This paper is based on research directed at examining how far different investments in accessibility actually provide services which address the problems of passengers in the most cost effective way. The research obtains detailed qualitative information on the transport perceptions of people with mobility handicaps. Information on the relative effects of different factors involved in using passenger transport, the constraints imposed by transport limitations, and views on potential solutions have been obtained. The approach has illustrated how it is important to allow respondents to follow through the rationale of their accounts of activities to provide an effective prediction of how different service modifications might benefit them. Factors highlighted indicate that investment policy relating to making passenger transport more accessible must address certain issues and responsibilities in a more rigorous manner, in particular: (1) The extent to which issues which affect a large number of people with mobility handicaps can only be solved by improvements to passenger transport in general; (2) Market segmentation of accessible services is required to take account of how people with different mobility difficulties need different service packages to make the trips they require; and (3) More specific qualitative data on the reasons people use different services are needed to assess how well investments are actually overcoming the transport constraints at which they are targeted. (A)
Abstract