Access Exchange International

A P u b l i c a t i o n o fA c c e s sE x c h a n g eI n t e r n a t i o n a l

ACCESS

PROMOTING and PLANNINGTRANSPORT FOR ALL

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Making AccessHappen

– A guide for advocates and planners –

HOW TO PROMOTE AND PLAN ACCESS

for DISABLED PERSONS and ELDERS

to BUSES, TRAINS, TAXIS

and OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORT

Prepared by Tom RickertExecutive Director

Access Exchange International

This guide is a follow-up to Mobility for All: Accessible Transportation Around the World

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• INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1

• WHO BENEFITS FROM ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT? ............. 2

• PROMOTING ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT ................................. 3

Effective promotion: When?..................................................... 4

Effective promotion: Who? ...................................................... 5

Effective promotion: How? ..................................................... 6

• PLANNING ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT .................................... 16

Effective planning: Who? ......................................................... 16

Effective planning: How? ........................................................ 19

• RESOURCES ..................................................................................... 26

CONTENTS

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The purpose of this guide is to assist peopleand agencies around the world to work togeth-er to design public transport which is usableby passengers with disabilities.

• “Passengers with disabilities” include per-sons with a mobility impairment – such as thosewho use wheelchairs, crutches, canes, andwalkers – or who have a hidden disability suchas arthritis. Other passengers with disabilitiesmay have sensory impairments (such as thosewho are blind or partially sighted; or personswho are deaf, deafened, or hard-of-hearing), ora cognitive impairment.

• “Public transportation” includes transport bybus, van, rail, taxis and smaller vehicles, as wellas marine or air transportation used in urban orrural areas or between cities and countries.Such transportation is “inclusive” when it isdesigned and operated in such a way that peo-ple of different ages, gender, size, and abilitycan all use the system. (Note: “transport” and“transportation” are used interchangeably inthis guide although in many countries one orthe other term is more commonly used.)

• People and agencies must work together tocreate inclusive transportation. These different“stakeholders” promote and plan access totransport. They make access happen. Thesepersons or agencies include those with disabili-ties, all other passengers who benefit frominclusive design, bus companies and transitagencies of every kind, bus and van drivers andfare takers, rail personnel, and public officials intransport or public works or planning min-istries. Many other persons and agencies areinvolved and need to take steps to make publictransportation more usable by everyone.

We feel the contents of this guide will benefit allstakeholders. Advocates need to learn moreabout the planning process, and planners andtransport officials need to learn more about howthey can join in promoting access for all.

Countries vary considerably in terms of wealth,geography, climate, road systems, and sizes andtypes of transport vehicles. Likewise, the struc-ture of public transport systems and their regu-

lation differ from one country to another, caus-ing wide variation in mobility, comfort, andsafety. While a guide such as this can provide ahelpful introduction, each country has a differ-ent situation. If some parts of this guide do notapply to your situation, we hope other partswill.

This guide presents many ideas for promotingand planning accessible transport. Remember,however, that different stakeholders have differ-ent tasks. The ideas in this guide are not meantto be carried out all at once, nor by the samepeople. Teamwork is required. Citizens, plan-ners, and transport managers must worktogether. It is important not to become discour-aged by the different steps in promoting andplanning access for all, but rather to moveahead one step at a time.

This guide is merely an introduction. Formore information about each topic, go to theResources Section at the rear at pages 26-29.This section will lead you to in-depthresources to help you “make access happen” inyour country.

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Access Exchange International (AEI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO), also known asa “non-profit agency” in the USA. AEI is based inSan Francisco, California, and has more thantwelve years of experience in promoting accessibletransportation around the world, with a specialemphasis on regions that have more recently begunto take initial steps toward access in their publictransport systems. Thus our focus is on Asia,Latin America, eastern Europe, and Africa ratherthan those countries in western Europe and NorthAmerica which already have increasingly accessiblepublic transport systems.

The author of this guide is Tom Rickert, theExecutive Director of AEI. Prior to founding AEI,the author was Manager of Accessible Services forSan Francisco’s public transportation agency.Photos not credited are by the author.

Special thanks to The United Methodist Church(USA), Unwin Safety Systems (UK), and the many

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INTRODUCTION

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In recent years, there has been growing interest aroundthe world in accessible transportation. There are manyreasons for this global trend, but perhaps the mostimportant is that the various design elements andoperating procedures which benefit disabled personsalso tend to benefit everyone else.

• When separate street lanes with dividers are createdfor pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorized vehicles,each mode is safer to use. This benefits everyone, butespecially assists pedestrians with disabilities.

• When a van or taxi operator brings the vehicle to acomplete stop and waits while a passenger with a caneclimbs on board and finds a seat, the driver has madeit possible for that person to ride. But all other pas-sengers also benefit from safe, courteous treatment bytheir drivers.

• When a bus driver announces the most importantstops to the passengers, a blind person may especiallybenefit, but everyone is given important information.

• When a wheelchair user rolls onto a bus at floor

level, he or she is able to ride even when unable toclimb steps. But every passenger gets on faster by nothaving to climb steps.

• Painting handrails a bright yellow on a bus or trainespecially benefits a passenger who is partially sight-ed, but it also benefits every passenger who wants toquickly find a way to hold on while entering.

• Well-located signs may be especially helpful indirecting a deaf person to a bus or train in a transit ter-minal, but these signs may be equally important totourists or anyone else who is not yet familiar withthat terminal.

In other words, everyone benefits. Sometimes the ben-efit comes from an operating procedure: bringing a busto a safe stop at a bus stop, or calling out importantstops. Sometimes the benefit comes from an inclusivedesign feature: painting hand grips in a bright contrast-ing color, providing level boarding to buses, orinstalling good signs with large print at convenientlocations.

individual donors who have provided funding tocover much of the cost of this publication. Ourthanks also to disability leaders and transportprofessionals who helped review all or parts of thisguide, including Silvia Coriat (Argentina),Walter Spillum (Japan), María Eugenia Antúnez(Mexico), Kuan Aw Tan (Malaysia), Christo Venter(South Africa), CGB Mitchell and Campbell McKee(United Kingdom), and Nicolas Finck and Richard

Weiner (USA). Special thanks to Nicolas Finck forassistance in editing and design of this publication.All opinions and any errors are the responsibility ofthe author. This guide follows up our earlier guide,Mobility for All: Accessible TransportationAround the World, which introduces the technicaland operational aspects of accessible transportation.See the contact information in our Resources sectionfor information on obtaining copies of our guides.

Lanes for motorized and non-motorized traffic inFoshan, China, enhance safety for everyone.

WHO BENEFITS FROM ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT?

Boarding a bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Curitiba, Brazil Photo by Charles Wright, IDB

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Accessible transportation is more than amatter of making a few changes in thedesign of transport vehicles. To be trulyaccessible, public transport must also besafe, reliable, and affordable for those whoneed to use that transport. In turn, physicalaccessibility, safety, reliability, and afford-ability depend on other factors. For exam-ple, they depend on local political decisions,such as policies which favor public transitover the private car or which determine busservice levels and fare policies. The physicalenvironment is another factor, includingmatters such as traffic density, congestion,and geography. And the management oftransport agencies determines a great dealas it provides (or fails to provide) good lead-ership and training for its employees andhelps determine the design and quality ofthe service.

All of these factors provide the broader con-text within which the provision of inclusivedesign and accessibility features must occur.“Mobility for all” is thus a concept which cangrip the public imagination as governmentsand transport operators strive to improvetransportation for all their citizens, not justthose with disabilities.

For example, how a transport system is operatedis every bit as important as how vehicles aredesigned. In order to take advantage of accessfeatures such as low floors or hand holdspainted in a bright contrasting color, it is nec-essary that buses be safely driven and thatthey safely stop at bus stops while passen-gers board and alight. Accessible design fea-tures will not be much help if passengers arefirst required to jump on board a movingvehicle or cross lanes of moving traffic inorder to board! Safely operated buses are notonly more accessible, they also result in farfewer accidents and injuries and significant-

ly decrease the number of persons whobecome disabled due to traffic accidents.

