Stop for me Speak to me Fortnight of action resource pack July 19 to August 2 2013

How you can take action to make bus journeys better for blind and partially sighted people

Logo – RNIB supporting blind and partially sighted peopleRegistered charity number 226227

Bus services are vital for blind and partially sighted people who are unable to drive or cycle. Yet access to bus travel remains a big problem.

Earlier this year we launched our campaign report, Stop for Me, Speak to Me, calling for dramatic improvements in bus travel for passengers with sight loss. Since then, campaigners from all over the country have been working with local bus operators to improve services.

This summer blind and partially sighted people are taking part in a fortnight of action to highlight problems they still face when trying to go about their daily lives using buses. In this pack you will find lots of tips and ideas for you how you can get involved. By taking part you’ll be joining other campaigners across England who are gathering much needed evidence for how buses are really performing. We’ll be presenting your evidence to Norman Baker, Minister for Transport, at the end of the fortnight of action to show why he’s wrong when he says that bus driver training in visual awareness is not important enough to prioritise.

Contents

Section 1: What needs to change? .………………………………………3In this section you will find a summary of Stop for me, speak to me campaign asks and objectives.

Section 2: Evidence and call to action…………………………………..5Key findings from our campaign report and a summary of why both

bus operators and the government should take action now

Section 3: RNIB nationwide bus relay……………………………………7Find out everything you need to know about our nationwide stunts.

Section 4: How you can help…………………………………………..…..8Take our quick actions or get more involved. Seven brilliant ideas

from our campaigns network for getting involved in the fortnight of

action.

Section 5: Campaign resources………………………………………….14Templates and resources to help you get involved.

Section 6: Contact details…………………………………………………21

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Section 1 : What needs to change?

Blind and partially sighted people are facing the same problems when using buses across the whole of the country. The 3 main problems raised are:

1. Buses not stopping for blind and partially sighted people waiting at bus stops

2. Bus drivers not providing blind and partially sighted people with the information they need when boarding a bus

3. Blind and partially sighted people say that they can’t trust bus drivers to tell them when they have reached their stop.

This needs to change. At RNIB we believe that every bus service in the UK should be fully accessible to everyone living with sight loss and that the adjustments necessary are already within the capacity of all bus operators. The fortnight of action is about raising awareness and getting bus companies and blind and partially sighted people engaging with each other.

During the fortnight of action, we will be calling on bus operators to ensure their drivers:

Stop for blind and partially sighted people waiting at a bus stop because 9 in 10 cannot see to hail it – catching a bus should not be a sight test.

Speak to blind and partially sighted people boarding the bus because the majority struggle to get clear information from the driver – without accessible information many cannot travel.

1. Stop for me

Most bus stops operate as 'Request Stops'. This means that a bus only has to pull in if it is hailed by someone standing at the stop. This practise is causing a staggering eight in ten blind and partially sighted people to miss the bus they want.

Six in ten survey respondents said they had missed a bus because it had not boarded passengers at the official bus stop. Every missed bus represents an inaccessible service and every person left behind will suffer negative consequences. These are especially severe on routes with infrequent services.

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We call on bus operators to:

Revise their stopping practices to ensure they are fully accessible to all blind and partially sighted people and to amend their Conditions of Carriage so their policy is clear. By stopping at every stop where someone with a white cane or guide dog is waiting, bus drivers can ensure no one is left behind.

Review their policies and procedures when boarding passengers away from the bus stop so they take the needs of their blind and partially sighted customers into account. By rolling forwards to the bus stop if someone with a white cane or guide dog is waiting, bus drivers can ensure no one misses their bus unnecessarily.

2. Speak to me

Just looking out for blind people is not enough. Most blind and partially sighted people we’ve spoken to assume their white cane is clearly visible to the bus driver when boarding a bus and that the driver understands what this means. When they hear no audible acknowledgment from the driver, they can feel their needs aren’t recognised.

Over half of the survey respondents said they had difficulty obtaining travel information from the bus driver.

We call on bus operators to:

Address the lack of accessible travel information by enabling their drivers to provide clear spoken information to blind and partially sighted customers. By saying a simple 'hello' when passengers board the bus, the driver is telling the passenger they have been seen and made it easier for that person to ask for help if they need it.

Require their drivers to routinely check whether a boarding passenger

has a disability and facilitate their driver’s to provide an appropriate level of adjustment for that customer. We welcome initiatives like the First Safe Journey Card which provides an additional option for disabled people to get the drivers attention but hope that it is not essential to carry such a card to qualify for access adjustments.

