A three-month trial of bus hailing kits to improve accessibility to bus services for vision impaired passengers was recently announced by ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Katy Gallagher.
“The bus hailing kit is a pocket-sized set of numbered cards that are printed with large-text and Braille numbers designed for use by visually-impaired people to help signal the bus route they wish to board.” Chief Minister Gallagher Said.
Chief Minister Gallagher went on to point out that Trial participants will be asked to provide feedback on ease of use, functionality, size, convenience, Braille legibility, driver response and night-time usage. Factors observed by trial participants will be noted and used to improve the kits prior to the implementation.
“In addition to the bus hailing kit trial, a project is also currently underway to upgrade 300 bus stops across Canberra to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. These improvements complement the $75.5 million fleet replacement program which will see ACTION meet its interim 2012 Disability Discrimination Act requirements,” the Chief Minister concluded.