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CHAPTER FIVE: AVAILABILITY OF BUS ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
Introduction
5.1 This chapter describes how much of the required accessibility information is readily available for the bus network. Only the information pertinent to this mode and its associated features is discussed.
5.2 Bus infrastructure has been defined as comprising bus stations, bus stops and the passenger vehicles (buses).
Scottish Bus Services
5.3 Scottish Local Authorities are largely responsible for providing bus stops and bus stations. Private transport operators such as First, Stagecoach and Lothian Buses 7 generally provide the services and vehicles, either commercially and / or as subsidised services, although in some Local Authority areas the council is also the main transport operator (Shetland Islands).
5.4 In west central Scotland, Strathclyde Passenger Transport ( SPT) is the coordinating body for public transport infrastructure with responsibility for eleven Local Authority areas 8.
5.5 Our survey of Scottish Local Authorities focused on what accessibility data each authority currently held on bus stops and bus stations within their area. Completed questionnaires from sixteen Local Authorities and SPT were analysed during this study 9.
Bus stop accessibility
5.6 The key information required about the bus stops themselves related to how accessible the location was and what facilities were at the stop site. For example, is there a shelter present and if so, what type of shelter? Does the stop have tactile paving and raised / dropped kerbs, or is it simply a bus pole in a verge?
5.7 In order to identify whether this information is readily available, Local Authorities were asked a series of questions about the bus stops in their area and any bus stop databases they may have established.
Bus stop databases
5.8 The ease of adding extra information to the Transport Direct website depends on how much of the additional information is held electronically. Of the 16 Local Authorities who responded to the consultation (excluding SPT areas), 11 (69%) had existing electronic bus stop databases.
5.9 Two authorities were in the process of compiling a database (Angus and Scottish Borders) and only three did not mention any plans to introduce an electronic database (Dumfries & Galloway, Orkney and Shetland Islands).
5.10 Dumfries and Galloway is responsible for 900 bus stops and 250 shelters. Orkney have 30 bus stops with shelters but due to the isolated nature of Orkney, most services operate as Hale & Ride, which means there are no 'official' bus stops. The Shetland Islands Council stated they had less than 200 bus stops and 182 bus shelters but only had a database of shelter locations, rather than bus stops.
5.11 SPT have an electronic database covering 10,039 bus stops and 4008 shelters. The SPT database includes details of the type of shelter at each location. For the Local Authority areas where the Council directly maintains some of their own shelters, SPT rely on the relevant council to advise them of any changes, so this information may not be 100% accurate.
Information held on bus stop databases
5.12 In general, this study found that accessibility information for the thousands of bus stops in Scotland is not readily available. Most of the authorities with databases held the minimal details of bus stop location, name and ID. Nine out of the 11 authorities who had electronic bus stop databases noted the presence of a shelter and shelter manufacturer (shelter type) in their database and one additional authority (Orkney) knew bus shelter locations and type but did not have an electronic list.
5.13 Only three authorities (Angus, Fife and Perth & Kinross) stated that they recorded the presence of seating and only three said they recorded the presence of raised kerbs (Aberdeenshire, Angus and City of Edinburgh).
5.14 Angus and SPT appeared to record the most information, noting facilities such as telephone boxes, litter bins, width of footways, and the presence of electricity (for illumination).
5.15 The majority of Authorities would therefore need to undertake a full bus stop audit in order to provide the Traveline community with the essential information required by disabled travellers.
5.16 Traveline Scotland recently commissioned photographs of every bus stop in Scotland in order to extend their transport timetable database and this information was also supplied to Local Authorities on a DVD.
5.17 Traveline has indicated that it would be possible for Local Authorities to use this information to do a desk based audit, although the auditor would need to have local knowledge of the bus stops in order to identify any changes in infrastructure since the Traveline work was undertaken.
5.18 As an example of how much time and resources a desk based survey would need, Argyll & Bute were asked to estimate how long this process would take for their 860 bus stops. Argyll & Bute believed it would take two people two weeks to identify individual bus stops (from a DVD) and extract the relevant information. This information would then need to be added to an expanded database, so a further two weeks should be allowed for one person to input the data.
5.19 However, Traveline Scotland expressed concern about using a desk based survey to lay the foundations for an accessibility data base. The alternative would be to task either Local Authorities or a separate organisation with a site based bus stop audit. The main advantage with this approach is that up to date information would be collected within a slightly longer time frame.
5.20 It is estimated that a two person team with transport could probably survey up to 50 bus stops per day (assuming they had an audit check list and a digital camera).
5.21 The number of bus stops per authority area ranges from 150 (Shetland Islands) to approximately 2500 (Fife) with an overall average of 1065 bus stops per authority area. It would therefore take an average of 21 working days for Local Authorities to audit the facilities at each of their bus stops, with those authorities with over 2000 bus stops taking over 40 working days. Data entry could be achieved within the same time frame assuming a further staff resource could be utilised.
Bus station accessibility
5.22 The majority of non- SPT Local Authorities in Scotland have only one bus station within their area of responsibility, with the exception of Dumfries & Galloway and Midlothian (no bus stations) and Fife, which has five bus stations.
