Audio-visual announcements on buses a step closer
Audio-visual announcements on buses took a step closer this week as Thomas Pocklington Trust met with the Real Time Information Group (RTIG), a trade body for public transport technology stakeholders, to discuss upcoming legislation on the audio-visual announcements.
The Sight Loss Council-led #MakeBusesAccessible campaign succeeded with the Government agreeing to bring forward the Accessible Information Regulations and implement them by the end of the year.
It will bring blind and partially sighted people’s five-year wait for audio-visual announcements to an end.
A huge number of Sight Loss Council volunteers sent letters to MPs and Thomas Pocklington Trust wrote directly to the Minister for Transport, urging him to take action.
We would like to thank everyone who got involved in the campaign.
Read more about the Government’s commitment
RTIG will work closely with both central Government and bus operators ahead of the implementation to ensure that bus operators are able to meet the new regulations, and that the new regulations are appropriate for the needs of passengers.
Our meeting with RTIG covered:
- What the current provision of audio-visual announcements is across the UK transport network
- Where Government will target support for bus operators most heavily
- How the huge amount of work Sight Loss Councils have done on transport can help the sector prepare
- How we can ensure the new regulations are suitable for the specific needs of blind and partially sighted passengers
Our #MakeBusesAccessible campaign aims to tackle accessibility problems on buses, the most commonly used type of public transport by people with mobility difficulty.
It forms part of the wider #MakeTransportAccessible campaign, which fights across a range of transport solutions – including buses, trains, taxis and even apps – to ensure blind and partially sighted people are able to travel safely and independently.
Publication date: 22 August 2022