By Lucy Thirkettle, a SeeAbility Associate with lived experience.

How can public transport be inaccessible for you? 

The bus timetables are too complicated and difficult to read. Even when I can understand them, they can sometimes be late, which means I can sometimes miss a train connection anyway. I have had to run to get a train before, and I can be made late for work. This can make it difficult to get where I want to go.  

As I have a vision impairment, I have to be really careful when getting on and off the train due to the large gap at the platform edge. In rush hour this can be difficult.  

What works for you? 

It’s better when it’s quieter and less busy, so I plan around rush hour normally. There is assistance if I need it and this is very good – they will help me, but as a rule I do not travel alone. 

Why is accessible transport important to you? 

It’s essential for living an independent life as it’s my only means of getting around. I can go and do what I want to do, when I want to do it. I can see my friends and family, which is really important to me. 

I’ve just supported SeeAbility to make a new easy read guide on travelling by train, which I hope will help more people to feel confident when getting public transport. 

How would you improve public transport? 

Easy read and picture symbols would help as the timetables are very confusing. There needs to be a form of Braille for people with vision impairments so that they can read the timetables too. Sometimes they use complicated wording too, when simple language would be enough. 

It would be really helpful if all buses were talking buses, so that you know when your stop is coming up. This would give me time to organise myself so that I can leave the bus safely. 

I also think that the bus announcing itself when it arrives would help me get on the right bus! 

What would you say to the people that run public transport and the transport minister to help them improve? 

I would like them to meet with me so that I can get my voice heard. They need to communicate with services like gas and water to make sure that the bus routes are not disrupted and if they are going to be, then prior notice would be helpful.  

If buses are diverted then I sometimes don’t know what to do, or I have to walk a mile to another stop. This can make me late. 

The government are working on developing an ‘Accessible Travel Charter’. How do you think they can they best include the voices of people with lived experience? 

Learning disability should be taken into account, along with people who have vision impairment. Wheelchair users also need assistance and need accommodating. The charter must be easy to understand, using picture symbols and simple wording so that everyone can understand it. It should also use larger print. Patience in communicating with people is essential.