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Section 2: Evidence and call to action

Bus experience survey

RNIB recently ran a survey to find out how blind and partially sighted bus users were getting on at various points of their bus journey. The results showed that the vast majority of respondents experienced moderate to severe difficulties at one or more key points in their journeys. We also found that some respondents were having much better experiences than others, suggesting that some bus operators were performing better than others.

9 in 10 people with sight loss cannot see an approaching bus in time to hail it.

8 in 10 people with sight loss say they missed the bus they want.

7 in 10 missed the bus because it boarded away from the official bus stop.

Over half of respondents found it difficult to get verbal information from the driver.

Why bus operators should act nowThe Equality Act 2010 places bus operators under a legal obligation to ensure that their services are accessible to blind and partially sighted people. The Equality Act requires operators to, amongst other things, change policies and practices that place blind and partially sighted people at a substantial disadvantage and to provide auxiliary aids to existing provisions. In practice this is likely to mean that bus operators have a duty to consider many of the changes outlined in RNIB's 'Stop for me, Speak to me' report.

A missed opportunity…On 1 March this year, Norman Baker Minister for Transport, missed a golden opportunity to fix the problem when he decided to postpone mandatory disability awareness training for bus drivers in the UK, which the new EU Regulation on Passenger Rights in bus and coach transport introduced. Bus operators will have to act eventually: the Regulation means that new rules on driver training will be brought in, but Norman Baker voted to exclude the UK from this duty until 2018 - five long years! His excuse? That there is no evidence from disabled people that

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mandatory training is needed. The evidence gathered for RNIB’s bus campaign report finds almost the exact opposite, with over half of respondents to the survey saying they had difficulty obtaining spoken information from the driver, such as the bus number and destination.

Thanks to pressure from you though, we have another opportunity to put this right. The Department for Transport has offered one concession – they agreed to review “whether drivers are receiving adequate training under the voluntary measure being undertaken by the bus and coach industry” by 1 March 2014.

The Stop for me, speak to me fortnight of action will help gather this essential evidence to help Norman Baker make the right decision in 9 months time. The more evidence we can build from real people’s experiences, the greater the chance we can get mandatory training made law by next year.

The rest of this pack gives you ideas about how you can get involved in the Stop for me, speak to me fortnight of action and help show Norman Baker why driver training should be implemented next year instead of in 2018.

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Section 3: nationwide Stop for me, speak to me bus relay

What is the bus relay?

The bus relay is a series of bus journeys which are going to take place during the fortnight of action across England. Each of the 9 regions will hold a relay journey and some journeys will link two regions together. We want the journeys to raise awareness for our campaign and to demonstrate that the issues blind and partially sighted people face when using buses are the same across the whole country.

Although the relay isn’t a traditional relay where a baton is handed over from one bus to another, it is a symbolic relay linking our regions to one another. Rather than handing over a baton we will be handing on shared experiences and calling for all bus companies to join our campaign.

The final journey of the relay will finish with the handover of an audio document and report to Norman Baker, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Transport. The report and audio document will contain evidence from blind and partially sighted people about why buses are vital for their independence and why bus driver training in visual awareness is so important.

The relay time table

Relay journeys will be held on the following dates in the following regions.19th July West Midlands22nd London23rd North West24th North East25th Yorkshire & Humber26th East Midlands29th East 30th South East31st South West 1st or 2nd Aug hand over reports to Norman Baker

If you would like to get involved with a relay journey please contact campaign@rnib.org.uk

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Section 4: How you can help

By taking part in the fortnight of action you can help improve bus travel that blind and partially sighted people experience. Our campaigners have developed seven brilliant ideas for getting involved – including things you can do yourself, like writing to your local bus company or things you can do with a group of friends like mystery shopping.

Individual actions: Write to your bus operator (template available) Spread the word via a blog or tweet Listen to me, respond to me (template available)

Involving others: Mystery shop a bus service in your area (template available) Host a ‘Swap with me’ event (event guide available) Hold a ‘discuss with me’ event with your bus operator Invite your local MP or Councillor to a ‘travel with me’ experience

Individual actionsThe combined impact of many people taking individual actions can really help a campaign to succeed. Here are three ideas for individual action.

Write to your bus operator (template 1)

The whole point of this Fortnight of Action is to improve communication between blind and partially sighted people and bus operators. Therefore, we want as many people to write to, email or contact their local bus company through social media, calling for action.

There are a range of issues you might want to discuss, such as:

Better bus driver training which includes visual awareness training; Bus drivers to actively look out for blind and partially sighted people

and stop for them and talk to them; Better understanding of the concessionary bus pass rules.

You might want to copy your letter to the editor of your local newspaper to raise awareness locally of the issues blind and partially sighted people face using buses.

