Cross-Sectoral Issues in the Transport Sector

Exchequer and EU funding of Transport Projects

In keeping with the ECMT Charter (see Appendix 2 for full text) adopted by the ECMT Council of Ministers in Warsaw in 1999, all public transport project proposals submitted to the Department of Transport for Exchequer or EU financing must, as a condition of funding approval, include provisions to incorporate full accessibility to approved standards or best practice into the design and construction of the project.

The advice of competent authorities (experts in disability, including people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments) must be sought in respect of each such project, from the earliest design stage and throughout the design and construction processes. Each project must be vetted by the competent authority and any departure from their advice must be based on sound operational or safety considerations. All new projects will be monitored for compliance with these accessibility principles.

Selective post-investment monitoring and evaluation structures will be put in place to ascertain whether the funding has been effective. An assessment of the effectiveness of the funding in increasing the accessibility of transport for all and whether the funding has facilitated an increase in the use of transport by mobility and sensory impaired people will be an integral part of this process.

Disability Awareness Training

While the provision of accessible infrastructure and vehicles is essential for accessing public transport, this access cannot in many cases be affected if the providers of the services adopt negative attitudes to people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments or there are interpersonal communication failures. Organisations need to understand the needs of people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments and to remove communication, attitudinal and physical barriers. Disability awareness training is, therefore, essential for the proper delivery of services. Such training for all operators, while essential for front-line staff, such as drivers and ticketing staff, should also be a feature of on-the-job training of supervisors and managers.

Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Átha Cliath and Veolia Transport now have disability awareness training programmes in place. Disability awareness training for Railway Procurement Agency staff is scheduled for 2006 with some critical staff having already received training. This training will continue in most cases due to normal staff turnover and rotation etc.

The Department of Transport is considering the question of providing support for disability awareness training for the private bus operator sector to be arranged in conjunction with representatives of people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments.

In relation to the Taxi and Hackney Sector, a mandatory Skills Development Programme will be put in place, which will have as a core element disability awareness and training relevant to the provision of a service for people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments. The training will be mandatory for all new SPSV drivers from 2007 and will be a requirement for all existing SPSV drivers from 2008.

Disability awareness training is also being introduced for staff in the Department of Transport. Staff from the Department's Maritime Safety Directorate, both administrative staff and Marine Surveyors, commenced disability awareness training in 2005 including specialised training in relation to disability needs in the marine transport sector.

Port authorities will be required to arrange disability awareness training for their employees who are engaged in the provision of passenger services or who are otherwise responsible for the implementation of aspects of this Plan. Also, the "Questionnaire on Disability Access on Passenger Ships", among other things, deals with the question of disability equality training and now forms part of the annual renewal survey for a Passenger Ship Certificate.

The proposed EU Regulation concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air (COM 2005/0047) includes a requirement for airlines and airport authorities to provide disability awareness training for staff. The Department will advise those airlines and airport authorities who have not already done so to put in place a programme of disability awareness training for staff as a priority measure, in advance of the implementation of the Regulation.

The operational guidelines for improving access to bus, rail and light rail services for people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments in Ireland, published by the NDA, include a full chapter on disability awareness training. As noted earlier these guidelines have been issued for implementation by all public transport operators.

The NDA has also recently published Guidelines for Purchasers of Disability Equality Training. Among other things, the guidelines provide a uniform code of practice for the content and delivery of disability awareness training courses. The Department will encourage the transport operators to adapt these guidelines.

Copies of the NDA Guidelines are available on the NDA website www.nda.ie

Consultation and the Establishment of Disability User Groups

User groups formed from regular public transport users with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments are invaluable in the planning, design and operation of successful public transport services. Since the publication of the Outline Plan, each of the CIÉ operating companies has established a disability users group and the RPA and Veolia Transport have established a joint disability user group in respect of Luas services. While these user groups are providing invaluable advice to the companies concerned in relation to the design and implementation of accessibility improvements, it would appear that such groups do not currently have clear terms of reference, regular meetings or review mechanisms for plans as they are implemented. In this connection, the Department, in conjunction with the PTAC, will develop a 'terms of reference' template for disability user groups and circulate it to relevant transport operators.

