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Transport

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Legislation

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), as amended by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA 2005), exists to stop discrimination against disabled people in the UK. Transport is covered in the DDA in Part 3 and Part 5.

Part 3
This section includes disabled people's Right of Access to Goods, Facilities and Services. In terms of transport this section relates to public transport premises and services at public transport premises. It also means that all public transport buildings such as train stations, bus stations, airports and ferry ports must be made accessible to disabled people. Also, any services that are provided at these places or offered by these companies must also be accessible to disabled people, e.g. travel information and ticket booking services.

It does not mean that all transport vehicles such as trains, buses, coaches, aeroplanes, ferries and taxis must be accessible. There are separate regulations that set out how buses, coaches and trains need to be adapted and the dates by which this needs to be done.

The Government decided to bring in the Part 3 regulations in stages, so that businesses would have time to plan and make the necessary adjustments. The timetable set out by the Government to achieve full access for disabled people to Goods, Facilities and Services is set out below:

Previously there was a specific exemption from Part 3 of the DDA for transport services which involve the provision and use of a vehicle. However, since 4 December 2006, regulations made under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 removed this exemption from certain types of transport vehicle. The vehicles covered by the new regulations are rail vehicles (trains), public service vehicles (buses and coaches) vehicles used on a system using a mode of guided transport (trams and light rail vehicles), taxis, private hire vehicles (minicabs), rental vehicles and breakdown recovery vehicles. The operators of such vehicles will now have to ensure they do not discriminate against disabled people and will have to make "reasonable adjustments" in the way they provide their services for disabled people, such as providing extra help or making changes to the way the services are provided.

The 2005 regulations do not remove the current exemption from aircraft and shipping vessels, although airline and shipping operators still have a duty to avoid discrimination against disabled people and to make reasonable adjustments for them in respect of matters such as timetables, booking facilities and waiting rooms at airports and ferry terminals.

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) published a Code of Practice: Rights of access - goods, facilities, services and premises.

The Code describes the duties imposed by Part 3 of the DDA and provides practical guidance on how to prevent discrimination. The Code helps disabled people to understand the law and assists those with obligations under Part 3 to avoid complaints and litigation by adopting good practice. It also aims to advance the elimination of discrimination against disabled people and to encourage good practice.

The DRC have also published a supplementary Code of Practice - Provision and use of transport vehicles.

This Code is a supplement to the above-mentioned Code of Practice: Rights of access - goods, facilities, services and premises.

Part 5
This section gives the Government powers to make accessibility regulations for all land based public transport vehicles, these are specifically listed as taxis, rail and public service vehicles (buses and coaches).

The Government decided to set different technical regulations for each form of transport, as there is no single solution that could be used to make all forms of transport accessible to disabled people. For example, completely different solutions are needed to make taxis and trains accessible.

Because of the differences in the vehicles and differing levels of difficulty in making each form of transport accessible, the Government set different timetables for each type of vehicle to become fully accessible. This was also to give those who make and operate vehicles enough time to make the necessary changes to vehicles and designs.

Buses and Coaches - The Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) 2000

The following are dates by which public service vehicles must be accessible to disabled people. They are only for vehicles used on local or schedules services which can carry more than 22 passengers.

These Regulations ensure minimum standards of accessibility, including:

Taxis and Private hire vehicles
It has been more difficult to develop technical specifications for taxis and private hire vehicles often called minicabs. This is mainly due to the size of the vehicles themselves and the businesses that run them.

The Department for Transport is still in the process of agreeing the standards and the deadlines for standards to come into force. However, the Government has announced that it will set standards for taxis that will come into force between 2010 and 2020 in areas with either:

Since 1 January 2000, all licensed taxis in London have had to be wheelchair accessible under separate legislation and many local authorities in other parts of the UK, mainly covering large urban areas, have since made similar regulations for licensed taxis in their areas. Taxis, as well as private hire vehicles, are now obliged to carry assistance dogs.

