FIMITIC

16 December 2009 - Accessible transport is a vital condition for the implementation of one of the four freedoms granted by the European Union to its citizens: the free movement within its borders, for European residents with disabilities. Tomorrow 17 December, the Council will be discussing a very necessary regulation about bus passengers’ rights. Six countries are not in favor of improving the travel conditions for persons with disabilities. Two recent stories in the news underline how crucial this regulation is for persons with disabilities.

Kate Willis, 65 years old, UK: She ditched her local bus transportation system: “I was flung through the air for about 6 meters until I hit a step up to the seats at the back of the bus”

“I think most wheelchair users would not attempt to get on a coach that did not have a lift. In effect people with restricted mobility tend to decide for themselves what it out of reach. For instance I have not attempted to use a bus for about 15 years because on the last occasion when I did, the driver did not give me time to reach a seat.  When he set off, I lost my balance and was flung through the air for about 6 meters until I hit a step up to the seats at the back of the bus.  This so unnerved me that I stopped using buses. In effect people can be “denied” access even if there are no physical barriers”.

To ensure full access to bus transportation, the training of personnel in disability-awareness is the crucial key. It is compulsory for international line, and not yet provided to local and regional transport.

Staffan Jonsson, seven years old, Sweden: locked for five hours in his local bus.

A severely disabled seven years old boy, which disability prevents to speak, stayed locked in the urban bus for more than five hours. The driver took a break and didn’t notice that the boy was left alone in the bus. A disability-awareness training of bus drivers would allow a person with disability to enjoy a safe local travel.

All focus on the scope of the regulation

On 17th December, the European Council of Ministers on land transport will decide about the scope of the bus passenger rights regulation. This regulation is actually a great protection for persons with disabilities for an international journey. It includes compulsory disability training for the staff working in bus companies. The issue concerns most of the daily bus local travel because it wouldn’t be included in the scope of the regulation. This would means that staff from local transportation bus company wouldn’t benefit from the disability training. Persons with disabilities represent 10% of the passengers which wouldn’t benefit from an accessible and safe transport system at a local level.
Six Members States are putting this into question. Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Malta and the UK are against the essential measures for putting an end to discrimination of people with disabilities such as mandatory disability-awareness training of all staff. If the ministers take the rights decision – which is keeping the proposed scope of application the life of 65 million persons with disabilities can be improved.

Accessible transport is a vital condition for the implementation of one of the four freedoms, granted by the European Union to its citizens: the free movement within its borders, for European residents with disabilities. This is also mentioned among the rights, enshrined in the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (Article 9), which will be ratified by the end of November by the European Community.

Buses and coaches are the most used transport means and access to them would significantly contribute to the social integration of persons with disabilities, but also of families, elderly people and those facing special challenges. In addition to their local dimension, urban and regional transport is also an essential part of any cross-border journey. Consumers do not just move from an international station in one country to an international station in another. Access to transport is a continuum as people need to be able to leave their homes, often served only by local transport and arrive at their final destinations, often by local transport.

In December 2008, the European Union gave a real opportunity for the removal of these barriers with its proposal for a regulation concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport. In April 2009 the European Parliament with an overwhelming majority supported the proposal. Local transport is a key issue for passengers’ rights and EDF decided jointly with representative organisations of consumer interests, elderly people, and environmental organisations, to make clear why a wider scope of the regulation now under discussion is vital: “Maintaining local and sub-regional transport in the scope of the regulation would not only make a crucial improvement for passengers’ mobility, but it would also have positive effects on regional dynamism and environmental issues.”

“We are ready to discuss”

Carlotta Besozzi, Director of EDF stated “We are ready to discuss more fully, both with the Ministers and the transport industry, how to address specific concerns in the proposal. We know a solution can be found in the interests of passengers, citizens, industry and Governments.”

Within two weeks, Sweden will end its Presidency of the EU. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt could also happy ending the Sweden's six months in the EU driving seat. “Sweden tried to focus on leading the EU through the financial and economic crisis, reducing unemployment in Europe and tackling climate change. Maintaining the scope of the regulation would be the first good signal sent to Europe” said Carlotta Besozzi thus allowing passengers like Kate and Staffan, along with million other citizens with disabilities to use urban and regional bus services as anybody else.

Source: EDF