coming up. On a train, it's quite easy for everyone because there's either a live announcer or a recorded message telling you which station is next. Now we're in 2012, don't you think it's crazy that there's nothing similar on all buses?
Guide Dogs is campaigning for audio and visual announcements to help everyone, not just blind and partially sighted people, know where they are on a bus route. To find out more about the problems people have had when using buses, we conducted a survey called Forgotten Passengers.
The results of the survey were disappointing and unfortunately not surprising. Some 87% of blind and partially sighted people completing the survey had missed their bus stop because they didn’t know where they were while on board a bus.
Furthermore, 87% of blind and partially sighted people had missed their stop because the driver had forgotten to alert them to it. Disturbingly, 29% of visually impaired respondents said that a driver had refused to remind them of their stop. This will be worrying for bus companies who claim that their drivers are well-trained to assist blind and partially sighted people.
So what do we want to change? We want the Government to change the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations to make audio-visual announcements mandatory. Until then, we want local government and local bus operators to apply together for the £50million Better Bus Areas fund so they can provide audio-visual systems on buses themselves.
In this day and age we are witnessing some amazing advances in the world of technology. A simple phone can now take pictures, allow internet access, provide satellite navigation and much, much more! So why should buses be left behind?
Help us discover the Forgotten Passengers by contacting the Minister for buses, Norman Baker MP, and ask him to support our Talking Buses campaign.
Comments
Alexander, 4:32pm Mon 30 Jan 2012:
I quite agree that the talking busses campaign should be continued, and I say this as a registerred blind person who does have some residual vision.
My only concern is that the campaign will not get through parliament due to the way Personal Independence Payment seems to be designed, as from what I've read on PIP it seems to be designed on the basis that all blind people will be given money to pay for the support they require to be independant, therefore encourageing them to use Taxis and in doing so, reducing the need for the announcements of stops to be built in to busses of the future.
If PIP were to be modified to take account of the wishes of many already independant visually Impaired people, by including within its remit money towards the consessionary bus passes,, thus enabling blind people who had confidence to do so, to use busses more, then there would most certainly be the need for the talking busses campaign, and eventually for all busses to have talking announcements.
Guide Dogs Campagns, 10:16am Tue 31 Jan 2012:
Hi Alexander,
Thank you for your comment. I think you may be confusing two different issues.
Guide Dogs' Talking Buses campaign requires an amendment to a Department for Transport regulation on accessibility for public transport. The regulation contains a number of provisions for other disabilities - we would like blind and partially sighted people to receive the same support when travelling by bus.
The reform of the welfare system and the creation of Personal Independence Payment by the Department for Work and Pensions is still under discussion, but the aim is to ensure disabled people are appropriately supported to be as independent and mobile as possible. The benefit is not connected with transport fares, other than potentially proving eligibility for a concessionary fare. If anything, disabled people are more likely to be encouraged to make use of concessionary fares, rather than spending money on taxis. Guide Dogs has been campaigning with other organisations to ensure that any changes to the benefit system will not adversely affect disabled people and to ensure that the needs of blind and partially sighted people are met.
Mark, 1:08pm Tue 31 Jan 2012:
I am fortunate that my local bus service does have an announcement facility. There is no excuse for all other bus companies to provide the same, the cost must be minimal compared to the price of the bus!!