The Disability Equality Duty (DED)

The DED also came into effect on 4 December 2006. This is a duty on the public sector to promote disability equality and will have a positive impact on transport services. For example, local authorities need to build the need for ongoing disability awareness training into service contracts. The police and parking authorities will need to give greater consideration to preventing bus stop parking so buses can get to the kerb and deploy their ramps.

Relevant UK and international standards and regulations

• AS 1428.1 (2001) Design for access and mobility: General requirements for access - New building work
• AS 1428.2 (1992) Design for access and mobility: Enhanced and additional requirements - Buildings and facilities
• AS/NZS 1428.4 (2002) Design for access and mobility - Tactile indicators
• Australian Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport
• BS 5378:1980 Safety signs and symbols
• BS 5499 series Safety Symbols
• BS 5588-8:1999 - Fire precautions in the design, construction and use of buildings. Code of practice for means of escape for disabled people
• BS 6440: 1999 - Powered lifting platforms for use by disabled persons. Code of practice
• BS 7000-6 (2005) Design management systems. Managing inclusive design guide
• BS 7997 (2003) Products for tactile paving surface indicators - Specification
• BS 8300 (2001) Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people
• BS 8501:2002 Graphical symbols and signs. Public information symbols
• BS DD 9999: 2005 - Code of practice for fire safety in the design, construction and use of buildings
• BS EN 81-70:2003 - Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts. Particular applications for passenger and goods passenger lifts. Accessibility to lifts for persons including persons with disability
• ISO 7010:2003 Graphical symbols - Safety colours and safety signs - Safety signs used in workplaces and public areas
• ISO/IEC Guide 71: 2001 - Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities
• Building Regulations 2000: Access To and Use of Buildings - Approved Document (Part M). Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 1 May 2004
• Building Regulations 2000: Fire Safety - Approved Document (Part B) Volume 2 - Buildings Other Than Dwellinghouses. Communities and Local Government, 2006
• EC Signs Directive 1996 92/58/EEC
• Health & Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 92/58/EEC
• Lift Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/831)
• Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air
• Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/3073)
• UNI 11168-1:2006 Accessibility of users to mass transit systems - Part 1: Design criteria for metropolitan railways

If you would like further information on international legislation relating to disabled people and transport please click on the following link: International legislation relating to disabled people and transport.

Checklist: User Requirements - Transport Information
Checklist: User Requirements - Transport Public Access Terminals

Recommendations

Information Provision

Clear, concise, accurate and timely information is crucial to people making journeys by public transport. For passengers with disabilities, good information can be the difference between being able to make a journey or not.

There are four key stages at which passengers, including those with disabilities, need information:

Before the journey:

At the stop or station:

On the vehicle:

After the journey:

Operators need to understand that the format in which information is provided is as critical as the information itself. Information which is typically provided in printed form, in spoken form and in electronic form, should be in a format that is accessible to people with disabilities. In many cases this will involve providing the information in an alternative format, such as large print, audio/video tape, braille or easy to read.

The Scottish Executive commissioned a study (Atkins, 2005) into the availability of information required by disabled people when planning a journey using public transport. The research focused on accessibility information relating to bus, rail and ferry services and infrastructure.

Eight categories of essential pre-travel information were found to be required for all modes of transport:

Public transport information systems
Public transport information systems provide travellers with journey planning and in-journey (including at stop or station) information. The systems combine information gathering, processing, communication and delivery technologies to provide a service.

One of the biggest changes to public transport over recent years has been the widespread provision of high quality real-time information, so that passengers know how their service is running moment by moment. It is important that this information is also accessible to disabled people as well.

The following Guidelines provide some help to achieve this consistently and effectively:

• Meeting the needs of disabled travellers - A guide to good practice for real-time information systems providers

Infrastructure and Buildings

Accessible infrastructure and buildings are essential if people with disabilities are to access and use public transport services in a safe, secure and confident manner.

