Public Transport Accessibility

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport. The Minister is fully committed to strengthening public transport and progressively making it accessible for all.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for promoting the development of an integrated, accessible public transport network. Public transport operators have responsibility for day-to-day operational issues, and the NTA works with them, to progressively make public transport accessible. Examples of operational issues include, buses not running on time, lifts not working and wheelchair spaces on buses.

Accessibility features, such as wheelchair access, and audio and visual aids, are built into all new public transport infrastructure projects and vehicles from the design stage. Newer systems such as LUAS are fully accessible. The National Development Plan includes a number of new major public transport projects which will be fully accessible as part of the normal design.

There are legacy issues in relation to older infrastructure and facilities, for example Victorian era railway infrastructure.

The NTA manages a retrofit programme of accessibility improvement grants to upgrade existing older infrastructure and facilities.

The main elements of this programme are:

• installation of accessible bus stops in Rural and Regional areas

• upgrading train stations to make them wheelchair accessible, and

• providing grant support for the introduction of more wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) into the taxi fleet.

This Programme is the Department’s key indicator under the Equality Budgeting Strategy.

In addition, to making infrastructure and services accessible, it is crucial to provide the “softer” type of supports to enable disabled people to travel independently on public transport.

The NTA supports disabled people to do this through initiatives such as the Just a Minute (JAM) Card (for anyone with a communications difficulty), the provision of Disability Awareness Training to public transport staff, and the Travel Assistance Scheme which helps people with disabilities to use public transport on their own, by assisting them plan and carry out their journey. The Travel Assistance Scheme currently operates in the Greater Dublin Area and as a pilot scheme - in Cork.

For more information on how to contact Public Transport Operators about accessibility.