The "Autobus" working group of the French Advisory Committee for Transport of Disabled People called COLITRAH has just completed its proposal of "Specifications for the Accessibility to Everybody of Urban Buses". The object of this paper is to present the approach followed by the working group and the final agreement on the specifications. Emphasis is placed on: (1) the methodology: three meetings have been organised with the representatives of disabled people, as well as those of public transport operators and bus manufacturers. From the analysis of each stage of the urban buses usage, it has been possible to draw out the requirements of people with various impairments: ambulatory, prehensile (including persons of small stature and wheelchair users), auditory, visually and mentally; and (2) the need for compatibility between both the vehicle and the urban infrastructure. The specifications have been discussed in the light of existing regulations or codes of practices from other countries and are presented in table forms showing the coherence of the users' requirements on a European scale. (A)
Abstract