Making excellence a habit
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The document sets out new rules for train operators to maximize the use of available buses and coaches by disabled passengers during rail disruption.
Operators are also expected to improve the information they provide during disruption so that passengers know where and when accessible vehicles will be available.
Additionally, the revised guidance reinforces the existing requirement that, where needed, passengers are offered a different form of accessible road transport such as a taxi.
For planned disruption, ORR has introduced a new requirement that waiting times for rail replacement services should be similar, irrespective of whether the vehicle used is a bus, coach, taxi or other alternative.
The updated guidance follows consultation with stakeholders including the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.
The vast majority of buses used for rail replacement are accessible to people with physical impairment (for example, equipped with low floors and/or ramps for wheelchair users) but when coaches are used, a wheelchair lift is often required.
ORR said that, as regulator, it expects all train operators to take appropriate steps to comply with Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) and is working with the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) which enforces these regulations. The two organizations are planning a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to clarify and strengthen their monitoring and compliance activities.
The ORR has also written to the rail industry setting out a range of additional proposals and suggestions for further improvements, as well as a proposal for an industry forum to help identify and better manage the availability and use of PSVAR-compliant vehicles at times of high demand.
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