Agenda item

Members are invited to receive the written response from Herts Vision Loss client base and the Stevenage Irish Network’s older members regarding bus use in Stevenage and interview representatives from both organisations.

The Chair welcomed Alison MacDougall, trustee for Herts Vision Loss, and Lorna Whitaker, Herts Vision Loss service user and a local resident with lived experience, to the Committee.

The Chair asked whether they were able to use the service easily. Ms Whitaker informed Members that there was nothing visually that could tell another person they were partially sighted, therefore this contributed to the problem of using buses. She explained that the information boards were difficult to use, and it would be useful if they were a darker blue so the writing was bolder and brighter, and if they could be lower as they were too high up. When buses came unexpectedly into other bays there was no way of knowing without reading the information boards quickly, which was often difficult for those with vision loss.

The Chair asked whether all the screens should be lowered. Ms Whitaker advised that people with vision loss wanted to travel comfortably and independently. There were individual screens for each bay so all screens should be lowered so they could see the information quicker. There was also signs high above the doors that would be missed by people with vision loss.

Ms MacDougall informed the Committee of a sight loss council which partnered so far with 18 Councils such as Bedfordshire and Essex but there was not one in Hertfordshire yet. The sight loss council in London was currently working with TfL and was implementing audio announcement buttons for bus arrival times and display screens which provided clearer information. The Scrutiny Officer advised that the Committee heard from the County Officers that this would be implemented soon, and Arriva confirmed all buses would be retrofitted.

The Chair asked whether Ms Whitaker felt she could get onto buses safely. Ms Whitaker advised that the colour of the buses was difficult for people with vision loss as pale green or pale blue buses blended into the surroundings and was almost invisible. She suggested that it would help if buses contrasted with their environment, so they were easier to spot. She also expressed issues with not being able to see the display on the front of the bus and advised that LED displays were much easier to see. Ms MacDougall advised that there was a slight delay as people with vision loss needed to see which stop they were at before alighting and often didn’t know.

The Chair asked whether the buses were regular and reliable. Ms Whitaker advised that there was a period where they were unreliable but now the issue was whether they were just late or if they were cancelled. The information at bus stops only displayed which order the buses would come in, no real time information as to what time it would come if it was late or if it was cancelled. She suggested that real time information would be helpful. Many people with vision loss relied on public transport and needed access to reliable bus services to get to work or hospital appointments. Mc MacDougall added that a larger font option would be helpful.

The Chair asked whether the apps helped or whether people used this. Ms MacDougall advised that she believed it was an age issue regarding the apps. Older people might not use them. She also suggested an app being trialled by the Bedfordshire sight loss council.

Ms MacDougall informed Members that there was a section on the interlink website for visually impaired people and there was a card scheme she had never heard of that she could promote through the charity. The Assistant Director (Planning & Regulatory) advised that the County Council and Bus Operators controlled this. He also advised that Arriva had a journey assist card which could be printed or requested directly from Arriva.

Ms Whitaker advised that being aware of those with vision loss or other impairments should be included in the training drivers receive. In her experience, some drivers were very communicative, and this was helpful when calling out stops and letting her know where to get off. She also suggested that it would be helpful to ask bus drivers what would help them, for example an identification badge. Ms MacDougall asked whether this was included in their training and offered to assist and create training if needed.

The Scrutiny Officer suggested that it would be helpful for groups such as Herts Vision Loss to have direct conversations with Arriva to talk through some issues.

The Chair thanked Ms MacDougall and Ms Whitaker for their contribution to the meeting.

The Chair then welcomed Ann Meldrum, a local resident and bus user, to the Committee.

Ms Meldrum described a petition she started calling for a decent, reliable, and regular bus service in Stevenage. It originally started because of the Bedwell buses only having one bus an hour which created a lot of issues and she found that unhappiness surrounding the bus service was a lot of Stevenage residents experience. The petition received 3021 signatures and most of the comments were that they were unreliable.

Ms Meldrum informed Members that Arriva brought in someone to deal with these issues. They have made some services longer, but she believed that if the longer services were more reliable then this was a positive improvement. She also explained that Bedwell had a Number 7 bus as well as the Number 6 which had made a difference to bus use in Bedwell.

The Chair asked Ms Meldrum some questions about the petition. She advised that she started it in August/September 2022 and the new timetables came into force in September this year. The petition went to Arriva and interlink.

Ms Meldrum advised that information on the time boards was key. In Peterborough every bus stop had real time information on when the next bus was coming. This would be helpful to implement in Stevenage and she had been discussing this with Hertfordshire County Council since January. She added that if users did have an issue there was contact information in the station that they can use to send in complaints. She encouraged people to do this as it could help solve the issues people have.

The Chair thanked Ms Meldrum for her contribution to the meeting.