Dublin Airport has set up a disability users group, embracing representative bodies from various disability organisations and at least two meetings of this group have already taken place in 2006. It is understood that disability user groups are in the process of being established at Cork and Shannon Airports. It is proposed to establish a forum later in 2006 to oversee the implementation and review of the Maritime Passenger Section of the Sectoral Plan. The forum will include representatives of the Department of Transport, port authorities, marine passenger service providers and people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments.

The Department is consulting with the representative organisations of private transport operators regarding the establishment of similar appropriate structures for that sector.

Accessibility Audits

Carrying out an accessibility audit can be an invaluable tool for a transport operator in measuring the extent to which their transport services are accessible. The Department will discuss with the following the way in which these audits should be carried out, their frequency and the development of implementation plans to address any deficiencies identified: National Disability Authority, National Roads Authority, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Átha Cliath, the RPA/Veolia Transport, the organisations representing private bus operators, the airport services, port /harbour authorities and marine passenger transport operators.

People with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments that affect their capacity to independently use public transport will have a key role in such audits.

Roads Policy

The National Roads Authority (NRA) also has a responsibility in relation to national roads in ensuring that in delivering a modern, safe road network, the needs of people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments are considered. This will be followed up with the NRA.

Integrated Ticketing

Integrated ticketing is the means by which a passenger can undertake journey with the use of a ticket on one or more public transport services. In the countries where such multi-operator and sometimes multi-modal systems operate it can bring particular benefit to people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments because of the improvements it brings to their travel experience. Integrated ticketing, especially a system based on a contactless smartcard, reduces the inconvenience and discomfort associated with queuing and buying tickets. In addition, bus boarding and passage through ticket control points at railway stations can be simpler without the constant need to handle money and to interact with bus drivers and ticket issuing staff. Smartcard reading equipment usually has visual and audio indicators that are activated when smartcards are held close to such devices.

An integrated ticketing system using contactless smartcard technology is currently being developed by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) and is being introduced on a phased basis with initial deployment in the Dublin area. As part of the phased introduction it has been operating since April 2004 on the public transport services of Morton's Coaches, in conjunction with the RPA. Another important stage in the process was the launch of smartcards on Luas services in March 2005.

Passenger Information

Information, from basic printed timetables to real time on-board information systems, is fundamentally important in giving people the confidence to travel. The Department is committed to the development of an integrated information system for public transport and is considering how best to progress its implementation. Links to the services of various transport providers in the Greater Dublin Area are already available through the Dublin Transport Office website www.dto.ie

From its consultations with the disability sector, the Department is conscious of the need to improve substantially the current inadequacies of public transport travel information systems. Because they can provide timely, accurate and reliable information on a range of travel choices in a range of media (such as on the internet, mobile phones, at bus stops, rail stations and on board vehicles) Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems can bring great benefits to passengers with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments.

Luas uses RTPI displays at all stops to inform passengers of the expected arrival time of the next three trams and their destination. On board displays also show the current and next stops and these are supplemented by audible announcements. The audio announcements on the tram are a combination of pre-recorded and/or driver activated messages and those on the platforms are initiated centrally. Both systems are used to provide other information and can be programmed by the operator to display custom messages. New "standard" messages are regularly updated. Information provided also includes details of interchange locations with bus and rail services. Many automated messages are repeated in Irish as well as in English.

Notice boards at all Luas stops contain local area maps which include nearby landmarks as well as bus stop locations. The posters also give basic information on fares, running times and other statutory notices. It is planned that performance data will be added to these posters in due course.

Luas guides, timetables and newsletters are available in different formats and are either obtained by request or are given out at stops from time to time.

