Part 7: High-level Action Plan

This part provides a high-level summary of the actions co-produced by the Steering Group arising from the 48 issues raised through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by disabled people.

More detailed plans will be delivered by the Steering Group for every two to three years as described in Part 6.

The plan that follows is structured into areas as indicated at Figure 20. Many of the actions cut across the different themes and areas, they are therefore allocated to the most appropriate section and shown only once.

Figure 20

Figure 20: Action plan

Area 1: Developing principles and charters for travel accessibility across modes

What disabled people said was important:

Ensuring that all access needs are considered including physical, sensory, learning disabilities and mental health issues.
Agreement on a universal symbol signage system across all modes of transport to make travelling more accessible for all (disabled people, non-English speaking, etc.)
Developing integration of timetable information of different modes of transport
Local and regional groups considering how to have better integration between different modes of transport
Making the journey experience better for disabled people getting to and from (and going between) bus and train stations and ferry terminals
Ensuring that transport providers take responsibility for completion of a journey (including across modes)
Tackling disability hate crime on and around transport

We want to:

Ensure that disabled people are supported by consistency of accessible design standards within and across modes.
Ensure that disabled people feel more confident to make journeys that involve interchange between transport services during the journey and know they will be supported if things go wrong.
Have a Scotland-wide agreement on what to do to tackle hate crime on and around transport

Some examples of how we intend to do this through current services and strategies:

Baseline work on standards for accessible signage from the work being undertaken across Scotland by disability organisations
Identify passenger assistance across the modes and how these can work together
Ensure that any work being undertaken on transport integration includes a focus on disabled people's views.
Work with colleagues to identify what work is being done on hate crime across Scotland to ensure a joined-up approach to tackling hate crime

Some of the further actions we want to take:

Undertake research to identify depth and spread of integration issues for disabled people
Specify and agree common standards of service for disabled people if their public transport journeys are disrupted
Develop agreements about how transport services (including special assistance and information) should integrate between modes of transport in an accessible way
Identify best practice in accessible signage and co-produce guidance on the best design solutions for transport operators, including standard colours and symbols
Develop a transport hate crime charter to be agreed with transport service providers providing clear, common standards and consistent processes

Area 2: Developing national guidance and good practice on accessible travel issues

What disabled people said was important:

Having consistently high accessibility standards in each mode of transport (going beyond basic legislative requirements)
Ensuring that all of the associated bits of transport are accessible (like ticket machines)
Making stations, ferry terminals and bus stops more accessible
Ensuring paths are clear, safe and obstacle-free
Having a spread of accessible taxis and private hire vehicles
Accessible vehicle and vessel design as agreed by disabled people
Accessible toilets and Changing Places near transport hubs

We want to:

Work with operators to narrow the gap between minimum requirements and needs of disabled people, especially where minimum requirements may have been specified several years ago.
Ensure that disabled people are involved from the outset whether that be in the design of a policy, transport vehicle or associated infrastructure or a transport service for disabled people
Ensure that all the things leading to, and around, transport are also accessible

Some examples of how we intend to do this through current services and strategies:

Identify and fill gaps in current rail accessibility schemes, building on good practice that exists already, like the national guidance on rail station accessibility
Help councils to standardise any medical exemption certificates for accessible taxis and make the certificates easily identifiable
Promote Changing Places facilities via transport information channels, look into the transport facilities with Changing Places and use the learning to develop relevant information to support roll-out including clarification of relevant guidance and identification of major transport hubs
Use the Bus Stakeholder Group to discuss how bus layout design can be used to deliver improved accessibility.

Some of the further actions we want to take:

Research/Develop local clear path strategies aimed at removing unnecessary street furniture and providing an accessible streetscape for everyone, and develop a tool to educate people about the impact of obstructions on disabled people
Explore how roads authorities can take advantage of road works to make improvements which will benefit disabled people (for example dropped kerbs)
Co-produce good practice accessible transport guide(s), including examples of good practice and information about disabled people's rights and requirements.
Produce information about bus layout designs which improve accessibility, identifying specific changes and how they benefit people with different impairments.
Develop guidance about taxi accessibility including designs of vehicles, vehicle quotas, training for drivers, accessible booking and licensing authority consultation practices
Develop consistently applied accessibility standards for booking and buying tickets including provision of booking assistance at the same time as ticket booking

Area 3: Improving availability of accessible information to plan and make journeys

What disabled people said was important:

Better travel information, e.g. on time and places of available buses, increase in use of audio and visual description
Availability of information in the appropriate format if things go wrong during a journey
Joined-up journey information mode to mode
Accessible end-to-end journey information about tickets, including concessions

We want to:

Ensure that disabled people have the information required, in the right format, to plan and undertake their journey
Ensure that disabled people are kept informed if things go wrong during a journey
Ensure that disabled people have the information they need to make decisions about best- value tickets

Some examples of how we intend to do this through current services and strategies:

Improve information for disabled people in a number of formats, including repetition of such information for reassurance, building on good practice like the Scot Talk app from Traveline Scotland
Raise the awareness of disabled people about information services and facilities that already exist, for example Traveline Scotland, Passenger Assist services and assistance call points at stations

Some of the further actions we want to take:

