Citation

Park J, Chowdhury S. J. Transp. Health 2018; 10: 361-368.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jth.2018.05.008

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Accessibility to public transport is increasingly recognized as a critical element in the livelihoods of people with disabilities. Although there have been advancements to better cater for the needs of people with disabilities, budgetary constraints mean that every issue cannot be addressed. There are still many barriers restricting independent travel for this group of people. Social exclusion is often a result of their inability to use or access a public transport system. The present study investigates the barriers in a typical journey chain and provides the similarities and differences in the key barriers perceived by people with physical and visual impairments. Participants volunteered from cities in New Zealand. A semi-structured interview was conducted with a sample of people with disabilities. Bus driver's attitude and unawareness of disabled users' needs was a common concern for both groups. The main barriers for physically impaired users were related to the urban environment, terminals and stops, services, and quality of footpaths. In comparison, the main barriers for visually impaired users were poor presentation of information, and obstructions on footpaths. Based on the findings, the study provides recommendations for policy makers. Future research studies are encouraged to adopt the accessible journey chain when investigating barriers to riding public transport.

Language: en

Keywords

Disability; Physically impaired; Public transport; Social exclusion; Visually impaired