Written evidence from RNID, Sense, Radar,
Guide Dogs, RNIB and Leonard
Cheshire Disability (BUS 11)
ABOUT US
This is a joint consultation response prepared on
behalf of six disability organisations, RNID, Sense, Radar, Guide
Dogs, RNIB and Leonard Cheshire Disability. We are happy for the
details of this response to be made public.
RNID
We're RNID, the charity working to create a world
where deafness or hearing loss do not limit or determine opportunity
and where people value their hearing. We work to ensure that people
who are deaf or hard of hearing have the same rights and opportunities
to lead a full and enriching life. We strive to break down stigma
and create acceptance of deafness and hearing loss. We aim to
promote hearing health, prevent hearing loss and cure deafness.
SENSE
Sense is the leading national charity that supports
and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. We provide
expert advice and information as well as specialist services to
deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals
who work with them. We also support people who have sensory impairments
with additional disabilities.
RNIB
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is
the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice
to almost two million people with sight loss. Our pioneering work
helps anyone with a sight problem - not just with braille and
Talking Books, but with imaginative and practical solutions to
everyday challenges. We also provide information on eye conditions
and provide support and advice for people living with sight loss.
RADAR
As the leading UK independent pan-impairment organisation,
we give a voice to 11 million people living with ill-health, injury
or disability (IID). We work towards rights to independent living,
an end to disability poverty, an accessible Britain, realising
potential and unlocking talent of people living with IID, and
real equality and justice.
GUIDE DOGS
Guide Dogs is the UK's largest single provider of
mobility and other rehabilitation training for blind and partially
sighted people.
Our vision is for a society in which blind and partially
sighted people can enjoy the same freedom of movement as everyone
else and we campaign for equal access to transport and the built
environment, shops and services, health and social care. We are
currently campaigning for audio visual information on buses -
the Talking Buses campaign.
LEONARD CHESHIRE
DISABILITY
Leonard Cheshire Disability supports over 21,000
disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries. We campaign
for change and provide innovative services that give disabled
people the opportunity to live life their way.
COMMENTS
We welcome the opportunity to comment on the future
of bus services after the Comprehensive Spending Review. Transport
is essential for providing access to employment, health services,
education, social events and leisure pursuits. However, disabled
passengers face many difficulties accessing public transport resulting
in unnecessary stress, anxiety and isolation. There is a growing
commitment within the UK and the European Union to improve access
for disabled people. However, we are concerned that the spending
review will have a negative impact on the developments achieved
so far.
1. The impact of the reduction in Bus Service
Operators' Grant, including on community transport
A reduction in grant will have a negative impact
on services, including community transport. The Department for
Transport estimate fare increases as a result of the grant reduction.[7]
This cut will also mean that bus operators will have fewer funds
to spend on improving accessibility. For example, it is unlikely
that concessions will be extended to peak times, or for a companion,
and may be removed within those local authority areas that do
provide these concessions.
PEAK TIME
CONCESSIONS
Peak time concessions are important to support disabled
people looking for work or those in work. Peak time concessions
are also important so that disabled parents can take their children
to school on the bus. In Scotland and Wales there are no restrictions
on free bus travel, only England lags behind.
COMPANION PASS
Some disabled people are only able to travel on buses
with the assistance of a companion and they must pay the companion's
fare if their local authority does not offer a companion pass
as part of its concessionary scheme. As a result, disabled people
with the greatest difficulty travelling have to pay the same as
a non-disabled person in order to use buses, defeating the point
of having concessions. Local authorities are unlikely to address
this issue in the short to medium term by extending their local
schemes to provide free travel for essential companions of disabled
people who cannot travel alone.
AUDIO VISUAL
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Accessibility of buses in London has improved vastly
due to the installation of audio visual information systems. However,
a reduction in grant will mean it is unlikely that bus operators
outside of London will install this equipment voluntarily, increasing
the need for regulation in this area.
