Background
The Public Service Vehicles Accessible Information Regulations will make it easier for passengers to access information about their journey while travelling by bus.
The Regulations are being phased in from 2023 to 2031 and apply to local journeys in England, Scotland and Wales. They do not apply to closed-door school services or vehicles designed to carry fewer than 17 people.
Here’s a quick guide to what this will mean for your journey.
Information
Information must be made available directly to passengers in audio and visual form and not through a phone or mobile device.
It must include:
- the route of the vehicle and direction of travel
- stopping places on the route
- diversion alerts
- whether the vehicle is being used on a hail and ride route
- a notification that the vehicle has reached its final destination.
Audio and visual information must be consistent.
Audio
Announcements must be audible to passengers in any seat or wheelchair space on the bus, and to a hearing-impaired person using a hearing aid when sitting in a priority seat or wheelchair space
They must be given at every stop as soon as the doors open and give passengers plenty of time to prepare to disembark.
Diversions should be announced at the approach to the last scheduled stop, or as soon as the diversion is clear and there should be an alert tone ahead of diversions and final stop announcements.
Adaptive volume control is not currently mandatory but operators are required to measure the ambient noise of each vehicle and ensure announcements are at least 3 decibels louder.
Visual
Visual information should be clearly seen by at least 51% of passengers on each deck and to anyone in a priority seat or wheelchair space. It is accepted that standing passengers may obscure the view.
All visual information should be clear with characters at least 22mm high and no words in capital letters only.
Read the Department for Transport’s Guidance on accessible information on board local bus and coach services
Complaints
If a bus you are travelling on fails to comply with the Regulations you can raise a complaint directly with the operator. If you’re not satisfied with their response you can contact Bus Users UK on 0300 111 0001 email complaints@bususers.org or online www.bususers.org/complaints
About Bus Users UK
Bus Users campaigns for inclusive, accessible transport. We are the only approved Alternative Dispute Resolution Body for the bus and coach industry and the designated body for handling complaints under the Passenger Rights in Bus and Coach Legislation. We are also part of a Sustainable Transport Group of organisations working to promote the benefits of public, shared and active travel.
Alongside our complaints work we investigate and monitor services and work with operators and transport providers to improve services for everyone. We run events, carry out research, respond to consultations, speak at government select committees and take part in industry events to make sure the voice of the passenger is heard.
Bus Users UK is a registered charity (1178677 and SC049144) and a Company Limited by Guarantee (04635458).