Safe, reliable, and affordable public trans-port increases access for most disabled pas-sengers while making it easier for women,children, and older people to use suchtransport. For this reason, non-governmen-tal agencies (NGOs) serving persons withdisabilities need to work with other stake-holders, including NGOs serving low-income persons, women, or children in needof transportation to school. They also needto work with advocates of non-motorizedtransportation (such as safe walking or bicy-cling) in order to get safe and accessiblepathways from home to bus stop.

And disability NGOs need to work withadvocates of “sustainable transport” whoemphasize putting public transport ahead ofhighway construction for wealthier peoplewith private cars. In many countries, publictransport systems are actually decreasing insize as resources are poured into highwayconstruction. Traffic may become ever morecongested and slow down (along with allother transport), while poor persons –including disabled poor persons – are forcedto move farther and farther out from citycenters and commute longer and longer dis-tances to their employment.

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REDI: A coalition of advocates in Buenos Aires

PROMOTING ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT

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While there is never a poor time to promoteaccess for all, some occasions are especiallyappropriate for consideration of inclusive designfor public transportation systems or for accessiblepedestrian pathways (sidewalks, curb ramps atintersections, etc.). Here is a partial list:

• Upon the passage of legislation or regulationsat national, state/provincial, or municipal levelswhich require or at least promote the inclusion ofpersons with disabilities as passengers of publictransit systems.

• When increased regulation of transport isneeded. In many countries, a lack of regulationmeans that bus drivers paid directly from passen-gers’ fares have an incentive to operate their vehi-cles in an unsafe manner. Addressing the needfor safety for disabled passengers provides anopportunity to address the larger issue of betterregulation of transport for all passengers.

• When the construction of new facilities is pro-posed. Planning policy should ask of any plan orproject: Does it incorporate adequate, safe, andaccessible sidewalks or other pedestrian paths?Does it make public transport a desirable alterna-tive to the private auto? Does it promote the useof non-motorized transport modes, such as walk-ing or bicycles? Will the proposed facilities beaccessible?

Such projects may include:

a) Government projects such as rail systems, roadsor highways which should include accessiblepedestrian pathways and transit stops or termi-nals. The construction of new or rebuilt side-walks and pedestrian crossings, or reconstructionof city streets to slow down dangerously speed-ing vehicles, provide other examples.

b) Commercial construction such as new stores orhousing developments. Older or disabled cus-tomers may be unable to shop unless facilities areaccessible.

c) Projects funded by major development banks orinternational agencies such as the World Bank, theInter-American Development Bank, or the AsianDevelopment Bank. These include many infra-structure and transport system projects.

For example, the Inter-American DevelopmentBank helped fund Curitiba, Brazil’s, highlyaccessible express bus system (since replicatedin Quito, Ecuador, and Bogotá, Colombia). TheIDB has loaned US$120 million to São PauloState in Brazil for projects including the con-struction or retrofitting of 80 bus terminalswith accessible features. And the World Bankhas begun to recognize issues of disability inits urban transport policies.

• When it is time to replace or expand fleets ofbuses, rail cars, taxis, jitneys, vans, motor-rick-shaws or other vehicles. Proposals for newervehicles may be due to aging vehicles, a need toreduce pollution and congestion, or a need toupgrade public transport in order to reducedependency on automobiles.

• When transit systems identify a need forgreater efficiency, for example by decreasing thetime it takes for passengers to board by acquiringlow-floor buses without steps.

• When governments make a decision to increasetourism by enabling more older or disabled per-sons to visit a country and its tourist attractions.A special case is that of venues for the Olympicand Paralympic games, which are required to be

Effective Promotion

When?

Inaccessible railroad overpassPhoto by Richard Weiner

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accessible to participants and spectators.

• When building codes are initiated or revised.This is an ideal time to include access features forpedestrian infrastructure, as it costs little or noth-ing to make new construction accessible.

• When government or private social serviceagencies recognize the need to reduce the costs ofbringing services to persons who cannot leavetheir homes, or the costs of maintaining disabledpersons in institutions when they could in fact beproductively employed if they had access totransportation.

Effective Promotion

Who?Effective promotion reaches out to include manydifferent stakeholders.

Advocacy needs to unite persons with differentdisabilities. For example, people who are semi-ambulatory need to work with those using wheel-chairs, with blind persons and deaf persons, andwith others who have hidden or cognitive dis-abilities. By working across disability lines,

NGOs become more effective in their advocacy.Cross-disability advocacy assists transit officialsto understand the different needs of their dis-abled passengers without conflicting messageswhich can confuse transit planners and mayresult in nothing being done.

It is not uncommon for different NGOs in a givencountry to have similar goals but differentapproaches to advocating these goals. Such dif-ferences need to be respected as long as all con-cerned are seeking clearly defined and measura-ble improvements, in this case in access to trans-port.

And advocacy needs to unite persons with dis-abilities with other stakeholders. These stake-holders may include older persons as well asmothers with children who may not considerthemselves disabled, but who cannot use trans-portation without many of the same design andoperational features which make it accessible topassengers with disabilities. Public health advocatesand rehabilitation agencies should also be naturalallies.

NGOs concerned with social equity and civilrights may also wish to make common cause inseeking safe, accessible public transport for allpassengers. Disability agencies can work withthese agencies to address poverty in less-wealthycountries. Barriers to travel by disabled personshave been documented as a major cause of pover-ty, and this is a big reason why disability andpoverty are so closely correlated around theworld.

An example from Buenos Aires: Advocateswith disabilities are working with poor peopleto promote humane systems of travel toaddress the overcrowding which makes publictransit less accessible for the majority of poten-tial passengers.

Issues of social equity are often of great impor-tance to faith-based organizations, which also havea stake in the ability of disabled persons, women,children, and the poor to reach houses of worshipand the activities of the different religions inevery country.

Welder at job site in Mexico

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An example from Sierra Leone: Sara Barreribelongs to a Methodist church which lacked aramp to enable her to enter in her wheelchair.She advocated with church authorities forfunds for building materials and then churchmembers built the ramp with their volunteerlabor. Thanks to her determination, other dis-abled persons can now join her in entering thishouse of worship.

Agencies serving tourists – many of whom may beolder persons – may also become allies of disabil-ity NGOs.

Other stakeholders could include advocatesof sustainable transport who seek higher qualitypublic transport, safe bicycle paths and pedestri-an walkways. These advocates of livable citiesencourage methods of “traffic calming” to pro-vide for safer, more humane environments. Theyalso promote public transport as an alternative tothe congestion and pollution caused by excessivereliance on the private automobile. (See the casestudy from Malaysia on page 10 and contacts inthe Resources section.) These advocates havesuccessfully encouraged the World Bank to placemore emphasis on well-designed pedestrianpathways. Persons with disabilities will benefitfrom such policies.

An example from the state of Colorado in theUSA: In 2002, when disabled advocates in theColorado Mobility Coalition (CMC) joinedforces with other advocates, the state legisla-ture approved state funding for public trans-

portation for the first time ever. In the past,state funding was only used for roads andbridges. The CMC worked with environmen-tal advocates, the business community, publichealth agencies, transport agencies and otherinterest groups. One result: It is expected thatfunds will be designated for more public tran-sit in rural areas, using accessible vehicles.

Source: Margi Ness, Colorado Quarterly

Finally, disability advocates should be on thelookout for newly created neighborhood organizations,often formed in response to the many criticalissues affecting poor people and other communi-ties who may be increasingly at risk in societiesundergoing rapid social and economic change.People need to work together to address issues ofcommon concern. Throughout the world, publictransport is one such issue.

Effective Promotion

How?Effective methods of promotion vary for differentstakeholders, and may vary somewhat from oneculture to another. Let us begin with advocacy byorganizations by and for persons with disabilitiesand then follow with actions which can be takenby other stakeholders as well.

Grass-roots advocacy bydisability NGOs

In most cases, a vital component of effective pro-motion is “grass roots” advocacy by NGOs andsimilar advocacy groups representing personswith disabilities and their friends. Such agenciesmay be formal non-governmental organizations(for example, incorporated or recognized undervarious laws) or they may be less-formal advoca-cy groups, perhaps created for the specific pur-pose of promoting accessible transport or seekingaccess features for a specific transport project.

