Cuts threat to public transport

By Sunil Peck with Labour in Manchester
 
Public sector funding cuts will lead to the loss of important research which has driven the development of accessible transport, the charity Guide Dogs has warned.
 
Addressing a fringe meeting on the future of public transport, Sue Sharp, Head of Public Policy and Campaigns at Guide Dogs, said that research had played an important role in developing the case for the introduction of accessible toilets on trains, accessible taxis and buses with lower floors.
 
She said: "We were laughed off the streets when we suggested that lower floor buses would be a good thing to do until we demonstrated that it got people on and off buses much more quickly regardless of whether or not they have a disability. Therefore the bus industry has got into it long before the Disability Discrimination Act introduced requirements."
 
She said that she was also concerned that cuts in spending by the Department for Transport, which could be as high as 40 per cent, would also lead to the loss of well-trained staff on the transport network who promote independent living by supporting disabled people to travel.
 
She said: "When we look at transport investment, we need to look at the broader picture. We need to look at the costs of immobility. If we don't allow people to access transport which in turn gives them access to education, leisure and employment, the costs to society in terms of care or keeping people on unemployment benefits are substantial."
 
John Dickinson-Lily, a guide dog user, called for a "genuine shift in attitudes and culture" among bus and train operators who he said needed to invest in accessible ticket machines and rolling stock.
 
In response, Edward Welsh, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), accepted that train companies could do more to promote accessibility.
 
But he defended their record on promoting accessibility and pointed out that there were a lot of old stations in the network and that much of the industry's rolling stock was ageing.