Brighton and Hove Buses has celebrated 10 years of its partnership with charity Guide Dogs to provide sighted guide training for the operator’s staff, ensuring that they are taught best practice methods for guiding people with sight loss.
Over 2,000 employees at the operator have completed such training since the first session was delivered by Guide Dogs in 2014. From 2016, the operator has run those sessions as an official training delivery partner of the charity.
In addition to helping to teach the skills and confidence needed to safely guide people with sight loss, sessions raise awareness of the impact of sight loss and the legal access rights of guide dog owners as part of the charity’s mission to make spaces more inclusive and accessible for all.
The course is now a mandatory part of onboarding for new employees at Brighton and Hove Buses. All new staff learn how to guide people with sight loss in a safe and empathetic way. That gives drivers and wider team members the confidence to offer assistance, and shares techniques with them to guide passengers if needed.
Success with the partnership has led Brighton and Hove Buses to collaborate with Guide Dogs on wider initiatives to increase accessibility.
As an example, feedback from the charity and local people with sight loss has helped to shape bus design. The operator has fully complied with the PSV Accessible Information Regulations ahead of the 1 October date, and Guide Dogs co-designed the Helping Hand card that enables passengers to discreetly request assistance from staff.
To mark the 10-year partnership in late-March, staff from Guide Dogs, the operator and its sister business Metrobus came together in Brighton alongside local guide dog owner Allison Evans MBE and her guide dog Matty.
Speaking about the work, Guide Dogs Sighted Guide Training Officer Nicola Schwarz says: “We want to make all spaces welcoming and inclusive for people with sight loss. That includes public transport, which people with a vision impairment often rely on to live independently.
“By delivering sighted guiding training to all staff, Brighton and Hove Buses is helping to open up the world even more for blind and partially sighted people, ensuring that passengers can get support while travelling if they need it.
“Staff who complete sighted guide training with Guide Dogs or our official partners, like Brighton and Hove Buses, learn to safely guide someone through narrow spaces, up and down stairs, through doors, and to seats. They also learn the importance of communication.
“Things like introducing yourself and describing the world around you can have a huge impact on someone’s experience.
“It is fantastic to see Brighton and Hove Buses’ longstanding commitment to accessibility. Our partnership is not only supporting passengers with sight loss, but also helping to foster greater inclusion and understanding across communities in Sussex.”