Here are some methods that have worked aroundthe world for NGOs and other community organ-izations who wish to promote access to trans-portation.

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An outdoor “Internet Café” in TokyoPhoto by Walter Spillum

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• Make a list of the different individuals andagencies which may support the cause ofinclusive public transport. This list could be inthe form of a computer database or a card file.Identify the agencies, the contact people, and con-tact information for these potential allies.Consider the size of the agencies in making yourlist, as well as their ability to reach out to a largenumber of people. Also consider their previoussuccesses in advocating in favor of their mem-bers. Tip: Enter key words in an Internet searchengine such as “Google” when looking for poten-tial allies, such as (if you are using English)“health agencies” or “senior citizen groups.”

• Plan to hold meetings. Always have an agen-da and focus on the important items. Start themeeting on time. Never go for more than twohours, less if possible. Make the minutes brief.Give people tasks to perform. Have one itemwhich requires creativity or fun. Have a firmchairperson. Make time for social contact at theend of the meeting. Avoid bureaucracy.

• Develop a clear strategy. Aim for measurableshort-term and longer-term goals. While longer-term goals focus on system-wide improvementsto pedestrian ways and public transport, a short-term strategy could focus on smaller but highlyvisible access improvements which provide goodpublicity for all stakeholders and encourage offi-cials to do more. The more your tactics result in"win-win" situations where everyone is pleasedwith the results, the easier it is to modify your tac-tics to create even bigger successes.

• Use the media, such as newspaper, radio, andTV stations to explain why access to transporta-tion is needed. Most media coverage occurswhen an event is held or plans are announced.Events could include the formation of yourgroup, the presentation of a survey or report to agovernment official, or a demonstration at aninaccessible transit site. If possible, form person-al contacts with interested reporters for newspa-pers, radio, or television. In addition, letters tothe editor can help influence public opinion.

• Consider taking photographs of problems,showing a user struggling to cope with a barrierto transport. Once you have some good photo-

graphs of a barrier, people say “Oh, I see! Howridiculous to have this barrier!”

For example, drawings of disabled people unableto climb stairs or cross other barriers have beeneffectively used in “The Japan Times” newspaper.

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Stairs are a visible barrier to accessPhoto by Walter Spillum

Door-to-door transport in Kuala LumpurPhoto by Persatuan Mobiliti

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• A new method is the use of e-mail advocacy,sometimes (if the cause is big enough) involvingadvocates from around the world.

From Thailand: An e-mail campaign whichtargeted the media and government officialsplayed an important role in a decision byBangkok authorities in 1999 to make five oftheir new Skytrain stations accessible.

• Build a popular campaign by creating alliancesamong people with different types of disability,and among disability agencies and other stake-holders. As one disabled advocate in Malaysiaput it, “We have to bring our problems into align-ment with mainstream concerns. It is like gettinginto this big boat and helping it to steer the rightcourse.”

• Do your own research so that you can supportyour arguments with solid facts. As time permits,learn about the design of local public transport. Ifthere is a subway (metro) or rail line, is it publiclyor privately owned? Are there plans to build newstations? Who regulates the system? Who do theregulators report to? If they report to an electedofficial, when is the next election? If your city isserved by small vehicles (vans, micros, shared-ride taxis, auto-rickshaws, etc.), how many vehi-cles are there? Who owns them? Are many driv-en by owners? Have the owners formed associa-tions? What positive incentives or negative disin-centives do the drivers have to drive safely? Arethere plans to replace vehicles? If so, has consid-eration been given to making these vehicles moreaccessible?

Insofar as possible, find out about the financialstructure of public transport in your country,region, or community. Are there formal budgetsfor transport provided by public or private sec-tors? Who makes the transport budget decisions?Who makes the budget decisions for streets, side-walks, and pedestrian access? When does thebudget year (fiscal year) begin? What is theprocess for forming the annual budget and whenare the key dates for budget decisions? It can behelpful to connect your promotion of accessibletransport with the timeline for the approval of theannual budget for the operation or improvementof that transport.

• Get to know key people. Make personal contactwith government officials such as elected officials,planners, and transportation officials. Get tounderstand their viewpoints and also the struc-ture of the government agencies you are workingwith. Find out who is on your side and who maybe opposed. Try to find a “champion” for yourcause in government or the media or a university.

• Consider sensitivity training sessions fortransport officials and planners willing to experi-ence at first hand the obstacles faced by passen-gers with disabilities, perhaps by navigating atransit terminal in a wheelchair or using a blind-fold to experience the problems faced by blindpassengers. Sensitivity training can convert someofficials into allies. But always permit officialsand transport staff to approve the time and sitefor such training.

• Be persistent. Success often depends on thepatient continuation of advocacy efforts. *

• Give credit to officials when they take positiveactions. When a decision is made in favor ofaccessible transport, be quick to publicly congrat-ulate the authorities.

In addition, disability advocates and their organi-zations have many other methods to advocate foraccess for all. Here are some:

• Print and distribute copies of any existinglegislation, norms, or other material whichrequires or promotes access to transport or topedestrian pathways. Such legislation needs tobe well-distributed, hopefully in an easily under-stood form and in accessible formats.

An example from Costa Rica: The NationalCouncil for Rehabilitation and SpecialEducation and the Office of the President, withassistance from Spain’s Agency for Inter-national Cooperation, distributed 5,000 copiesof Costa Rica’s National Law 7600, mandating

* Many of the methods listed on pages 7 and 8above come from SUSTRAN’s Taking Steps, aCommunity Action Guide for transport advo-cates, pages 78-80 (see Resources section).

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access to transport andother sectors. A follow-up publication provid-ed further commen-taries on this law.

• Carry out focus groupsby age and disability,such as for seniors, forblind persons, those whoare visually impaired,deaf persons, and thosewith mobility impair-

ments. Even though advocacy should focus onthe needs of all groups, one part of cross-disabili-ty advocacy is to make sure that the needs of peo-ple with different types of disability are fullyknown. And, by meeting the needs of passengerswith a range of disabilities, transport plannersend up creating transport systems that are alsouseful to a range of able-bodied passengers whoare often encumbered with packages or childrenand thus are mobility-impaired. “Accessibledesign” for disabled passengers thus encourages“universal design” for all passengers.

A focus group is a structured process in whichknowledgeable people with disabilities provide adetailed description of travel barriers which theypersonally face during an entire “trip chain” fromresidence to transit stop to vehicle to destination.The results of these focus groups may be sent togovernment and transport agencies as a valuablecontribution as they make plans to improve theirservices. If a public campaign is going on, focusgroup results may be of interest to the media.Focus groups are used widely throughout theworld. They help businesses know what theircustomers really want, and disabled passengersshould be considered customers of transportagencies.

From Malaysia: An NGO in Kuala Lumpurheld separate focus groups with older persons,mothers with children, blind persons, andthose with mobility issues, in preparation for aworkshop on accessible transportation in 2000.

• Publish a directory of accessible facilities ortransport in order to encourage those who have

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committed themselves to mobility for all. It ishelpful to honor establishments which take thelead in creating accessible facilities. For example,a guide to accessible public buildings, stores,restaurants, theaters, houses of worship, andother public facilities could be published to high-light good practice and encourage the public tosupport them.

Examples from Latin America: A guide toaccessible restaurants and other facilities waspublished by Libre Acceso in Mexico City.CONADIS and others in Lima, Peru, publishedan access guide to theaters. Rio de Janeiro’sIndependent Living Center published a guideto accessible transport and facilities in down-town Rio. Sometimes such guides are jointlypublished by a government agency under theguidance of a knowledgeable NGO.

• Carry out an “accessibility audit” of transportfacilities. This is a technical evaluation to accu-rately reveal the scope of what needs to be done.An access audit answers such questions as, “Isthere an accessible travel path from outside atrain station to the platform where the trainsstop?” Results could be sent to the media as wellas to the transport agency.

