National Express Coaches

National Express Coaches
Disability Rights Conference
12 November 2012
National Express Coaches
• Nationwide network of coach services
• 554 coaches
• Over last three years 370 new coaches have
entered service and they are all fully accessible
• 24 hour call centre to assist customers
• Staff at main coach stations to assist customers
2
Accessibility and Inclusion
• Work closely with Disability Rights UK
• We seek to work closely with the disabled
community to understand requirements
• We have a dedicated Accessibility and Inclusion
Manager to bring focus to this important area
• Interaction with disabled people and
organisations to get it right
• Training, customer service, compliance,
processes
• Code of Practice – what we can and cannot do
3
The service we offer
• Disability helpline 08.00 – 20.00 Saturday to Sunday
08717 818179
• General travel assistance: helping with luggage, help at
stations and booking front seats available by phone
24/7
• Built into all our training programmes and customer
service procedures.
• Recognition of all disabilities
• Almost ready for Passenger Rights
4
5
Wheelchair access
• All wheelchairs have to assessed for safety
• Coaches are accessible via a lift which raises
the customer in their wheelchair onto the coach
• A front seat is removed and the wheelchair is
secured safely to the coach floor ready for travel
• Passenger faces forwards rather rearwards like
on a bus
• All services fully accessible by early 2013
• Recently celebrated 10 years of accessible
coaches on our services
6
Challenges
• Passenger Rights
– We are ready for March 2013 but DfT want to delay
– We will comply anyway
– We will cover all journeys and not just over 250kms
• BSOG – DfT keep taking money away from bus and
coach operations
– Could cause marginal routes to be withdrawn and
these often serve those who most depend on them
7