Select Committee on Transport Written Evidence


APPENDIX 6

Memorandum submitted by Mencap

  Mencap is the leading charity working with people with a learning disability, their parents and carers. Mencap works to ensure people with a learning disability have equal access to choice, opportunity and respect. In line with the Government's White Paper, Valuing People, we believe people with a learning disability should have the same opportunities as the non-disabled and play a full and active part in the community.

  Mencap's response to the Transport Committee's inquiry into bus services across the UK will concentrate solely on the specific issues affecting people with a learning disability when using buses.

  The needs of people with a learning disability are frequently misunderstood but, many of the steps that need to be taken do not require substantial investment. Instead attitudinal change, creative thinking and common sense will often be enough to enable a person with a learning disability to travel confidently on buses and therefore lead a substantially more independent life.

STAFF DISABILITY EQUALITY TRAINING

  People with a learning disability share many transport problems with the wider disabled community. However, there are certain barriers to transport that are not shared by those with physical disabilities, such as difficulties finding alternative routes when things go wrong, being bullied while travelling alone and difficulty coping with rude and unhelpful transport staff.

  Full, proper and effective disability equality training is a crucial factor in improving staff attitudes and deciding whether people with a learning disability can travel with confidence. Staff attitudes often make the difference between a successfully completed journey and one that is frightening, demeaning and largely impossible for someone with a learning disability.

  Our research has shown that, on the whole, delivery of disability equality training, and the quality and effectiveness of that training, is very patchy. Where it does occur it focuses far too often on improving physical access and operating equipment for people with physical disabilities, in particular for wheelchair users, and excludes proper training about non-physical and more hidden disabilities. Often staff who have had training say that they are not confident in recognising or supporting a person with a learning disability. In training sessions equal time and attention needs to be given to the barriers faced by people with hidden disabilities and ways to help them.

ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION

  We would like to see further work around accessibility of information. In particular, timetables are very difficult for everyone, but especially for someone with a learning disability, to understand. We would like to see the standardisation of the use of the 12 hour clock which is known to be an easier format for the majority of customers, large print and limited information on each page.

PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEMS

  Mencap is aware that bus drivers can be resistant to the introduction of PIS, but they allow people with a learning disability to travel with confidence. A passenger with a learning disability may be relying on the PIS but they will certainly not be the only passengers doing so. It will be of equal value to anyone unfamiliar with their journey and stands to benefit most passengers at different times.

CONCESSIONARY FARES

  Transport is the key to the quality of life for people with a learning disability as it is for non-disabled people. It determines whether they have access to day services or are forced to stay at home; can have a job or access to friends and leisure activities and a lifestyle they want, with real choice, such as non-disabled people take for granted.

  People with a learning disability mostly live on benefits and those who work tend to be in low paid jobs. This means the cost of public transport can present a barrier. In addition to this, those people with a more severe learning disability will always need someone to accompany them on any journey they make, which considerably adds to the cost of transport.

  Mencap recently carried out a survey of the problems people with a learning disability have accessing public transport. The cost of transport was high up the list. From this perspective the freedom pass, operated by Transport for London, is a model we would like to see adopted by the rest of the UK when the national scheme is introduced. It enables disabled people to access public transport 24 hours a day, rather than restricted to after nine o'clock in the morning.

  Cost has been one of the arguments used to prevent other local authorities following suit. However, London is made up of some of the poorest, as in Tower Hamlets, as well as some of the wealthier boroughs in the country and in our view this undermines the cost argument for not allowing disabled people to travel free. If the poorest borough can fund disabled travel, others should be able to so as well.

  Mencap takes the view that eligibility for the freedom pass should be based on receipt of a disability related benefit. Mencap would like to see this eligibility criteria adopted when disabled people become entitled to free local bus travel country-wide.

22 May 2006





 
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