An example from India: Members of theSociety for Equal Opportunities for DisabledPersons in Hyderabad performed a detailedAccess Audit Report on sixteen existing railwaystations within a suburban commuter transportsystem in the Hyderabad urban area. The auditincluded access to car parking, stationentrances, platform access, bathrooms, publictelephones, ticket counters, drinking fountains,food facilities, and public information. Eachstation was evaluated separately.

Accessibility audits can also be performed in orderto upgrade other pedestrian infrastructure such asstreets, sidewalks, or pathways. Such audits canbe used as part of a formal planning process toidentify barriers and deficiencies. These auditscan be of policies, regulations, fare scales and staffbehavior as well as vehicles or infrastructure.

Access audit guidelines are needed to assure that

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A case study

Malaysia: Disability NGOs reach out to other stakeholders in Penang

The Society of Disabled Persons of Penang (SDPP) is a disabled persons’ NGO formed in 1988with 250 mainly low-income members from all major ethnic groups. The SDPP recognizestransport as a key concern of disabled persons and has sought accessibility to transport since itsinception. The response of government authorities has been slow and thus the SDPP feels astrong need for additional advocacy for accessible transportation.

SDPP advocacy has been varied and has met with mixed success. In 1998, the SDPP and lead-ers with mobility disabilities worked with representatives from the visually impaired, hearingimpaired, and other NGOs to present their needs to the Penang Island Municipal Council.While one stretch of road was improved immediately, other follow-up did not occur.Meanwhile, SDPP’s advocacy continued through statements published by Penang’s supportivemedia.

SDPP also strengthened its efforts by working with other local transport advocacy groups.SDPP joined STEP: Sustainable Transport Environment Penang, working with other pedestri-ans, public transport users, bicyclists, and local residents to seek safe and accessible pedestrianimprovements. They went beyond disabled persons’ transport problems and learned about thetransport problems of other stakeholders. In turn, NGOs advocating pedestrian and bicycletransport have begun to support disabled persons’ mobility concerns.

In 2000, the SDPP co-organized a workshop featuring a British expert in the accessibility field.The well-attended meeting included top officials from government bodies, among them thegeneral hospital, traffic police, the Penang Island Municipal Council, architects, town-planners,and other disabled people’s groups. Detailed local press coverage provided Penang’s residentswith unprecedented coverage of accessible transport issues. SDPP has also published a bookon non-handicapping environments and has translated AEI’s guide, Mobility for All, intoChinese and Malay.

Penang remains an inaccessible city where the mobility problems of persons with disabilitiesare given low priority. However, local awareness of access issues has increased. The SDPP feels

that the time may be ripe to refocus its advo-cacy on the national government, sincetransport is a centralized issue in Malaysia.SDPP leaders point out that there are pro-grams in place to educate, train, and employpersons with disabilities and that laws are inplace to make sure that buildings are acces-sible. They feel, however, that access totransportation is a missing link in disabledpersons’ quest for independent living.

Based on material prepared by Kuan Aw Tan ofthe SDPP with AEI for the World Bank. Go tohttp://www.disabledpersonspenang.orgfor more information.Dedication of accessible pedestrian crossing in

Penang Photo provided by SDPP

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audits are performed in an equitable and knowl-edgeable manner, based on objective and measur-able criteria, norms, or guidelines. Guides havebeen published in many countries to help deter-mine the level at which facilities are accessible.

An example from Mexico: Mexico City’s LibreAcceso worked with city officials to publish aguide to evaluate and certify buildings asaccessible to persons with disabilities.

• Publish an access guide with norms andguidelines which describe the emerginginternational standards for access to streets,buildings, and vehicles. This is happeningaround the world. Such publications canbecome a major factor in determining moreformal norms within a country. They are avail-able in printed and/or web versions.

From Asia and Russia: The Society ofDisabled Persons of Penang published aguide listing norms for access to streets, side-walks, and public facilities. In Moscow,Moscomarchitectura published a series ofguides to the outdoor urban environment, tobuildings, and to public transportation.

From Latin America: CONADIS (Ecuador) haspublished access standards. APRODDIS inPeru has published accessibility guidelines.The Mexico City municipal government haspublished an official access manual with tech-nical norms. Such norms have been incorpo-

rated into enforceable legislation mandatingaccessible transport in Argentina, Brazil, CostaRica, and other countries.

• In many countries, advocates with disabilitieshave held public demonstrations, often at inacces-sible transport facilities, to focus public andmedia attention on their concerns. Circumstancesdiffer, but such demonstrations should focus onthe problems of barriers to transport and desiredsolutions rather than on the personalities of trans-port and other officials with whom relationshipsof mutual trust are desired. (See case study fromJapan on page 14.)

• When all else fails, take legal action to makesure laws are enforced.

An example from Brazil: Rio de Janeiro’sCenter for Independent Living successfullyused the courts to enforce a law which requiredthat subway stations include accessibility fea-tures for passengers with disabilities.

• Carry out local, national, regional or interna-tional workshops, seminars, or conferences topromote accessible transport. Such events bringdifferent stakeholders together to learn about bestpractices from around the world as well as to planprojects at local or national levels. Events such asthese serve many purposes. By bringing disabili-ty leaders together with different government andother officials, people get to know one anotherand better understand each other’s situation.Such meetings provide a common body of techni-cal information for everyone while introducingbasic concepts of accessibility. Even if outsideconsultants make presentations, it is always wiseto request key local officials to address the work-shop as well.

SDPP guideRussian guide

Workshop on accessible transport in El Salvador

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Examples:

At a global level, the triennial TRANSED confer-ence series presents the latest research on mobili-ty and transport for elderly and disabled people.

At a regional level, the United Nations ESCAP hassponsored training seminars in Bangkok,Thailand, and Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China,concerning access to the built environment and totransport. The Uruguayan Institute of TechnicalNorms (UNIT) has sponsored a seminar for LatinAmerican practitioners in Montevideo. And theInter-American Development Bank has sponsoreda seminar on accessibility issues in Latin America,held at an annual meeting in Santiago, Chile.

At national levels, workshops have been spon-sored in all western European and NorthAmerican countries and in Mexico, Argentina,Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Uruguay, SouthAfrica, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and othercountries.

At municipal levels, workshops or similar gather-ings have been held in countries around theworld.

• Where possible, translate resource materialsfrom other countries into local languages. Theresource section of this guide points to materialswhich are often available for translation with per-mission of the publisher. For example, AEI’sguide describing inclusive transport, Mobility forAll: Accessible Transportation Around the World hasbeen translated into Spanish, Portuguese,Japanese, and Chinese versions, with other trans-lations in process.

• Less-wealthy countries may have especiallyrelevant expertise to contribute to the growinginternational experience. For example, see theResources section to access a report from theinternational project, Enhanced Accessibility forPeople with Disabilities Living in Urban Areas,based on experience in Latin America, Asia, andAfrica.

From Argentina: Silvia Coriat, an architectwith Fundación Rumbos in Buenos Airesauthored Lo Urbano y lo Humano: Hábitat yDiscapacidad. This is a valuable resource for

Spanish-speaking readers seeking an in-depthunderstanding of universal design for publicspaces and the built environment. This recently

published guide is an example of the positiveimpact which architects have had in severalless-wealthy countries.

In fact, countries from around the world continu-ally adapt best practices in other countries fortheir own use. Low-floor buses were first intro-duced in Germany and community service routesin Sweden. Ramped taxis were first used on alarge scale in the United Kingdom while Japanhas been a leader in access to pedestrian paths.Beginning with Brazil, Latin American countrieshave pioneered the introduction of accessible BusRapid Transit concepts now being proposed incountries around the world.

Everyone needs to be an advocatefor inclusive transport

Promotion by Other StakeholdersPromotion of inclusive transport that providesaccess for all passengers is not limited to disabili-ty agencies and NGOs. Here are actions whichshould be taken by other stakeholders. This is ageneral model and needed actions may vary fromone situation to another. Many of these actionsare discussed in the section on Planning begin-ning on page 16.

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National governments

• Review existing design standards in countriesaround the world for access to buildings, pedes-trian infrastructure, and public transport stopsand vehicles.

