Since the beginning of the year 2013, German long-distance bus companies are allowed to compete against one another and against rail transport for scheduled trips. To meet the requirements of all passenger groups in the light of inclusion, all buses will have to provide two wheelchair spaces by 2020 (by 2016 for first-time vehicle licenses), unimpeded access, and devices for easy entry and exit for wheelchair users. However, the details of design prerequisites for such accessibility features have yet to be officially specified. The core objective of the project Accessibility in long-distance buses was to derive recommendations for long-distance bus accessibility, which would support the development of harmonised European requirements. In preparing these, the accessibility conditions and needs of relevant passenger groups with reduced mobility were investigated. Research into current definitions of accessibility, standards, guidelines and requirements for accessibility design of transportation and the respective infrastructures were also necessary to carry out a comprehensive analysis and derive a definition of long-distance bus accessibility. In a stepwise manner, analyses of the current state of bus equipment and infrastructure as well as international examples of best practice resulted in packages of measures for vehicle equipment, operational and infrastructural actions that help to ensure accessibility for different passenger groups. These packages of measures were critically assessed as to their feasibility and costs. The main results of the project, i. e. the definition and packages of measures for accessibility in long-distance buses support the discussion on long-distance bus equipment and the implementation of accessibility over the whole travel chain. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting