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Major urban public transport interchange: Victoria Coach Station, London

A4.63 Victoria Coach Station is an example of an accessible transport interchange facility located in the centre of a major city. Whilst no information is available on the impact of the accessibility features that have been implemented, it is presented here as an example of good practice, in the belief that this facility provides a good example of the level of accessibility that can be achieved in this type of location.

Description of the scheme

A4.64 The Coach Station provides a free mobility assistance service between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm daily for passengers who request it. They can request assistance when booking, or, if transferring between coaches at Victoria, through the coach drivers who inform the Mobility Assistance Help Desk upon arrival (see Figure A4.4). Whilst this Help Desk is currently located towards the periphery of the station complex, there are plans for the facility to be moved to the main terminal in the near future. Whilst this assistance facility is officially open only until 6.00 pm, there are Operations Control staff (effectively security personnel) present here 24 hours a day.

A4.65 The majority of passengers requiring assistance do give advance notice, but the station staff are usually able to help disabled people who have not booked assistance in advance. There is a second information desk in the second part of the departures terminal; there is also an information kiosk for Transport for London bus and underground services. Passengers can wait at the help point assistance centre until their coach is ready to depart, when a member of staff will take them to their coach. When necessary, staff go to the Ticket Hall on passengers' behalf to purchase or change tickets, which helps people who might have difficulty with high counters.

A4.66 Importantly, all staff are trained in disability awareness, conflict resolution, first aid, defibrillator use, and similar issues. Disability awareness training is delivered in the form of the "Fairness for All" course, which emphasises having respect for people from different cultures and with different outlooks. This course also includes introducing staff to "disability simulation", which involves the use of specially-designed glasses to simulate different types of visual impairment, and similar physical exercises.

FigureA4.4: .Mobility Assistance Help Desk.

A4.67 Although the station was refurbished in 1995, it occupies a rather old building, and as such there is little space available for passengers to wait and for coaches to manoeuvre (see Figure A4.5). The exit from the main departure area to the assistance centre is via folding automatic doors, and down a small ramp. The doors have a clear opening width of 1300mm. The ramp is 730mm long, with a rise of approximately 80mm (1:9).

A4.68 Part of the aforementioned help desk in the Mobility Assistance Centre is lowered to 800mm (from 1180mm) for wheelchair users. The office is approached by a ramp 3200mm long with a rise of 250mm (approximately 1:13 gradient). The ramp has guardrails on both sides, with a clear width of 1300mm. The top rail of the guardrail is at the correct height to give passengers who have difficulty with walking, or who find it difficult to stand for long periods, support, but is square in section rather than rounded. The door into the help point office is automatic, with a clear width of 850mm. Both fixed and moveable seating is provided in the office (550mm seat height, 450mm width, 430mm deep), with arm rests on the fixed seating 200mm above the squab. There are two toilets for disabled people to the side of the help point office.

Figure A4. 5. Location of Victoria Coach Station

A4.69 All entrances to the terminal are accessible by wheelchair, usually through level ground, but some by ramp. The doors are automatic with ample clear width (1300mm or more). The controlled crossing by the main entrance has tactile paving and a dropped kerb (see Figure A4.6). The controlled pedestrian crossing further down Elizabeth Street also has a dropped kerb, but no tactile surfacing.

Figure A4.6: Controlled crossing by the main entrance to Victoria Coach Station.

A4.70 Major access ways through the departures terminal are generally of sufficient width, and are uncluttered, most parts having a clear width of at least 2000mm. Telephones, seating and support pillars are kept out of the main clearways. There is level access to the refreshment areas, which are also set out in such a way that movement by a wheelchair user would be reasonably easy, though again counters are on the high side. The kiosk in the main entrance hall also has level access, as has the Left Luggage area.