• Establish a coordinating body or other mecha-nism to assure that different stakeholders are con-sulted as legislation is prepared.

• Enact legislation and detailed regulations man-dating access for all to new buildings and infra-structure, access features to all new transportvehicles and systems, and the phasing in of low-cost access features for existing infrastructure,vehicles and transport systems. Such legislationshould prohibit discrimination against disabledpeople in the design of services, fare schedules,and operating procedures. Legislation could alsorequire staff training to improve the servicesoffered to all passengers, including those with dis-abilities.

Local governments (or state, provincial, orregional governments as appropriate)

• Carry out a planning process, prioritize theremoval of barriers from infrastructure and trans-port, and establish implementation plans to phasein transport systems serving all passengers,including those with disabilities. (These steps donot need to wait for the passage of national legis-lation, which can benefit from the experiencegained by local governments.)

Transport ministries and regulators

• Should carry out national and local laws andregulations and participate in the planningprocess to implement accessible transport sys-tems.

• Regulators should negotiate agreements withtransport operators with incentives to operatetheir vehicles in an accessible manner and tomaintain accessible features in good operatingcondition.

• Regulators should monitor operator perform-ance to assure compliance.

Other local departments (planning, publicworks, traffic police, etc.)

• Should coordinate with transport ministriesand regulators to assure that accessible pedestrianinfrastructure and transit stops are phased in toaccommodate routes served by accessible trans-port vehicles and that traffic laws are enforced.For example, traffic police should enforce lawswhich prohibit private cars from parking in pub-lic bus stops.

• If local government departments do not exist,community agencies and NGOs should workdirectly with transport operators to encourage theinclusive design and operation of their vehicles.

Transport system owners or operators

• Should work with regulators and governmentsto assure that they negotiate equitable agreementsproviding for accessibility while being fair to allparties.

• Should train their staff, maintain their equip-ment, and market their services to disabled pas-sengers in accordance with their agreements withregulating agencies.

• Should specify access features on vehiclesadded to their fleet and modify existing vehicleswith low-cost access features (for example, largeprint destination signs, hand grasps in bright con-trasting colors).

Bus drivers & fare takers; rail personnel

• Drivers and their organizations should be con-sulted and mechanisms should be in place toincorporate their feedback to improve service.

Stakeholders from around the world meet at thetriennial TRANSED conferences

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A case study

Japan: Advocating barrier-free transport for all Nowadays in Japan, mobility advocates have joined forces with welcome partners of the dis-abled: the elderly, stroke victims, pregnant moms pushing baby strollers, bicyclists, manu-facturers, politicians and professionals.

Advocacy takes many forms in Japan: street and public demonstrations, political diplomacyin urging the national and local governments to pass barrier-free legislation, educationalpublic relations efforts, international cooperation with United Nations agencies such asESCAP, grass roots NGO/NPO local and national groups, and in broader movements suchas Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) and Independent Living Centers (ILC).

“Barrier-free” has become a major theme in Japan as expressed by the AEI manual Mobilityfor All, published in Japanese by the Wakakoma Independent Living Information Center(WILIC), Tokyo Toritsu Daigaku (Tokyo Metropolitan University) and Disabled Peoples’International (DPI-Japan), all in Tokyo. This is an example of information at work as an edu-cational and political tool to describe accessible transport concepts to different stakeholders.

Another example of information at work is a web site: Accessible Japan – A Travel Guide forWheelchair Users. WILIC has their web site: http://www.wakakoma.org/aj/ which containstravel information useful for wheelchair users in Japan. It is the first one in Japan in the cat-egory of tourism and travel to give English as well as Japanese information for accessibilityabout points of interest, lodging and transportation in the major parts of Japan.

Another strong advocacy group in Japan is led by the Human Care Association, the Tokyopioneer in Independent Living Centers for disabled persons in Japan. One of the most influ-ential Japanese leaders is Shoji Nakanishi, Chairman of Human Care, who began his specialefforts more than 15 years ago in creating services for the disabled by the disabled.Nakanishi uses a wheelchair because of an accident when he was a college student. Hisefforts have paid off with 104 centers thriving all over Japan. Nakanishi says, “All thepainful efforts, the impossible problems, the lack of money, have evolved into a success andthe big gain has been worth all the pain.” Nakanishi, one of the activist originators of DPI’spublic demonstrations for access to transport, now focuses on the international arena viacooperation with the United Nations’ ESCAP and disability NGOs in other Asian countries.

The disabled communities are leading the way by actively pushing for reform in access totrains, buses, boats, airplanes, sidewalks, streets, shops, government offices, hotels, shop-ping malls, shrines, and temples. In the forefront of this broad movement is the DPI-Japanorganization headed by Ryo Misawa, Secretary General. Misawa advised, “This didn’t hap-pen overnight; we started our efforts in this direction over 15 years ago. This year’s BarrierFree demonstration is our 14th annual ‘Demo’ and we are getting stronger and stronger.”Basically, it is a one-day concentrated demonstration at inaccessible spots in the Tokyo trans-portation system. Participants include hundreds of disabled activists in wheelchairs alongwith walkers and marchers on foot accompanied by families, friends and even governmentworkers and politicians. The event is usually held on Disability Day in November everyyear. Efforts such as this encouraged the passage of Japan’s comprehensive Barrier-FreeTransportation Law in 2000.

– Prepared for AEI by Marcia Masae Kashiwagi and Walter Spillum in Japan, at openword@sepia.ocn.ne.jp

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• Driver incentives for courteous service to dis-abled passengers should be developed.

Manufacturers and vendors

• Governments should require manufacturers toinclude features on their vehicles which will ben-efit disabled passengers as well as all other pas-sengers.

• Manufacturers should take the lead in seekinginput from disability groups about how toimprove access to their products with featureswhich promote accessibility and safety.

Academic and research institutes

• Should carry out research relevant to less-wealthy countries, including a strong focus onaccess features for passengers with sensory andcognitive disabilities as well as passengers withmobility disabilities.

• Should train architects and engineers and oth-ers to become advocates for universal design,inclusive infrastructure, and transport for all.

Architects

• Should take the lead in promoting inclusivedesign of buildings and public spaces.

Funding sources

Loans and grants for transport-related projects aremade by development banks such as the WorldBank, the Inter-American Development Bank, orthe Asian Development Bank. Other funds comefrom government aid agencies, foundations, andother sources.

• Funding sources should take the lead in requir-ing that financing for transport projects in less-wealthy countries include accessibility featuresfor disabled persons and that services be regulat-ed to assure that they are operated in an accessiblemanner.

• Funders need to revise their funding criteria tofocus support on research and demonstrationprojects to develop low-cost approaches to inclu-sive transport in developing countries.

• Transport infrastructure staff and social devel-opment staff of funding agencies need to worktogether so that inclusive transport does not “fallthrough the cracks” between their areas of expert-ise.

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Advocacy needs to result in commitments such asnational and local laws, regulations, norms,guidelines, policies, and funding criteria whichlay the basis for concrete plans to make accesshappen. But these commitments remain justpieces of paper unless they result in real improve-ments to public transport. Too many countriesand agencies have policies on inclusive trans-portation which look good on paper, but do notresult in actual improvements in mobility.

In order to make accessible transport happen, thepromotion of inclusive transport should mergeinto a planning process. The next section discuss-es this process.

United Nations ESCAP and the Government ofChina funded this regional seminar on accessibletransport

World Bank and Inter-American DevelopmentBank staff meet with other stakeholders at aroundtable in Washington, DC.

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No matter how wealthy or poor is a country orregion or city, its citizens can work together toset reasonable goals and to plan for the future. Itis possible to establish a course of action to gofrom where you are to the goal of where you wantto be. Planning is an orderly way of getting tothis goal. By setting specific and realistic objec-tives, the goal can be reached through a step-by-step process.

