New accessible travel guidance published by UK Office of Rail and Road.
A new accessible travel guidance has been published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in the UK which aims to maximise the use of available buses and coaches by passengers with reduced mobility during rail disruption.
Detailed discussions and consultation sessions were held with stakeholders such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. The revised guidance now requires:
- New rules to ensure that train operators using rail replacement services try to find accessible vehicles from bus and coach companies.
- Improved passenger information during disruption to ensure that passengers know where and when accessible coaches and buses will be operated.
- Reinforcement of an existing requirement where passengers are offered an appropriate alternative arrangement which includes a different form of accessible road transport, should they need it.
- For planned disruption, it is introduced that waiting times for rail replacement services should be similar, irrespective of the type of vehicle used.
- Explicit references to the legal requirement for rail replacement bus and coach services to comply with Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) unless a special authorisation is obtained from the Transport Minister.
According to Stephanie Tobyn, Deputy Director of Consumers at the ORR, their main objective is to ensure that all passengers can request and receive assistance to travel safely. Additional proposals and suggestions for further improvements from respondents to public consultation have been developed. They have also prepared a proposal for an industry forum to help identify and better manage the availability and use of PSVAR-compliant vehicles at times of high demand.
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Alternatively, if you need further information on how to make facilities or services more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected].