A4.71 There is ample provision of public telephones throughout the terminals, including a text phone in the Gate 1 area. Other telephones in the station vary in dimensions, but typically have a key pad centred around 1160mm, with coin and card slot at around or just above 1400mm. There is also an internet kiosk in the departures area, with both a keypad and a touch screen. There is generally plenty of manoeuvring space in the vicinity of the telephones. Telephones in the arrivals area are similar to those in departures, with sufficient manoeuvring space by them. As in the departures terminal, there is level access into the arrivals refreshment area. There is also level access from the arrivals area to the taxi rank outside.

A4.72 The arrivals area has a new unisex disabled toilet facility, which is supervised and regularly cleaned. There are also two accessible toilets close to the Mobility Assistance Centre, with RADAR key access, the key being kept at the Centre.

A4.73 The signs at Victoria are white lower case writing on a "blue / green" background (see Figure A4.7). The help point and disabled toilets are clearly marked and all signs have accompanying symbols. There are real-time information displays (Visual Display Units) and timetable information boards in the main entrance vestibule of the departures terminal. The VDUs have yellow or white lower case text on a dark blue background, giving good visibility. There are information boards on stands inside the terminal, with the information positioned at between 860mm and 1900mm above ground level. The boards are placed on dark green pillars which contrast with their surroundings.

Figure A4.7: Signage at Victoria Coach Station

A4.74 The gate numbers are large and clear, being back lit, and there are VDU displays at each gate giving destinations, service numbers and departure times (yellow text on dark blue, lower case lettering). The departures terminal has a station plan (dark green on cream, lower case text) which identifies key areas, including ticket office, bays, the help point, refreshments and toilets.

A4.75 Ticket office windows are 1100mm above ground level, and all have induction loops. There are automatic doors at the entrance to the ticket office.

A4.76 As for the issue of safety, passengers are separated from the coaches by glass panels, and access the coach boarding area through a glass door. The passenger route from the alighting area to the outside doors is a minimum of 2000mm wide; these doors are also automatic.

Area and population

A4.77 Victoria Coach Station is located in Central London, forming part of a major multi-modal interchange serving train, local bus, underground train and coach modes, and is one of the busiest transport interchanges in London. Whilst Scotland has no city comparable, in terms of size and population, with London (a city of some 8.3 million people), Victoria Coach Station might be regarded as being analogous to Glasgow's Buchanan Street Coach Station and Edinburgh Bus and Coach Station in St Andrew's Square.

Number of trips facilitated

A4.78 During the busy summer months, 580 coaches a day pass through Victoria Coach Station; 450 a day in the winter months. Approximately 40% of passengers visiting Victoria Coach Station interchange from one coach to another. It is claimed that, on "busy days", the station provides assistance to up to 30 disabled passengers.

Sustainability, and parties involved in planning, funding and operation.

A4.79 Victoria Coach Station ( VCS) Ltd is part of Transport for London ( TfL), so as such both contributes towards TfL's commitment to making London's transport network accessible for all passengers, and receives funding for making such accessibility possible. The stated aim of VCS Ltd is,

"… to provide an arrival and departures facility for coaches in London, with off-street setting down and pick-up. The provision of a safe, comfortable environment both for coach travellers and for those seeing off or welcoming passengers is of prime importance. In fulfilling this role, the company is charged with making a defined commercial profit."

A4.80 There is a commitment to provide accessibility beyond that which is a requirement under the Disability Discrimination Act, and this commitment has been manifested in the introduction of a Customer Charter, in 1992, on completion of the Departures Refurbishment Programme at the coach station. VCS Ltd was awarded a Government Charter Mark for Excellence in Customer Service in October 1994, and this award has been retained, as a result of continued innovation and improvement, in 1997, 2000 and 2004. Application for renewal of the Charter Mark is a formal process which requires some 65 criteria on an appraisal check-list to be satisfied.

User feedback

A4.81 VCS Ltd carries out quarterly Customer Satisfaction Surveys; the results of these surveys, up to the end of 2004, in comparison with stated targets, are shown in Table A4.2.

Table A4.2: Results of Customer Satisfaction Surveys. (Data supplied by Victoria Coach Station Ltd).

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