In most countries, planning is seen as primarilythe task of government officials and transportsystem managers. But planning also involvesworking together with many stakeholders,including representatives of public, private, andNGO sectors. Successful stakeholders in a plan-ning process usually show these characteristics:

• They establish mutually agreed goals

• They document the needs of passengers,including those with disabilities, and theresources to meet those needs

• They involve the different stakeholders in theplanning process (no one wants to be sur-prised or left out)

• They understand the financial issues

• They develop detailed implementation plansto make steady progress

• They monitor and evaluate the results of eachformal step

• They keep in touch with the different stake-holders

• They actively promote newly accessible trans-port services among potential passengerswith disabilities

In addition, a planning process should ideallyexhibit the following features:

• It is a continual process, in which everyonelearns as each step is taken.

• It is a process which seeks transparency andintegrity. Participants know what is going onand learn to trust one another. (Corruption

of any kind is harmful to a planning process.)

• It is a process which fosters accountability byassigning designated personnel and agencieswith defined tasks to handle planning,implementation, monitoring and evaluation,and service improvements

• It is a process which is realistic by addressingall the complexities of the situation.

• It is a process which learns from others, includ-ing relevant experience in other cities andcountries around the world.

Planning is a joint activity. It involves all themajor stakeholders in a specific project. Insome cases, only a few stakeholders may beinvolved, as in the example below.

A small-scale example: If two disabilityNGOs and three social service agencies eachhave a single accessible vehicle and wish tocoordinate their services, they may decide toplan together to more efficiently use their vehi-cles to provide door-to-door services not onlyto the three agencies but also to other destina-tions. The vehicles might be able to operatewith more passengers per kilometer driven bypicking up each other’s members or clients,thus reducing costs and increasing the mobili-ty of the passengers. This type of joint plan-ning requires mutual trust between the differ-ent NGOs and agencies and would probablywork best if the vehicles were managed by justone of the NGOs or agencies or, alternatively,by a single business contracted by the five par-ticipating organizations.

A large-scale example: Often, planning is on alarger scale. Let us take the case of a typicalmajor city in South America or Asia which, inresponse to advocacy, desires to provideincreasing access to its bus and subway sys-

PLANNING ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT

Effective Planning

Who?

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tems. Here are some of the possible stakehold-ers:

1) Clearly, several disability advocates would beparticipants, representing, for example, thecity’s Center for Independent Living, othermajor disability NGOs, and a center for univer-sal design at a branch of the national universityin that city.

2) Different city departments (ministries) wouldalso need to be represented, including (if theyare organized this way)

• The Planning Department (if that is a sepa-rate agency)

• The Department of Transportation or otherministry or agency which concessions or reg-ulates private transport providers

• The Department of Public Works (whichoversees streets and sidewalks)

• The Traffic Police

• The Departments of Social Services and ofPublic Health (if there are such agencies)

Note the need for more than just the transporta-tion department to be represented. TheDepartment of Public Works is needed if it is incharge of construction and maintenance ofstreets and sidewalks, in order to make sure thatpassengers with disabilities can get to transitstops and that the transit stops themselves are

accessible. The Traffic Police are needed to helpkeep private cars and hawkers (vendors) fromblocking sidewalks and transit stops. Policealso need to promote the safety of women, dis-abled passengers, older persons, and everyoneelse for whom fear for personal safety may oth-erwise prevent them from using public trans-port. And the departments responsible forhealth and social services would have valuablesuggestions for key sites needing to be served assoon as possible by accessible transport.

3) The transport providers must be represented.Assuming the subway is run by a privateprovider (under a concession with the city), andthe bus system is run by many privateproviders in an association, representativesfrom the subway company and the bus associa-tion would be needed, and ideally from thelarger bus companies as well. (The same holdstrue for shared-ride taxi operators or other oper-ators of small vehicles.)

4) In addition, social service agencies may assistwith their participation, including hospitals,schools, and other agencies wishing to increasethe mobility of their clients, patients, or stu-dents.

These various stakeholders will probablydecide to meet, perhaps on a monthly basis, toplan for accessible transport. They may callthemselves an Accessible TransportationCommittee (Rio de Janeiro) or an AccessibleTransport Working Group (Mexico City) orsome other name. Their functions are similar.The head of the working group will vary. Insome cases this person may be an outstandingleader within the disability community and inother cases another “champion” of accessibility,perhaps from a government body, a social serv-ice agency, or a faith community.

A single person or agency should be designatedto coordinate or head up the planning process.This leader may be an accessibility “champion”or someone else in a key ministry or agencywho is tasked with the responsibility of improv-ing access for all.

Costa Rican planner at accessible transit workshop

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A case study

Mexico City: Municipal departments look to NGOs as theyplan a network of accessible transport and infrastructureOne of Latin America’s most respected advocacy agencies is Libre Acceso (Free Access), an NGO inMexico City. The founder of Libre Acceso coordinates an Accessible Transport Working Group (photobelow) involving municipal agencies such as the Department of Transport and Highways, theMetropolitan Transport System, the Department of Services and Construction, and, most recently, thePassenger Transport Network, with the collaboration of different social service agencies and non-gov-ernmental organizations.

The Working Group began with the evaluation of accessible public transportation and with an accessi-bility project for selected Metro (subway) stations. Two of the ten subway lines were selected, with accessfeatures added to four key outlying stations connected with a central station in downtown Mexico City.

Later, Libre Acceso became involved in curb ramp evaluation and design review. Currently, the WorkingGroup participates in a planning process to authorize more than 3,500 new curb ramps (beveled “curbcuts” to assist wheelchair users and others) on main avenues each year, taking care that they follow inter-national standards and prioritize accessible pedestrian routes to the five newly accessible Metro stations.Design guides have been published as well, to assist in performing accessibility audits of buildings andinfrastructure needing improvements. Libre Acceso points out that it is far less expensive to provide fullaccessibility to new construction than to modify old construction.

Twenty lift-equipped buses and four lift-equipped trolley buses were deployed several years ago alonghigh-use routes. More recently, fifty new buses were dedicated (photo bottom right), equipped with liftsand other accessibility features, serving five complementary bus routes which also connect with the orig-inal accessible routes and subway stations. The resulting integrated inter-modal network (pedestrianroutes, buses, trolley buses, and subway) illustrates the results of involving disabled people and all otherstakeholders in a planning process which maximizes impact in spite of severe budget constraints.

Libre Acceso’s influence is not limited to Mexico’s capital city. An office of disability affairs was formedin the executive branch of Mexico’s national government following the election of its new president. Thisoffice is headed by a disabled person and has other disabled persons including an architect on its staff.A strong advisory role is shared with Libre Acceso.

Based on a paper by Francisco Cisneros for a TRANSED conference (Warsaw, 2000). For information, go towww.libreacceso.org.

Accessible Transport Working Group Dedicating accessible buses in Mexico CityPhoto by María Eugenia Antúnez

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In Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico Cityand many other cities in Asia and LatinAmerica, a dedicated “champion” of accessi-ble transport has been the personal drivingforce behind the initial creation of accessibledoor-to-door or fixed route transport. These“champions” are successful because of theirability to involve other stakeholders inimplementing their vision.

Planning is part of a larger process to actuallyimplement the design and operating featureswhich make transport accessible. This sectiondescribes some actions to begin a planningprocess, then continues with steps to prepare awritten plan (in this case for accessible bus serv-ices), and concludes with a list of actions toimplement the plan.

These actions could also be used to plan accessto vans, shared-ride taxis, micros, or other smallvehicles when used on fixed routes.

While similar principles apply to the prepara-tion of a plan for door-to-door services aimedexclusively at persons with disabilities, the actu-al steps to prepare and implement a writtenplan would differ. For example, planning fordoor-to-door services may require less emphasison access to pedestrian infrastructure. Unlikefixed-route bus service, planning for door-to-door service should focus on carrying the opti-mal number of passengers with disabilities pervehicle trip in order to increase service whilelowering costs.

Remember that every situation is different.Some actions noted below may already havebeen taken and others may not be necessary.Other steps may have to be added to takeaccount of your specific situation and of thelevel of detail required to actually implementthe needed improvements.

Some steps to begin a planning process

• Listen and learn from disabled passengers.This is absolutely fundamental to making serv-ice design and operation user-friendly. If it isnot done, the service will suffer.