Develop suitably located and accessible information at interchange points including multimodal accessible travel information, where relevant
Make sure that when assistance is booked for a transport service that full information is provided – for example, when a taxi is booked as part of the rail Passenger Assist service, the contact number of the taxi operator should be included in the booking confirmation
Ensure information about walking between locations as part of travel information – for example on journey planners – takes into account the need for step-free routes
Ensure that announcements are made consistently and clearly during the course of a journey, including when disruptions take place and about forward travel information, where appropriate
Develop a comprehensive source of accessible information about purchasing tickets for a multi-modal journey, including pricing and concessions
Research the development of technology solutions for delivery of sign language interpretation and audio-visual messaging

Area 4: Enabling staff to support disabled people through awareness and training

What disabled people said was important:

Standardise, evaluate and make mandatory delivery of disability equality training across all transport bodies
Train all transport providers in human rights and their roles and responsibilities in relation to disabled people

We want to:

Ensure that disabled people are consistently supported to use transport through excellent customer service that meets their needs
Support those involved in transport to know how to provide an excellent customer service to disabled people across the range of impairments, including those with hidden disabilities
Help everyone understand what accessible means to different people and ensure that by making something accessible to one group of people, we are not excluding others.

Some examples of how we intend to do this through current services and strategies:

Commission research to scope content of existing equality and disability awareness training across all modes identifying current good practice and gaps
Evidence good customer service through operator and other surveys and feedback

Some of the further actions we want to take:

Scope requirements for training with disabled people and transport providers/operators including covering hidden disabilities and basic BSL phrases
Scope and co-produce the development of a cross-modal training module for all transport service and infrastructure providers in Scotland, deliverable online and in classroom-based learning and available in accessible formats
Include components such as induction, timing of refresher courses and review/feedback of pre- and post-training customer service
Ensure that the training meets a consistent standard and is also flexible enough to be relevant from the smallest to the biggest transport operators in Scotland
Encourage operators to sign up to an agreed standard of customer service for disabled people which is recognised and valued across Scotland
Encourage the roll-out of the Thistle Card throughout Scotland with associated awareness training.
Consult and agree on a form of national recognition for excellent training and customer service to disabled people on transport

Area 5: Co-production of transport policy and practices

What disabled people said was important:

Being more involved in decisions on transport, both as individuals and through representative organisations
Better guidance on some transport policy issues, like local demand responsive transport services, including some form of central leadership or guidance
Solid structures with good accountability and clear pathways to local bodies and Scottish Government as this will help to effect change on a local and national level

We want to:

Embed the "nothing about us without us" philosophy in all we do in transport
Avoid rework in changes to transport do not have to be reworked because the right people were not involved from the start
Encourage represnetation from a wide range of people covering not just different impairements but age groups and locality
Ensure that there is representation from a wide range of people covering not just different impairments but age groups and locality

Some examples of how we intend to do this through current services and strategies:

Building on existing local authority, Regional Transport Partnership and transport operator groups where transport is discussed with the public
Using new levers to community engagement such as the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015
Mapping existing structures to ensure a route in and out of the top tier of governance in transport accessibility for issues which are widespread and/or recurring

Some of the further actions we want to take:

Explore ways of making disabled people more aware about how they can influence decision-making in transport
Encourage participation in local transport user groups by helping to publicise these, where appropriate
Publicising good practice in local community groups and transport operator groups so that others may be encouraged to set these up
Review our national groups for transport accessibility, ensuring that they are joined up in what they do and focused on helping to deliver the Framework's vision and outcomes
Show leadership in Transport Scotland by involving disabled people from the outset in our transport policy making and delivery

Area 6: Sharing experiences, feedback, knowledge and learning

What disabled people said was important:

Ensuring customer surveys and other feedback arrangements are accessible and relevant to issues affecting disabled travellers
Building and using a knowledge base on things like using tenders and procurement to improve accessibility, for example by using nationally-tendered ferry contracts
Discuss with disabled people how to influence attitudes of staff
Consult locally and decide with disabled people on the number of Blue Badge spaces
Providing guidance for providers and disabled people to help them understand the equality responsibilities by giving them targeted, focused information on legislation, policies, regulation, contractual obligations, etc.

We want to:

Ensure that disabled people know how to, and have access to, complain when things go wrong
Ensure that examples of good practice are highlighted and shared
Ensure a continuous improvement process considering the input of disabled people at all levels in transport from policy to delivery
Ensure that there is representation of views and experiences from a wide source covering not just different impairments, but age groups and locality
Provide a one stop source of information on accessible transport for providers and disabled people

Some examples of how we intend to do this through current services and strategies:

Record good practice in embedding accessibility in the procurement of Clyde and Hebridean ferry services and share these for all contracting work at national and local level
Ensure that transport service and infrastructure providers know about sources of advice and help when they are dealing with accessibility issues, for example in respect of how to make information accessible
Review the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People throughout the lifetime of this Framework
Make good use of appropriate professional bodies in health, social care and transport accessibility academia to research and report on good practice both locally and internationally

Some of the further actions we want to take:

Develop an easy-to-use, well-publicised and accessible way for disabled people to report concerns about street and road conditions
Research the current content of transport providers' customer surveys and co-produce a set of standards for surveys and other feedback mechanisms like mystery shopping
Co-produce guidance, taking account of best practice about accessible formats, for customers to contact operators when things go wrong on a journey
Support the Scottish Disability Equalities Forum to design and host a transport accessibility website which brings together information on rights, responsibilities, guidance, etc including links to other relevant websites and also provide this information in other formats as required