Guide Dogs for the Blind: Can disabled people fully access transport in your constituency?

Hi,

As the Christmas holidays start, it's fantastic that your constituency is
in one of the Top 20 most visited towns in the UK. A great way to
encourage more tourists to use buses to get around is to introduce audio
visual announcements which tell people the next stop and the final
destination of the bus they are on. Buses do this in other popular
destinations like London. If tourists find it easy to get around your
constituency using the buses it is likely they will tell their friends
and family when they return home. This could encourage more people to
visit in future.

As well as helping tourists, audio visual announcements are incredibly
useful to blind and partially sighted people, those with hearing
problems, wheelchair users (who often face backwards on buses, so they
can see where they have been, but not where the bus is going) and many
others.

Unfortunately, the bus operators in your constituency do not currently
provide audio visual announcements on their services. If you would be
prepared to support the Guide Dogs "Talking Buses" campaigns, and
present our case to both Norman Baker MP (Minister for Buses) and also
to the bus operators in your constituency, please contact Senior Public
Affairs Officer Caroline Weston (caroline.weston@guidedogs.org.uk or
0118 983 8388) for more information.

Celebrating 80 years of extraordinary partnerships

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
Registered Office: Hillfields, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3YG. A company limited by
guarantee registered in England and Wales (291646) and a charity registered in England and Wales
(209617) and Scotland (SC038979).

Tel: 0118 9835555
Website: www.guidedogs.org.uk
Email: guidedogs@guidedogs.org.uk