– Form an advisory committee of knowl-edgeable persons with different disabilities.Members of advisory committees should haveas much experience as possible in using publictransport so that their advice assists transportofficials and planners who may not otherwiseunderstand their problems. It is important forofficials not to assume they understand theircustomers’ problems.

– Seek input from the community. Considerorganizing community meetings, structuredfocus groups, and/or accessibility audits togather information on barriers to transport.

• Obtain the support of key persons, such aspublic officials and transport managers as wellas other key stakeholder agencies and NGOs.Seek written agreements where possible.

• If possible, designate and train people tocoordinate the planning and implementationprocess.

• Build cooperative relationships among gov-ernment agencies and ministries. Encouragethese officials to plan together to provide anaccessible travel chain between destinationsand transit stops as well as on board vehicles.

Effective Planning

How?

Some members of Rio’s Accessible TransportationCommittee Photo by Susan Rickert

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A case study

Rio de Janeiro: An independent living center helps implementa master plan to provide accessible pedestrian routesIn Rio de Janeiro, the urban revitalization process was initiated using the principles of uni-versal design. The “Rio City Project,” implemented by the municipal government in 1994,incorporated the demand for inclusive barrier-free design put forward by the IndependentLiving Center of Rio de Janeiro (CVI-Rio), an NGO which had gained expertise in this field.

The main thoroughfares in the city were chosen, including the most important streets in 14districts. A competition was held for architectural projects aimed at solving common neigh-borhood problems. This launched a rich experience of transforming a previously inaccessi-ble city. During the project, CVI-Rio supervised the implementation of inclusive designthrough weekly meetings, daily visits to construction sites, and drafting reports to the CityGovernment.

When the accessibility process was launched in the Rio City Project, the goal was to focus oninclusive design with all users in mind, regardless of their physical abilities, based on esti-mates that over half of the population did not fit the standard stereotyped individual forwhich most infrastructure has been designed around the world. Based on this principle,universal solutions included ramps at crosswalks which serve all pedestrians, as well asmore specialized solutions such as texture-coded footways to guide the visually impaired.

During the Rio City Project, CVI-Rio had to accept the limitations of adapting an existingcity. This is very different from working accessibility into a city’s original design. Even so,the project has become a benchmark for accessibility in Brazil, visited by professionals fromother areas of the country. Disabled people have begun moving to the city’s remodeledareas to live. However, no place that has been accessibly remodeled can be considered per-manently accessible. External factors interfere constantly and must be monitored. The suc-cess of pro-accessibility efforts thus depends directly on a commitment to maintenance, pub-licity, and monitoring.

An accessible infrastructure also increasesthe viability of accessible public trans-portation. Rio de Janeiro’s expandingMetro (subway) system is an example.CVI-Rio provided technical assistance to acommission formed to have oversightover access improvements in Rio’s sub-way stations. New access features includestair lifts for wheelchair users, which,while not representing universal designprinciples, do improve the mobility ofwheelchair users and others with mobilityconcerns.

Based on a study prepared by Veronica Camisão ofCVI-Rio with AEI for the World Bank.

Rio’s Independent Living Center uses shippingcontainers in its innovative and accessible head-quarters.

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Some steps to prepare a written plan

Once these preliminary steps are taken, begin toprepare a written municipal, regional, ornational plan to implement inclusive designand operating practices.

1. Review the current situation

Gather data concerning the current service,including the companies involved and theirvehicle fleets, the number of lines, number ofstops, the capacity of the buses and the demandfor capacity on each line. Gather data on anyaccess features already found on the bus fleet.Also, review the current accessibility of busstops and the pedestrian routes leading to thesestops.

2. Estimate the potential demand for serviceby passengers with disabilities

This is often best done through a survey of dis-abled persons in the community. The results ofa sample of users can then be extrapolated tomeasure the impact of inclusive design onincreased usage of the different bus lines. Thiscan be a difficult task when many disabled per-sons have been unable to ride buses due to bar-riers. An alternative approach is to plan acces-sible routes so that they will serve “trip genera-tors” such as residential areas, schools, andshopping centers. In the absence of markedconcentrations of persons with disabilities (suchas at rehabilitation centers), the most-usedroutes may also be the routes most favored bypassengers with disabilities.

3. Identify the bus lines which appear to meetthe greatest need within the disability com-munity

The data generated in step 2, above, shouldmake it possible to identify the preferred busroutes for introduction of accessible service.This step should be in cooperation with othergroups of passengers who would benefit fromgreater access, such as older persons or motherswith children.

4. Evaluate what needs to be done to makepedestrian routes more accessible to the busstops along the chosen lines

In some regions, these paths may be in goodcondition. In others there may be a need toremove trash, fill in holes, build curb ramps, etc.

5. Designate the phasing-in of more-accessi-ble buses in combination with the phasing-inof accessible bus stops

This step includes planning the phased-indeployment of more-accessible buses on linesserved by accessible pedestrian pathways.* Theplan should establish objectives for:

– Upgrading pedestrian paths with accessfeatures. (A sample wording: “By June 30,beveled curb ramps will be installed at theintersection of A Street and B Street adjacent tothe stop on Route number 3 at X school or hos-pital.”)

* Consideration could be given to phasing in one busline at a time with all buses accessible, rather thanmixing equipment on several lines, due to issues ofmarketing, reliability, scheduling, and maintenance.

Accessible bus prototype in BangkokPhoto by DPI-Thailand

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– Upgrading stops with access features. (Asample wording: “By June 30, bushes whichblock the stop at X school or hospital will beremoved so that the stop is two meters widefrom the curb or edge of the road.”)

– Introducing access features on vehicles. (Asample wording: “A policy of having bus driv-ers announce key stops for blind passengerswill be initiated in 30 days, while large-printdestination signs with good color contrast willbe introduced in 60 days.”)

– Determining levels of service (for exam-ple, “An accessible bus will stop every half hourat this stop.”)

– Identifying the geographical areas to be

served (for example, “Bus service will begin onRoute A on January 1 and Route B on June 1.”)

These objectives could also include determiningshort-term goals (for example, within 30 days),mid-term goals (for example, in one year), andlonger-term goals (for example, a decision toobtain low-floor buses during the replacementof an aging fleet of high-floor buses).

6. Complete the preparation of the plan

A policy section would note the regulations,guidelines, or other policies which the proposedplan will follow.

A financial component could note the fundingavailable and funding sources during given

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A city might phase in accessible services instages to make the transit system increasinglyinclusive for those with disabilities and for olderpassengers. One way to start is with “serviceroutes” using accessible ramp- or lift-equippedvans or small buses to connect key points as inthe diagram above. This has been done inPuebla, Mexico; Medellín, Colombia, andDurban, South Africa.

Another alternative would be to initiate accessibleservices on a major bus route, using low-floor buses(as in Hong Kong or Buenos Aires), or, preferably,building a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on aLatin American model, with high-capacity highfloor buses served by ramped platforms withbridges at all stops. Both approaches permit dis-abled persons to board without steps. This helpsincrease service capacity for all passengers.

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budget periods (for example, fiscal years) tofund specific improvements to bus stops and onboard vehicles. **

The action steps address the different matterspresented in step 5, above, and could alsoaddress:

– The procurement of new or replacementvehicles or a schedule for the phasing in ofaccess improvements to the current bus fleet

– Fleet management issues (garaging, safety,maintenance, etc.)

– Driver recruitment and training, and theongoing supervision of drivers

– Marketing to users

These action steps may include separate workplans to attach to the larger plan. Action stepsmay designate personnel to prepare a workplan, or assign people to do the work or to con-tract out for modifications, and to make sureschedules are kept. Work plans should alwaysinclude the actions required and the person oragency responsible. Where appropriate, fund-ing sources and amounts approved should alsobe included.

The success of an initial accessible high-capacitybus route may lead decision-makers to expand thesystem. This has happened with BRT systems inmajor Latin American cities. Such systems are nowfound in Curitiba, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador; andBogotá, Colombia; with planning going forward inLima, Peru, and San Salvador, El Salvador. OtherBRT systems are proposed for many LatinAmerican and Asian cities.