Features that need consideration include:

Bus and Light Rail Stops
During the design and maintenance of bus and light rail stops, public transport operators should take into consideration the following points as critical to the development of high quality accessible transport infrastructure:

Transport Buildings and Stations
Bus and rail stations and transport buildings are accessed by a variety of methods including on foot or wheelchair, by car (drop-off or parked), other public transport modes including buses and light rail and other transport means including specialised transport services and taxis. The general principle is that no matter what method is used to arrive at the station or building, the approach should be accessible.

Public transport operators should ensure that the approaches to and the environment around the station or building are clearly signed so that passengers know where they are going.

Improving accessibility for visitors will involve taking a holistic view of the building in question and ensuring that all the following areas are considered:

Vehicles

The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) Charter on Access to Transport Services and Infrastructure, adopted at the ECMT Council of Ministers on 19 - 20 May 1999 in Warsaw, states that accessible vehicles must incorporate as a minimum:

It is also important that vehicles are to be kept clean and equipment is kept in good working order.

Buses
The following document is intended to provide guidance for those in the manufacturing and operating industries on meeting the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations.

• The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 - Guidance

This Guidance provides many 'Best practice' (to specify provisions that should be followed wherever possible) elements including:

Wheelchair accessibility requirements include - Selection of a suitable wheelchair restraint system is most important as it must be simple and quick to use and be applicable to the widest variety of wheelchair designs. A four point system comprising webbing straps is one such system.

The backrest should contrast with its surroundings for wheelchair users who may also have low vision.

A seat that moves out of the way automatically will cause the least difficulty for wheelchair users some of whom may need the driver (or conductor) to assist with moving any other type of seat.

Fitted ramps are always available and cannot move when being used. Power operated boarding ramps minimise the work of the driver, limit delays in operation and may enable the driver to remain in his cab. The ramp or lift should have a slip resistant surface. Any boarding device should be tested and maintained on a regular basis to see that it is kept in good working order.

Where necessary, to cater for both forward and rearward facing passengers, illuminated "stopping" signs should be provided at the front and the rear of each deck or section of the vehicle.

General accessibility requirements for single-deck and double-deck buses include - As well as being slip resistant, floor surfaces should be as smooth as is practical, particularly where the space is to be used by people in wheelchairs. Hard wearing composite vinyls are particularly slip resistant. The floor material should not allow water to collect and should be slip resistant even when wet.

All priority seats have some extra space, however, further space should be provided adjacent to at least one priority seat. The size of an assistance dog will vary between breeds, but can be as much as 1200mm when measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, and as much as 270mm across the shoulders.

In many situations passengers may board and alight from a kerb so reducing the height of the first step and in some cases achieving level access. However, in rural areas and where the bus cannot gain access to a kerb this will not be the case. Where a step height of 250mm can only be achieved by means of a kneeling system, the kneeling system will have to be used at every bus stop. The objective therefore, should be to achieve the lowest possible step height at all entrances and exits that a disabled person may use.

Although the lower deck of a double-deck bus is the primary area intended for disabled passengers, those with sensory disabilities may prefer to use the upper deck. A staircase with steps that are consistent in height and with a closed riser that runs from the back of a tread to the nosing of the tread above (whether or not the riser is vertical) will assist all passengers to use the staircase with greater ease and safety. A continuous handrail from top to bottom of the staircase (on both sides if possible) may also be useful.

There are a number of considerations in choosing the most effective colour for handrails and other key design features. It is important that the handrail is not too glossy and has a non-reflective finish. Handrails and handholds should be the same colour throughout the vehicle regardless of their position. This will assist people to learn a "language" of colour that is consistent as they move through the vehicle or if they use the same vehicles on a regular basis. Each handrail or handhold should provide the same level of contrast with the surrounding surfaces in each separate location, and this will affect the choice of colour used in laminates and seat moquettes.

