Traveline and Transport Direct Disabilities Customer Research
Overview
Background & policy context:
The UK Department for Transport commissioned this research project to enable an assessment of the travel information needs of disabled people. This was in line with the Government’s current emphasis on reducing the social exclusion of certain groups of people, including disabled people. The poor accessibility of Public Transport had discriminated considerably against people who are older and/or disabled, more especially as these people had been less likely to have access to a private car. Whilst improvements to the accessibility of public transport can play a leading role in promoting social inclusion, it is just as important that potential disabled travellers should have access to information about accessible public transport services, and that this information should itself be available in an accessible format.
"Transport Direct" (www.transportdirect.info) is a free online route/journey planner for public transport and car journeys in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). It is operated by a private consortium and funded by the UK Department for Transport, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government.
"traveline" (www.traveline.org.uk) is a national telephone enquiry service and online journey planner for public transport on a regional basis covering the whole of the UK.
Objectives:
Steered by a Project Board representing traveline and Transport Direct stakeholders, the research was based on four objectives:
- To review legal obligations on transport operators and information providers to provide travel information to disabled people
- To assess the extent to which providing better travel information to disabled people would encourage them to make greater use of public transport
- To assess disabled people’s travel information requirements
- To examine whether information services like traveline and Transport Direct are the most effective providers of the information that disabled people need, or whether it might be better provided by a specialist organisation.
Methodology:
Investigation of the travel information needs of disabled people was carried out to a large extent by means of 13 focus groups. These were held in four locations in Great Britain, and represented three broad groups of disabled people: blind and partially sighted people, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and people with physical mobility impairments. There was also a single focus group involving people with learning disabilities.
In addition, a consultation exercise, involving a range of stakeholders, was carried out.
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