24 June 2005
Transport for London (TfL), the government body managing the capital's public transportation, is expected to invest in social and technological services to ease the troubles experienced its disabled and hard of hearing passengers.
The prospect has arisen after a survey conducted by the royal national institute for the deaf (RNID) found that the majority of deaf and hard of hearing passengers felt more should be being done to prevent them from being excluded.
TfL has said that it is constantly working hard to improve accessibility on London's public transport and will continue to put a substantial investment of time and money into meeting the needs of disabled and hard of hearing passengers.
According to reports, such improvements include more dot matrix indicators giving information on the tube, induction loops in ticket halls and platforms and an updated visual display system on the bus network.
A TfL spokesperson added: "We are also on target for all London bus drivers to have completed a qualification by the end of the year which includes training to raise awareness of the issues faced by hearing-impaired passengers."
The news will be welcomed by the RNID who had expressed its dissatisfaction with the findings from the survey, particularly the statistic that revealed only eight per cent of underground passengers and 12 per cent of train passengers thought enough was being done.
Dr John Low, chief executive of RNID, described the findings as "really quite astounding".© DeHavilland Information Services plc
Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.