A good destination and route number display will be clearly legible by day and night and commercial advertising should not detract from them. A consistent display design is also helpful, therefore the route number should always be to the right of the destination when viewed. Other major points on the route can be included but they should not detract from the clarity of the ultimate destination. Destination displays which simultaneously show both ends of a route are confusing and should be avoided. The destination appropriate to the direction of travel should be displayed or if a circular route such information necessary to identify the direction of travel.

General accessibility requirements for single-deck and double-deck coaches include - The seat height should ideally be between 430mm and 460mm above the floor. Sloping seat cushions should be kept to a minimum as these can make it more difficult for a disabled passenger to get up from their seat. Where a slope is provided the centre of the cushion should not be less than 400mm above the foot space in front of the seat.

Where a vehicle is fitted with a continental exit on the off-side of a vehicle every effort should be made to comply with the handrail requirements as if that exit were on the nearside.

All smooth or textured handrails should be powder, ceramic or nylon coated. These materials can be rendered slip resistant, have a matt finish and feel comparatively warm to touch.

Private hire vehicles
The following booklet provides guidance on making private hire services (PHVs) easier to use for disabled people:

• Making private hire services more accessible to disabled people

The focus is on customer care and customer service, rather than the type of vehicles used and their physical characteristics. Among the issues covered are training of drivers and booking staff, the personal security of passengers and the setting up of voucher schemes to make PHVs more affordable.

Disability Awareness Training

It is important that staff understand the needs of passengers with disabilities and are able to respond to them appropriately. One of the most effective ways of ensuring that staff learn about people with disabilities and their needs is to implement a programme of disability awareness training.

All staff need training in disability issues including, but not limited to, drivers, mechanics, board members, cleaning staff, managers, designers and frontline/customer-facing staff. Everybody in the operator’s organisation should understand the needs of passengers with disabilities as they relate to their own jobs in order that individual members of staff can provide good quality, appropriate and respectful service to passengers with disabilities. Staff who have been trained on disability issues will also be better prepared to work alongside people with disabilities within an organisation.

The range of issues that needs to be covered in training can be considered as follows:

Not all staff need the same training. It is necessary to provide the right sort of training to staff consistent with their functions within the organisation. Senior managers will need to know more about the law, the business case and how to develop organisational systems and policies that will enable good employment practice and ensure quality customer service to passengers with disabilities.

Staff who work directly with passengers will need to understand the more practical aspects of disability, for example: how to guide a person with a vision impairment or how to use a particular piece of equipment. They will also need to know when it is appropriate to respond with flexibility to issues that passengers with disabilities may experience. Designers will need to understand the principles of inclusive design in whatever field they are working, for example, architecture, vehicle design, information technology and so on.

When it comes to who delivers the training, using in-house staff ensures that trainers understand the operator’s specific business issues and the nature of the business. However, in-house staff may lack the expertise and the experience to deliver truly effective training. Using people with disabilities as trainers to deliver training face-to-face provides a role model for the staff who are receiving training and helps to accelerate changing attitudes and behaviours.

In addition, there should be some consideration of the pace of the delivery of the training programme, so that staff can be trained within a reasonable period of time. The pace and resources of the training programme should reflect the size of the operator’s organisation. For large operators, it is more appropriate to measure progress in this area as a percentage of staff trained rather than absolute numbers of staff trained.

There are a number of important things to bear in mind with disability awareness training:

The most appropriate times to provide training to staff are:

If disability awareness training to staff has not previously been provided, or there is uncertainty as to the quality of the training that has been provided, it will be necessary to establish a programme that ensures all staff receive disability awareness training over a specific period.

Further information

General:

Buses and coaches:

Taxis and private hire vehicles:

• Disability Rights Commission (2007) A Practical Guide for Taxi and Private Hire Services. [accessed 14/01/08].
• Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (2003) Making private hire services more accessible to disabled people. [accessed 10/08/07].
• European Conference of Ministers of Transport (2007) Improving Access to Taxis. Paris: OECD.
• The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (2007) Access to taxis, private hire vehicles and private hire cars for guide dog owners. [accessed 26/10/07].

Acknowledgements:

 

 

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