5.23 All of the Local Authorities questioned were easily able to provide details on physical accessibility issues such as the number of levels, escalators, lifts and stairs within each station.
5.24 The status of other features such as audible announcements, visual announcements, availability of staff and wheelchair assistance, presence of help points, toilets and T-loops etc were also known. The only feature which was unknown by more than one authority was whether or not station staff had disability training. In some instances (Angus, Perth & Kinross) the staff were bus operator employees and the Local Authority was unaware of operator training.
Accessibility of bus vehicles in Scotland
5.25 The majority of bus services in Scotland are operated by three operators - First (approximately 50% of the network), Stagecoach (23%) and Lothian Buses Plc (12%). Arriva operates about 4% of the network and Rapsons, City Link and Travel Dundee also have a small percentage each. About 5% of passenger services are operated by smaller scale bus companies who tend to do mainly school, hospital and registered services in rural areas.
Vehicle accessibility
5.26 The main vehicle information that disabled people want prior to undertaking a journey includes:
- Accessibility of vehicles normally used on the route
- Policy of operator normally running a route with regards to the degree of driver assistance given to disabled people.
- Policy of operator if the driver spots a person with a white cane waiting at the bus stop.
5.27 In terms of vehicle accessibility, there are wide variations between operators in Scotland, although in line with the DDA, all new vehicles procured are low floor and comply with the DDA guidelines on vehicle accessibility.
5.28 First is Scotland's largest bus operator. First Aberdeen has a 100% low floor fleet in Aberdeen and the average age of the fleet is 5.6 years. First Glasgow (operating in Glasgow, North and South Lanarkshire, East and West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, and North and East Ayrshire) has a 48% low floor fleet and the average vehicle age is 7.7 years old.
5.29 Lothian Buses, operating in East Lothian, Mid Lothian and Edinburgh, have a 56% low floor fleet and plan to be fully low floor by 2010. Stagecoach Bluebird (Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Highland, Moray, Perth & Kinross, and Stirling) is 28.5% low floor whilst 14.3% of Stagecoach Fife's fleet is low floor. Approximately 5.6% of Rapsons' fleet is low floor.
5.30 All of the above operators can carry at least one wheelchair although electric scooters were unable to be carried by First. Stagecoach also stated that large, heavy electric wheelchairs were too big for transporting onboard.
Dedicated low floor routes
5.31 All of these operators were able to provide a list of the routes which used dedicated low floor vehicles. Using NaPTAN10 identities, it would be relatively easy to load these route numbers into a route database showing the likelihood of a low floor service along a given route. At present, very few of the dedicated routes were marked as such in general timetable information.
Driver assistance policy
5.32 In terms of general driver assistance, all members of the Confederation of Passenger Transport ( CPT) recognise the Scottish Thistle Card, a card recently launched by the Scottish Executive and the charity Enable, which when presented by a passenger, indicates to drivers that they may need to provide assistance and allow more time for boarding. Stagecoach, Stagecoach Bluebird, Lothian and Rapsons all provide drivers with disability training, normally as a one day course and or part of induction training. First Aberdeen stated that they did not provide any disability training for drivers.
Operator policy for visually impaired people waiting at bus stops
5.33 Stagecoach Bluebird and Stagecoach Fife both have a clear policy on driver assistance to people waiting with a white cane at bus stops. Drivers are advised to stop, inform the person of the service and destination and offer assistance. If necessary, the driver will assist passenger to a seat and check where the passenger wishes to disembark. Lothian also had a clear policy and take part in an annual Royal Blind School (Edinburgh) training exercise to help unaccompanied children use the bus to get to and from school. First Glasgow stated that if drivers identify a visually impaired person waiting at a stop they are to state the service number and destination of the bus.
5.34 First Aberdeen and Rapsons did not have any specific policy relating to people with a visual impairment. Given that these are corporate policies, it would be relatively easy to add a note stating operator policy on this issue to the current database.
Summary of bus data available
5.35 In summary, no one authority collected the same level or type of bus stop information and in general, accessibility information on bus stops is not readily available. In order to provide all of the information required by disabled people most Local Authorities will need to re-audit each of their bus stops and expand their existing databases.
5.36 Very few Local Authorities stated whether or not they had an electronic list outlining all of the features at their bus station, but all of the authorities questioned were able to state which features were present.
5.37 By developing a simple electronic template which lists key accessibility features (similar to that used by train operating companies for the station information page on the National Rail Enquiries website) a data aggregator could send this out to a key bus contact at each Local Authority. With only one bus station per Local Authority area, most authorities would be able to complete the template within a few hours and this data could be readily available.
5.38 With regards to vehicles, very little information is held centrally on how accessible individual vehicles are likely to be along a certain route. However, by contacting individual operators or Local Authorities, it is generally possible to obtain this information.
5.39 Most companies with low floor bus fleets operate dedicated low floor bus routes, but very few of these routes are highlighted as such on existing time table information. It is recommended that dedicated low floor bus route information is made more widely available. The most accurate source of current dedicated low floor bus routes is normally the operator.
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