While the need for services to enable travel by persons with a mobility handicap is widely accepted, such services must aim to meet a wide range of travel needs from a varied population. The increasing availability of a variety of services as part of a multi-modal approach to meeting travel need requires more precise evaluation of particular aspects of service design, in particular their relationship to facilitating travel amongst different groups within the mobility handicapped population. Focusing on planning and demographic information needs, a low level of monitoring and evaluation of accessible passenger transport (APT) services is highlighted. The paper seeks to identify measurable information that will contribute towards service development, and to identify an approach emphasising the importance of evaluation in APT system development. A measurable mobility handicapped population is identified in terms of the general population, being derived from a combination of British national data sources. Expected travel figures for this population are identified, and an examination of a local area is undertaken, with reference to aspects of APT service design. The paper identifies the importance of measurement and evaluation in APT service development.
Abstract