Checklist

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For a letter writing campaign, you will need: An issue or issues that you want to raise with your local bus

operator. Contact details for your local service provider. RNIB’s template letter (optional)

Spread the word via a blog or tweet!

In June 2013, RNIB will be launching a Bus Blog. Throughout the fortnight of action and beyond we want to include your experiences of using buses. You might want to tell us about a specific problem you've encountered, or what you or your local bus service have done to make things easier. Or perhaps you want to share some news about an event you've hosted as part of the fortnight of action. These posts don't have to be limited to negative experiences - if you have some positive feedback or examples of good practise, we want to hear them too!

You can also Tweet or post on Facebook during the fortnight to further spread the message and draw attention to the campaign.

ChecklistTo write a blog you will need:

Something you want to say. Contact details for your RNIB RCO or Campaign Hotline (found at

the back of this pack).

Listen To Me, Respond To Me (template 2)

One thing we keep hearing from bus operators is that they just don't get complaints from blind and partially sighted people. We know that this is not because the service doesn't have any problems, but rather because the complaints processes are often very inaccessible. Our campaign report calls for improvements in this area, and now we want to put the systems to the test.

During the fortnight of action, we would like you to log complaints or positive feedback with your local bus company and keep a record of how easy or difficult it is to provide feedback, as well as what happens next.

You can log your feedback in a variety of ways - via the official system in place, by email or telephone. Let us know what you fed back, when and how, as well as what response you received from the operator. We will

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then give the evidence to the bus company showing them where their systems are working, and where they still need to be improved.

A template for the kind of things to consider in this activity is included in the resources section.

ChecklistTo hold a Listen to Me, Respond to Me event you will need:

The Listen to Me, Respond to Me template (found in the resources section of this pack).

Contact details for your local bus operator (found on their website). Contact details for RNIB RCO or Campaign Hotline to let us know

what happened (contact details found at the back of this pack).

Involving othersFour creative ways to involve other people in the bus campaign fortnight of action. Remember that you can ask your RNIB Regional Campaigns Officer (RCO) for support with any of these actions. Contact details at the end of this pack.

Mystery shop a bus service in your area (template 3)

Mystery Shopping is often used by shops and service providers to gain detailed customer feedback about their services. All you need to do is travel on a bus and assess the service you receive - simple!

You might do this in partnership with the local bus operator, where they may have specific things they want to know about their services. But don't worry if you haven't had any contact with the operator. You can feed back your findings in a letter or email, or you could let your RNIB Regional Campaigns Officer (RCO) what you think and let them feed back for you. You will find the contact details for your RCO in the back of this pack. We have also included a template with suggested mystery shopping criteria and questions in the resources section of the pack.

Mystery shopping is particularly important as we will be repeating the exercise later in the year to see if there has been any tangible improvements in bus services, and whether bus operators are sticking to their commitments.

You can let bus companies know in advance that you will be doing mystery shopping during a particular time period if you like - but be careful not to tell them exactly when as we need the findings to be

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accurate. We want the bus companies to be able to learn from our findings, which they won't do if all the drivers are on unusually good behaviour!

ChecklistTo hold a Mystery shopping event you will need:

The mystery shopping template (found in the resources section of this pack).

A bus route or routes that you use often or is a particular problem for you.

Someone to assist you if you need it.

Host a Swap with me event (event guide available)

During a 'Swap With Me' event, blind and partially sighted people have the chance to sit in the driver's seat, whilst bus drivers try to board a bus and find a seat whilst wearing sim-specs or blindfolds. The events are designed to give people an idea of what it's like on the other side of the security screen, and to better understand the difficulties facing both bus drivers and passengers.

These events are a great way of building positive relationships between blind and partially sighted people and their local bus operator. They are also fantastic for generating some really positive media coverage about the great things the bus company is doing to make travel more accessible to blind and partially sighted people.

ChecklistTo hold a Swap With Me event you will need:

RNIB's Swap With Me guide (available from our website or via the Campaigns Hotline).

A commitment from your local bus operator to host the event. You will probably need to have had some prior engagement with the bus operator before you ask them to commit their time and resources to the event.

A bus. Room for the bus to park and for people to safely get around and

on the bus. Bus drivers and blind and partially sighted people willing to swap

places. Local personalities and decision makers, such as MPs and

councillors should be invited to take part in the 'swap' (though attendance is not necessary to the success of the events).

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Local media should also be invited. Support from your RCO is available – contact details can be found

at the end of this pack.