The DART has an RTPI system installed at all stations in visual format only. It also has a RTPI service in text format available from mobile phones. RTPI services are also available on the IE website. On board displays also show the current and next stops and these are supplemented by audible announcements. The audio announcements on the carriage are a combination of pre-recorded and/or driver activated messages. The systems on the carriages and in the stations are used to provide other information and can be programmed by the operator to display custom messages. New "standard" messages are regularly updated. Information provided also includes details of interchange locations with bus and Luas services. Some automated messages are repeated in Irish as well as in English.

Bus Átha Cliath is piloting an on-board audio/visual system and has a mobile phone text service that gives information on the next scheduled services for each route queried. BAC has recently provided orientation maps and detailed scheduled service information at some bus stops on a number of QBCs.

Bus Éireann is in the process of rolling-out satellite navigation technology across its national fleet (GPS System).

The Department will continue to press the operating companies to ensure that all information and announcement systems are at all times operational and accurate.

The integration of passenger information across transport networks should be consistent and enable passengers with disabilities to complete a journey with integrated ticketing options allowing the completion of a journey using different modes of transport. The provision of information, in the preferred format of the passenger for journey planning, to assist him or her to identify accessible transport - particularly where more than one mode of transport is involved is essential and should form part of future policy.

The need for information on the accessibility or otherwise of routes, stops and interchanges, and how modes and services connect, also needs to be made available and published in alternative formats to enable people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments plan and undertake journeys.

Websites

CIÉ and its three operating companies, Iarnród Eireann, Bus Éireann and Bus Átha Cliath, have upgraded their Internet websites in recent years. Each website now includes

• Timetable information (with RTPI for DART and certain Dublin suburban services on the IE website);
• Information on fares & promotional offerings as well as the purchase & delivery of some tickets;
• A seat reservation service in the case of Irish Rail;
• Information relating to the companies accessible services;
• Special features to assist the visually impaired; and
• Links to the websites of the other companies.

All these web sites are accessible through the CIE website at www.cie.ie or at www.buseireann.ie, www.irishrail.ie or www.dublinbus.ie. Both Bus Éireann and Irish Rail websites contain journey-planning services.

The Luas website (operated and maintained by Veolia Transport) can be accessed at www.luas.ie while the website of the Dublin Transportation Office, which contains timetable information for a number of public and private transport operators, can be accessed at www.dto.ie.

A number of licensed private bus operators have dedicated websites that provide passenger information & fare information on scheduled services and, in some cases, facilitate the purchase of tickets.

While the work undertaken to date on all these sites represents significant progress, further improvements are required to facilitate journey planning particularly for people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments. As recommended by the National Disability Authority, the Department will encourage all passenger transport providers to achieve conformance with the Web Accessibility Initiatives (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for its HTML-based information and services, including public websites, HTML based e-mail and newsletters. The WCAG can be accessed at www.w3.org/WAI

The Department will continue to consult with relevant bodies including transport operators and the Public Transport Accessibility Committee with a view to progressing improvements in website design and use.

Public Transport Interchange

Public transport interchange is the process whereby passengers transfer from one transport service to another in making a journey. A complete public transport journey will frequently consist of a succession of smaller trips. Where there are discontinuities in this process that cause inconvenience for passengers, interchange can be major deterrent to promoting increased use of public transport. However, such discontinuities create particular difficulties for people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments. The most common interchange problem experienced by these groups of passengers is where there are different spatial levels in the interchange infrastructure and where signage is poor.

An advice note published by the Dublin Transportation Office addresses the special needs of people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments in this regard and particularly with regard to the planning and design of interchange facilities. The Department recognises that the difficulties are not confined to infrastructural issues but also encompass operational matters such as ensuring, for instance, that buses which serve train stations/ports are timetabled to take account of train/ship arrival and departure times.

Transport 21 places a special emphasis on the integration of the various elements of the public transport system particularly in the Greater Dublin Area and there are a number of proposals therein, which when completed, will facilitate passenger interchange between those elements. As with all new public transport infrastructure facilities, in funding developments in this area the Department will ensure that the accessibility needs of people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments will be an integral part of the construction of interchange facilities.