Following a campaign organised locally last year by Crawley MP, Henry Smith, alongside Guide Dogs concerning the charity’s bus passenger experiences report, Road to Nowhere, Metrobus has today announced that it has introduced 18 new ‘talking’ buses onto its Fastway routes 10 and 20.
Commenting on the development, Henry said:
“Last year I joined Guide Dogs to campaign on behalf of blind and partially sighted passengers who suffer isolation as a result of their lack of confidence in bus travel.
“At the time I wrote to Metrobus and the Department for Transport to urge them to significantly improve bus journeys for passengers just by following a few simple steps such as providing onboard, accessible journey information in the form of audio-visual displays and improved driver training.
“I’m delighted, therefore, that Metrobus has today announced that over the coming weeks 18 ‘talking’ buses will be introduced onto its Fastway routes 10 and 20, which will include new features such as stop announcements and audio information about other points of interest along the routes.
“From my own experiences doing blind-folded guided walks around Crawley with the charity, Guide Dogs, I know that this is an extremely positive development for the blind and partially sighted and has encouraged us to re-double our efforts on other key campaigns, including the nuisance of street clutter and the dangers from quiet electric and hybrid vehicles.”
The Talking Buses campaign is informed by a real need amongst service users. The Road to Nowhere report found that 80 per cent of people with sight loss said they are unable to enjoy the freedom that others take for granted because they find travelling by bus so difficult. Almost three quarters have been put off visiting friends and family, and almost two thirds have missed out on social occasions like birthday parties. Furthermore, a shocking 54 per cent of respondents had missed their bus stop because drivers have refused to agree to tell them when they reached their destination. Audio visual announcements will be of significant help to passengers, restoring their confidence to travel independently by bus.
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