Hold a Discuss with me event with your bus operator

If your local bus operator cannot make a bus available, they might be willing to host an event for their drivers and staff to meet local blind and partially sighted people and discuss issues. Such meetings could be organised around a specific issue that has come up locally and could involve other relevant people, such as councillors and local transport executives. These are just like a Swap with me events - but with out the swapping!

ChecklistTo hold a Discuss with me event you will need:

A commitment from your local bus operator to host the event. (Again, prior engagement would be useful here.)

A room big enough to accommodate the event. Bus drivers and blind and partially sighted people to attend. Some issues that you would like to discuss. Local personalities and decision makers, such as MPs, councillors

and local transport executives. Local media.

Invite your local MP or Councillor to a Travel with me experience

You might want to demonstrate the specific issues that you have with your local bus service a little more directly by inviting a company representative or local decision maker, such as an MP or local councillor, to join you on a bus journey. You could do this alone, or arrange for a small group of blind and partially sighted people to travel together and discuss the range of issues that people face. You could demonstrate specific problems, such as approaching the bus stop, hailing a bus, boarding and finding a seat and knowing when to get off.

ChecklistTo hold a Travel with me event you will need:

Someone to travel with you - either a bus company representative or local decision maker, such as MP or Cllr.

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A bus route that you use often or is a particular problem for you. Blind and partially sighted people to attend (optional) Local media.

Section 5: Campaign resources

Template 1: Letter for bus operator

Name of operator:

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Address:

Date:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you regarding the RNIB "Stop for me, speak to me" campaign for improvements in bus travel for passengers with sight loss. Local bus services are a lifeline to blind and partially sighted people, who are unable to drive or cycle. However, services are often run in a way that makes 'seeing' an essential ability for using them.

There are almost two million people with sight loss in the UK, and it is predicted that this number will double by 2050. For many, the local bus service is the only affordable way to independently get around. It is therefore absolutely vital that services are made more accessible. A recent study by the RNIB uncovered some shocking facts, including:

9 in 10 people with sight loss cannot see an approaching bus in time to hail it.

8 in 10 people with sight loss say they miss the bus they want.

We're calling on bus operators to remove the barriers blind and partially sighted people face when making a bus journey like trying to flag down, board and get off a bus at the right stop by following one simple rule: Stop for me, speak to me.

[insert your own comments, experiences or issues you would like to raise here e.g. better bus driver training which includes visual awareness training)

You can find out more about the Stop for me, speak to me campaign at rnib.org.uk/bus

I would appreciate it if you could respond to me to let me know what measures you are taking to tackle inaccessible transport in your company.

Yours faithfully,

Name:

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Address:

Template 2: Listen to Me, Respond to me

You can use this template when testing your local bus operator's feedback systems.

We want to capture the type of problems you are facing, so please send your comments to your Regional Campaigns Officer at RNIB. We will use this information to lobby the bus companies at a national level.

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1. How easy was it to find the correct telephone number or email address to make a complaint or provide feedback?

2. Did the telephone number connect you to the correct department?

3. Did you receive an automated reply to your feedback?

4. Did you receive a personal reply to your feedback?

5. What happened next?

6. If you made a complaint, were you advised of the timeframe within which your complaint will be investigated?

7. If you made a complaint, were you promised any feedback on the outcome of the complaint?

8. Did you feel that the bus operator listened to and cared about your comments?

9. Please tell us anything else you feel is relevant.

Template 3: Mystery Shopping questionnaire – print versionJourney taken(route number or details):……………………………...

Bus company (if known):……………………………………………….

Town:…………………………………………………………………….

1 How easy was it for you to locate the bus stop you wanted?

Not at all easy very easy 1 2 3 4 5

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2 How easy was it to access information, such as bus times, at the bus stop?

Not at all easy very easy 1 2 3 4 5

3 How easy was it to identify approaching buses?

Not at all easy very easy 1 2 3 4 5

5 Did the bus you wanted stop for you when you expected it to arrive? Yes No

6 Did the bus pull up to the kerb? Yes No 7 Did your bus driver speak to you? Yes No 8 Did the bus driver tell you the number of

the bus and destination? Yes No 9 Did you have to scan your pass? Yes No 10 Were you given a ticket? Yes No 11 Did the bus driver wait for you to find

your seat?Yes No

12 Were there audio announcements on the bus?

Yes No

13 Did you ask the bus driver to tell you when you had reached your stop?Did they do this?

Yes No

Yes No 14 How easy was it to disembark from the

bus?Not at all easy very easy 1 2 3 4 5

11 How would you rate your bus driver on helpfulness?

very unhelpful very helpful 1 2 3 4 5

12 Overall, how would you rate your journey out of 10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent

13 Do you have any comments about your journey?

Personal details (optional)Name:…………………………………….............Email and telephone:……………………………………………...

