Earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending a reception hosted by the Accessible Transport Policy Commission and Baroness Grey-Thompson. The main speaker was Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh.
The Secretary of State says that accessibility is a key focus for her and that there is a commitment to improve accessibility for all disabled people. She states many are being held back by society to live their fullest life and that access to public transport is a right, not a privilege.
The much-publicised experiences of Baroness Grey-Thompson and, for air travel, the BBC’s Frank Gardner, were specifically mentioned. The minister ended by saying that there needed to be a consistent experience for passengers and that they must come first.
Although coach was not specifically mentioned (the focus of her speech was rail, air and bus), no doubt the results and the recommendations of last year’s call for evidence for the review into PSVAR will be on her desk at some point next year. I wonder what view she will take.
I am going to make a prediction as to what I believe will be the outcome from that call for evidence. I suspect that the current exemptions will continue, but that the rate of full compliance will continue to increase year by year. I also believe that there will be a date when all new coaches will need to comply with a modified set of Regulations going forward.
I have no evidence that this is what it will be, but this is my feeling from all that I have heard and seen in recent months since the change in government.
In saying that, I hope that there is a modified set of Regulations that takes into account all that was said by operators and trade bodies during the call for evidence, and I sincerely hope that timescales will be generous enough to allow the industry to prepare (and in case anyone with influence is reading this, that is one of my three heartfelt pleas).
I cannot see that the industry will be allowed to stand still (or take a backward step) on accessibility matters. In recent years the coach sector has said that if a fully compliant coach is required for a journey, then one would be provided (a pledge I believe it has stuck to), but I suspect that this may not be enough now.
With lobbying taking place to improve accessibility, and the statements made by the Secretary of State, we should be prepared for change.
My other two heartfelt pleas to those with influence are around retrofitting and the current wheelchair lift:
- Limit, or pause completely, the number of coaches not designed for PSVAR that are required to be retrofitted. I have spoken to many operators that have vehicles with retrofitted lifts, and the problems that arise as they age run the gamut from leaky seals to electrical problems and even bowing of the structure. This is not a criticism of retrofit companies, but a fact of engineering that it is not always simple to introduce equipment to a vehicle that was not designed to carry it.
- We must also examine the design of vehicle lifts to minimise lost luggage space while ensuring they can be used safely by all who require them, and not just by wheelchair users.
I hope that there is much more that is included as part of the outcome of the call for evidence, and none of this will stop the UK Coach Operators Association and other trade bodies lobbying on behalf of the industry for a balanced approach.
I am simply hearing the mood of the music — and perhaps that is right, too?
