Ms Siobhan Barron:

The National Disability Authority, NDA, thanks the Chairman and members of the Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport for the opportunity to present on the accessibility of public transport for persons with disabilities. The NDA was established to provide independent and evidence-informed advice for the Minister on matters of policy and practice relevant to the lives of people with disabilities. We were given additional functions to operate the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design from 2007. Our role means that we cover a very wide range of policy areas, Departments and public sector remits. The statutory Centre for Excellence in Universal Design promotes the universal design of the built environment, products, services and information and communications technology in order that they can be accessed, understood and used independently to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. The NDA’s view is that a universal design approach to transport would benefit everyone, particularly those with disabilities and older people, especially as it could maximise their participation in society and control over their own lives.

Since the NDA was established, transport has been one of the key priority areas identified for attention and focus in our work, with other areas such as employment, for example. In particular, we have consistently advised that an integrated, planned approach would be required to successfully implement universal access to transport for all. This would entail joined-up working, involving the different Departments, related agencies and stakeholders working together to provide a co-ordinated policy approach that worked nationally and at local level. The focus is on the customer’s end to end journey. It requires mainstream policies and services that have been designed to include the needs of persons with disabilities and that have been disability-proofed in line with the Government's commitment to disability mainstreaming. Our advice is informed by research, learning from good practice and the experiences and views of people with disabilities which we capture in surveys, studies and our consultation exercises.

The NDA has also advised on the broader policy areas of which transport is part which include the built environment, education, employment, health and disability supports. We advise that there be a focus on accessible transport actions in the strategic plans of Departments and agencies, as well as national strategies and programmes, for example, the current national disability inclusion strategy and the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities.

The NDA produced a code of practice on the accessibility of public services and information. It has also produced a range of free guidance materials on how to achieve integrated universally designed services. It has held various seminars and workshops on transport issues that have facilitated discussion and shared learning on how transport services can be more integrated and universally designed for all.

We recognise the developments advanced by the Department, the NTA and various agencies and the commitment to continued progress in their strategic plans and national strategies. The positive developments include increased investment and established plans to address inaccessible transport; an expanded fleet of accessible buses, with a figure of 100% reached in some areas; work being advanced by the NTA to source accessible buses and coaches to address existing challenges for passengers with disabilities; increased investment and an increase in the number of wheelchair accessible vans, WAVs, in the taxi fleet and efforts to continue to expand; rural transport programme developments to support connection with transport solutions; work on a community car scheme to bring customers to transport service locations; continuing work to address the issue of advance notice requirements for services, including rail, even though we appreciate further work is required to address issues in that regard; the roll-out of audiovisual announcements; the development of information solutions for customers; the operation of user groups by transport service providers which should assist in identifying practical solutions to accessibility issues on the ground; and the roll-out of disability awareness training for staff.

Unfortunately, despite positive developments, there are still many people with disabilities who are experiencing barriers in accessing transport. This needs to be seen as a quality customer service issue rather than as an add-on solution to the problem of disability access. That entails applying the principles of universal design. The issues that still need to be addressed include but are not limited to the fact that accessible taxis are not readily available, even in cities where numbers have increased. Even where accessibility has been advanced, it can break down, unless it is maintained and resourced by trained staff. Challenges remain in accessing information, as not everyone has a smartphone. Data systems for each service need to be consistent and inter-operable.

Health and safety need to be key considerations. There is little or no support at stations or on trains, particularly where emergency evacuation is required. The requirement for advance notice limits people with disabilities in their right to get around. There are issues with any notice period exceeding 36 hours with reference to EU regulations for coaches. The reasons there is a need to give notice in advance in some cases we understand arise from technical challenges. We are pleased that the NTA is working to identify some solutions in that regard.

It is crucial that all staff across all public transport services are trained to build awareness and competence. It should be easier for persons with disabilities to communicate with service providers and easily access complaints procedures. We note the work to be advanced at bus stops throughout the country. Some private bus and taxi operators are not providing the same level of accessible transport as their public transport service counterparts. While audiovisual announcements have improved, they need to be available in all areas. There is a need for a more robust system to measure and track how accessible public transport services are operating on the ground.

There are safety issues for transport that are also relevant for pedestrians and cyclists, such as challenges navigating Luas tracks. There is a need for an integrated and accessible ticketing system across services and systems and there are issues concerning the availability of transport for those in disability services. We welcome the work by the Health Service Executive, HSE, to look at that along with engaging with the National Transport Authority, NTA.

A key issue is the fact that transport supports are operated by and come within the policies of various Departments and agencies. There is a need for a more joined-up policy approach to achieve integrated transport services.

The National Disability Authority, NDA, will continue to provide advice to the Department, the NTA and other Departments on the various issues that need to be addressed to ensure the development and operation of an integrated, universally designed public transport service that is responsive to the needs of its customers, including people with disabilities.

We advise cross-departmental working in order to develop a national transport strategy that details how the different Departments and related agencies will work together to deliver an effective, universally designed, integrated public transport service. We advise the continued and full implementation of actions already committed to in national strategies and that further actions be committed and set out in those strategies which are, in effect, living documents whose implementation is regularly monitored. It is important that there is buy-in and accountability for those actions throughout the Departments, agencies and service providing bodies within mainstream policy and services and that a universal design approach is adopted, as well as ensuring adherence to new and existing European directives and legislation on accessibility.

The NDA is advancing work to monitor the accessibility of transport services further to research we conducted and a pilot we engaged in recently with the Department, the NTA, service providers and disability stakeholders. The intention of that project was to identify mechanisms for robust data and a rounded picture on what is happening in services. We will commence the next stage in monitoring specific transport services this year. Transport needs to be viewed as a service from the widest perspective, recognising the newer transport solutions emerging, for example, GoCar, and considering how these will be factored into an integrated, universally designed transport service that serves everybody in society and does not reduce mobility for some. The NDA welcomes the possibility of continued exploration in that regard, being led by the NTA, to identify practical solutions to some of the challenging access issues regarding the overall transport system. We will continue to play our part in supporting progress through research, advice and guidance.

The NDA considers that accessible transport is key to ensuring equal participation for people with disabilities. The NDA acknowledges many positive developments but the reality is that many people with disabilities still face barriers on a daily basis. The NDA recommends that the committed actions detailed in this presentation need to be implemented and, in particular, the action on all key agencies working together to deliver an integrated, universally designed transport system.