Template 3: Mystery Shopping questionnaire – accessible version

Journey taken(route number or details):Bus company (if known):Town:

1 How easy was it for you to locate the bus stop you wanted?

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Please rate with a score of 1 – 5 with 1 being “Not at all easy” and 5 being very easy. 2 How easy was it to access information, such as bus times, at the bus stop? Please rate with a score of 1 – 5 with 1 being Not at all easy and 5 being very easy. 3 How easy was it to identify approaching buses? Please rate with a score of 1 – 5 with 1 being Not at all easy and 5 being very easy.

5 Did the bus you wanted stop for you when you expected it to arrive?Yes No

6 Did the bus pull up to the kerb?Yes No

7 Did your bus driver speak to you?Yes No

8 Did the bus driver tell you the number of the bus and destination?Yes No

9 Did you have to scan your pass?Yes No

10 Were you given a ticket?Yes No

11 Did the bus driver wait for you to find your seat?Yes No

12 Were there audio announcements on the bus? Yes No

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13 Did you ask the bus driver to tell you when you had reached your stop?Did they do this?Yes No

14 How easy was it to disembark from the bus?Please rate with a score of 1 – 5 with 1 being Not at all easy and 5 being very easy. 11 How would you rate your bus driver on helpfulness?Please rate with a score of 1 – 5 with 1 being Not at all helpful and 5 being very helpful. 12 Overall, how would you rate your journey out of 10, where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent

13 Do you have any comments about your journey?

Personal details (optional)Name:Email:Telephone:

Web-based resources

http://www.rnib.org.uk/bus contains links to all background information and campaign reports and briefings.

Share your experiences on Twitter using #Stop4me #Speak2me (audio readers please note number 4 and number 2 replace the words 'for' and 'to')

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Campaign briefings and research The Stop for Me, Speak to Me campaign report includes

recommendations for bus operators. a shorter executive summary of the report is available online A running order for potential 'Swap with me' events is available online

or via the campaigns hotline.

You can find a copy of the report on our website: http://www.rnib.org.uk/bus

Section 6: RNIB campaigns contacts

RNIB campaigns staff are working on the Stop for me, speak to me campaign at a national and local level.

Central campaigns contact and enquiries:RNIB Campaigns Team, 105 Judd Street, London, WC1H 9NECampaigns hotline 020 7391 2123; email campaigns@rnib.org.ukfollow us on Twitter @rnib_campaigns or visit rnib.org.uk/campaigns

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RNIB has a network of over 5,500 campaign supporters. The network is free to join and you receive campaign update three times a year. You can also sign up for our bi-monthly campaigns e-newsletter service, visit our website and follow us on Twitter. The updates let you know how campaigns (including our Stop for me, speak to me bus campaign) are developing and how your actions are contributing to successful campaign outcomes.

Regional contactsYou can also contact your regional campaigns officer, who is working with volunteer campaigners and contacts at a local level to support the campaign. Your regional campaigns staff can let you know what's going on in your region, and give advice on how you can develop your own bus campaign where you live.

Regional campaigns contacts:North East, Lucy DixonParkside House, Elton Street East, Wallsend NE28 8QUTelephone 0191 234 5409Email lucy.dixon@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/northeastcampaigns

North West, Lindsay Armstrong10 Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5ASTelephone 0151 702 5726Email lindsay.armstrong@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/northwestcampaigns

Yorkshire and Humber, Tracy DearingFairfax House, Merrion Street, Leeds LS2 8JUTelephone 0113 386 2808Email tracy.dearing@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/yorksandhumbercampaigns

East Midlands, Claire LawrencePO Box 8382, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 9BLTelephone 01509 632 403Email claire.lawrence@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/eastmidscampaigns

West Midlands, Rebecca Swift58-72 John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BN

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Telephone 0121 665 4260Email rebecca.swift@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/westmidscampaigns

East of England, Emily PapaleoSuite 2, Cringleford Business Centre, Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 6AUTelephone 01603 455 767;Email emily.papaleo@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/eastcampaigns

London, Richard Holmes105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NETelephone 020 7391 2112Email richard.holmes@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/londoncampaigns

South East, Eleanor Bullimore105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NETelephone 020 7391 2388Email eleanor.bullimore@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/southeastcampaigns

South West, Marie Jenkins (after 8 July 2013)Suite 1, Chiltern House, 2 Sigford Road, Exeter, EX2 8NLTelephone 01392 458 060Email marie.jenkins@rnib.org.ukrnib.org.uk/southwestcampaigns

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