Campaign launched to improve disabled passengers’ journeys
Move is the latest in a series of measures introduced by the Transport Secretary.
The Government has launched a new campaign to help improve the journeys of disabled people on public transport.
The Department for Transport’s initiative, called ‘It’s Everyone’s Journey’, aims to highlight how everyone can play a part in making public transport more inclusive.
It’s a campaign which is being supported by more than 100 partners including First Group and the Alzheimer’s Society.
Explaining its aims, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I want our transport system to be the best in the world for disabled people, but we still have a long way to go.
“Our ‘It’s Everyone’s Journey’ campaign highlights that we can all play a part in making transport more accessible for disabled people.
‘‘I believe we should all be making a determined effort to make public transport accessible to everyone, and I am committed to accelerating the pace of change.
“We are launching a new scheme to recognise those transport operators who are getting it right and will work quickly to implement recommendations from the upcoming Keith Williams Review to improve rail accessibility.”
The campaign will look to raise awareness about the needs of disabled people when using public transport – particularly those with non-visible impairments – and will ask other members of the public to think about how their actions affect others.
The Department for Transport is also launching its Transport Leaders scheme, an accreditation system which looks to encourage and promote best practice in inclusive transport.
John Birtwistle, head of policy at FirstGroup, said: “FirstGroup is particularly proud to be a partner in the launch of “it’s everyone’s journey”. For many years we have sought to improve our services to reflect the needs of travellers with disabilities and to overcome barriers to use of public transport.
“We will continue to encourage every one of our customers to be considerate to both their fellow travellers, and to our drivers who do a great job under difficult conditions, and we welcome this wide reaching national campaign.”
