Bus Services: Disability
(asked on 3rd December 2014) - View Source
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that all new buses across the UK are installed with audio-visual announcements; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the results of the All Aboard Competition run by his Department.
The Department for Transport understands the social benefits of having audio and visual announcement systems on buses, and we are keen to encourage operators and local authorities to invest in this technology, where possible.
However, there is a need to be realistic about the cost of installing and maintaining this technology and the financial burden this could place on smaller, local bus operators. We therefore have no plans to make these systems mandatory on all new buses.
The ‘All Aboard’ technology competition was launched by my noble colleague, the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer, on 24th October 2014 and will challenge our talented students around the country to come up with cost-effective ideas about how to provide passengers with accessible on-board information. The competition will run until February 13th 2015 and its outcome will be considered after this date.