As these quotes demonstrate, audio visual (AV) displays
improve access to information for people with hearing loss:
"On a recent trip to Hamburg, I went
with my friend on several of the buses in that city and was surprised
and delighted to see an AV display on every bus. It
informed us of the whereabouts of the next stop throughout the
ride and removed all sense of anxiety."
"When I have travelled on buses overseas
I have been impressed by AV screens that show the name of the
next bus stop. This is probably helpful for people with normal
hearing too. Bus drivers don't always remember to tell you when
you reach your stop so AV displays give you some independence
and reassurance."
This quote highlights the benefit of AV displays
for people with visual impairment.
"Before audio announcements started on London
buses I tried not to use buses. I had just had too many bad experiences
of drivers forgetting to tell me when I had reached my stop and
refusing to even speak to me when I got on to the bus. Now I can
get on the bus, know what number it is and where it's heading
and know when I've reached my stop."
Disability Awareness Training
Disability awareness training can make a massive
difference to the accessibility of the bus network. However a
reduction in grant will also mean it is unlikely that operators
will invest in this. We receive many reports of buses accelerating
quickly away from bus stops, without giving passengers time to
sit down, as well as wheelchair spaces being occupied by prams
or pushchairs. These are important issues for disabled people.
For example, one deafblind person told us
"When I was walking, but not well, I landed
sprawled on the floor of buses several times due to drivers setting
off before I'd sat down even though I'd specifically asked them
to wait. Sometimes I took a few other people down with me as I
fell. On one occasion I was too slow getting to the door to get
off, various people were telling the driver to wait, but he shut
the doors and drove off. I landed sprawled on the bus floor. There
I sat until the next stop. I then had to get off and try to get
back to where I had wanted to be. I was with a partially sighted
friend. I think that was the day I ended up sitting on the pavement
in tears because I just couldn't go any further, at which point
a nice shop keeper came and helped us flag down a taxi."
Community Transport Services
We also believe community transport services may
be at risk of a reduction in service. This will impact more negatively
upon disabled people as it is this group who are most likely to
use community transport services.
2. The impact of the reduction in local authority
grant support to bus services and other changes to the funding
of local authority bus schemes and services by the Department
for Transport
As discussed above, local authorities that currently
offer additional concessions, such as free peak-time travel or
companion passes, are likely to cut these providing only the national
minimum of free off-peak travel for older and disabled people.
There is already some argument between bus companies
and local authorities over whether the reimbursement is working
properly; spending cuts are likely to increase these tensions.
3. The implementation and financial implications
of free off-peak travel for elderly and disabled people on all
local buses anywhere in England under the Concessionary Bus Travel
Act 2007
Although local authorities are required by law to
provide free off-peak travel for disabled and older people, we
may see creative ways of making it harder for people to get a
pass or delaying new applications. We know, for example, that
one local authority took over a year when the national scheme
was first introduced to change existing local pass holders onto
the national passes and that during that time they were not taking
any new applications.
4. How passengers' views are taken into account
in planning bus services, and the role of Passenger Focus in this
area
The ability to participate and have the chance to
shape and direct services is important for all members of society,
but particularly so for disabled people. Yet, there are too few
accessible opportunities for disabled people to give their views.
Deafblind people in particular are often excluded. Local authorities
and operators should ensure that they engage effectively with
disabled people, for example by providing communication support,
ensuring the venue is accessible and providing transport for those
who need it.
With specific regard to Passenger Focus, it is difficult
to pass comment on how they are currently performing in the role
of representing bus passengers, having only taken on this remit
in April 2010. They have, however, already done some useful work
looking at the experiences of disabled passengers. We hope that
once the Public Bodies Reform is completed that the role of Passenger
Focus will enable it fully to take into account the views and
needs of all bus passengers, particularly those who are disabled.
CONCLUSION
We anticipate that the reduction in the Grant will
soon translate into reductions in concessions for disabled people,
as well as community transport. We would urge the Committee to
scrutinise the Department's plans to evaluate the impact of the
reduction and its impact on disabled people.
December 2010
7 Hansard, 2 November 2010, c702W Back
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