What we are doing
Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) under review
PSVAR are subject to review and, for the purpose of application and clarity, have been amended on 4 separate occasions.
The Department has also opened informal discussions with the manufacturing and operating industries to explore the possibilities for extending regulations to include vehicles used in the leisure and tourism field.
European Directives
At European level, bus and coach construction standards are set through European Directives or through the United Nations Economic Committee for Europe Regulations. Government representatives remain active in the development of these standards to ensure that the needs of disabled people in the UK are fully represented.
Bus and Coach Driver Training
Training of bus and coach staff is an important element in delivering accessibility. The Department for Transport, and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, have worked with GoSkills (http://www.goskills.org/) (the sector skills council for passenger transport training organisation for the bus industry) to produce a new disability awareness video for bus crews. The video, "We can do that", is being made widely available to the industry. Copies are available on DVD, video and CD-ROM direct from GoSkills at a cost of £10.
Implementing the Disability Rights Task Force (DRTF) recommendations on access to public transport
The DRTF was set up in 1997 to review the existing legislative provision in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) with a view to making recommendations on future action. Their report, From Exclusion to Inclusion, was submitted to the Government at the end of 1999 and included a number of recommendations on transport which were accepted in the Government's response, Towards Inclusion, published in 2001.
One of the accepted recommendations was to remove the exemption for transport services from Part 3 of the DDA 1995 which deals with access to goods, services and facilities. Measures to lift the exemption have been included in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. More information about the exemption and when this will be lifted can be found at http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/education/whatwearedoingb.
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