Accessible vans or taxis could provide another wel-come addition by providing door-to-door service,as is done in São Paulo, Brazil; Hong Kong, China;Cape Town, South Africa, and Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia. Ramped taxis would be especially usefulfor serving local airports or tourist attractions. Thiswould provide a valuable addition to a family ofservices which could include service routes andlow-floor or BRT buses. Diagrams by Nicolas Finck

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** Most access features on board vehicles (for example,high-contrast colors on railings and stairways, large-print destination signs, non-slip floors) are low-cost andoften can be absorbed from the regular budget. Someaccess improvements occur when new (for example,low-floor) vehicles are purchased. Other improvementsmay need special funding.

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7. Disseminate and get feedback on the plan

The different stakeholders will need to com-ment on the plan. Then modify the plan as nec-essary.

Actions to implement the plan

Here are some of the actions which could be ini-tiated to carry out the various components ofthe larger plan for accessible bus services:

• Carry out improvements to pedestrian path-ways and stops, in order to improve pedestrianaccess as defined by the plan.

• Procure accessible transport vehicles orimprove the current fleet of vehicles with low-cost access features. (These features are intro-duced in our guide, Mobility for All.)

• Deploy the accessible fleet of vehicles instages according to the plan.

• Carry out training and periodic retraining

– of drivers and fare collectors concerningaccessible operating practices.

– of maintenance personnel and other staff inkeeping accessible design features in goodorder.

– of managers, to ensure policies and proce-dures are friendly to disabled passengers.

• Promote regularly scheduled maintenanceof vehicles and of pedestrian routes to transitstops.

• Establish and monitor performance indica-tors to measure progress in training transit staff,providing safe and courteous service, and main-taining accessible features in good order. If pos-sible, provide a telephone number or othermethod for passengers to provide commenda-tions or complaints about their transport serv-ice.

• Promote the improved service among thepublic. This step could include travel training(individualized travel instruction) for personswith disabilities who have never before beenable to use public transport.

Go to the Resources section on pages 26-29 formore detailed material on the planning andimplementation of accessible transport.

Possible objections to a planning process:

“We all know the need is there, so why do weneed to go through this process?”

A major reason is the need to prioritize serviceso that the initial steps are as helpful as possibleto as many people as possible. Also, the impactof proposed changes needs to be measured inorder to help justify the process. Politicallyspeaking, the more concrete the facts which areused to justify accessible transport, the strongerthe case for positive change.

“This planning process is fine in theory, butour public transport is ‘too crowded’ for use bydisabled persons.”

Passengers with disabilities are capable ofdetermining for themselves if transport is toocrowded for them to safely use. For example, ifdisabled persons are involved in planning foraccess to a city bus system, it is because they areconvinced they can use that system even if it iscrowded, or because they intend to use the sys-tem at times and places where it may be lesscrowded. They face issues which also affectmany women, children, and older passengers.Disability NGOs around the world state thatdisabled passengers are generally no more“frail” than other passengers, in spite of theirdisabilities. They don’t want pity. They wanttransportation. Disabled persons unable to useregular public transport will advocate for door-to-door transport or community service routesto meet their needs.

“But what if government agencies do not exist,or they lack the capacity to plan and regulatepublic transportation?”

This is a difficult situation, of course, and isfaced by millions of persons. This may be thetime for local citizens – including citizens withdisabilities – to come together, organize them-selves, and demand better regulation and plan-

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ning of public transport. In some cases it maybe necessary for citizens to volunteer their laboror contribute funds to make pedestrian path-ways more accessible and to work with localtransport providers to encourage inclusivetransport serving as broad a range of passengersas possible (see photo on page 28). Even underthese difficult circumstances, there is a need toset goals and proceed in a step-by-step way toplan and implement actions to meet these goalsusing the general principles noted above.

———————

Improvements are made around the worldbecause people advocate for such improve-ments, make sure they understand what isneeded to make them happen, and then workwith other stakeholders to carry out plans in anorderly way to implement the needed improve-ments. Inclusive transportation which is acces-sible to disabled and other passengers is noexception. We hope you will join others in“making access happen” in your country.

Access Exchange International

gratefully acknowledges a donation by

to help underwrite the preparation ofthis Guide.

Unwin Safety Systems manufacturessafety equipment to provide comfortand security for both wheelchair andseated passengers during transport.Their fully tested range includeswheelchair securement systems, pas-senger seat belts, ramps, and domesticlifts. For further information, contact

Unwin Safety SystemsWillow House, Artillery RoadYeovil, Somerset BA22 8RP

EnglandTelephone (44) 1935-410920

Fax (44) 1935-410921E-mail: sales@unwin-safety.co.uk

Web: www.unwin-safety.com

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Curitiba, Brazil: A successful planningprocess

The success of Curitiba’s planning is widelyadmired. What makes it work? Here aresome elements:

• Public transit is part of a larger integratedurban planning program

• Curitiba has a “family of services,” includ-ing neighborhood buses, feeder routes,express routes, tourist buses, and specializedlift-equipped vans.

• A single fare for the entire system makes iteasier to transfer from one line to another andprovides an incentive not to drive private cars.

• Private transport companies are carefullyregulated by the municipality.

• Companies are paid per kilometer driven, notper passenger. This means less stress for driv-ers and far more courtesy toward passengers.

• Curitiba uses raised platforms at eachexpress bus stop. Passengers pay their fareswhen entering the enclosed platform andeveryone – including wheelchair users andother disabled persons – rapidly boards vialevel bridges between the vehicle and the plat-form.

• In summary, Curitiba exemplifies best prac-tices in universal design.

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During the past few years there has been a markedincrease in resources available to assist stakeholdersto advocate, plan, and implement accessible trans-portation around the world. The following selectedresources are annotated with key publications (initalics) which focus on accessible transport. An *means the entire publication can be downloadedfrom the web site. Other publications can beordered. These web sites usually contain many addi-tional features of interest. This is not a complete listand we apologize for omissions. Fax numbers andpostal addresses are also indicated for most sites.

ADVOCACY

A few representative agencies are mentioned, amongthe many fine advocacy organizations found in everycountry and region. Agencies cited have ongoingadvocacy for accessible transportation.

www.dpiap.orgDisabled Peoples’ International: Asia Pacific Office Promotes accessible transport and pedestrian ways inthe region.

Fax: (66-2) 984-1007E-mail: rdo@dpiap.orgPostal address:325 Bondstreet Road, Muangthong ThaniBangpood, PakkredNonthaburi 11120 Thailand

www.rumbos.org.arFundación Rumbos (in Spanish)Lo Urbano y lo Humano: Hábitat y Discapacidad. Thismulti-level introduction to the theory and practice ofinclusive design can be ordered from this site.

Fax: (54-11) 4706-2769Postal: Cabildo 2720 – 5 y 6 DBuenos Aires 1428 Argentina

www.handicap-international.orgHandicap International: South Asia Regional OfficePromotes accessible transport in south Asia

Fax: (91-11) 2465-8093E-mail: hisarorc@vsnl.netPostal: K-3 South Extension Part 1P.O. Box 3837, Andrews GanjNew Delhi 110 049 India

www.itdp.orgInstitute for Transportation and Development Policy.Advocates for sustainable transport policies includ-ing non-motorized transit and accessible bus rapidtransit.Publishes the periodical Sustainable Transport.

Fax: 1 (212) 629-8033Postal: 115 West 30th Street, Suite 1205New York, NY 10001USA

www.independentliving.orgInstitute on Independent Living (Sweden). Go tothis site to download English and Spanish versions ofMobility for All: Accessible Transportation Around theWorld,* AEI’s guide to making transportation accessi-ble for persons with disabilities and elders in coun-tries around the world.

www.iidisability.orgInter-American Institute on Disability (in English,Spanish, and Portuguese)

Fax: 1 (301) 838-3029Postal: 711 Brent Rd., Rockville, Maryland 20850USA

www.libreacceso.orgLibre Acceso (Mexico)Helpful information on accessibility audits inSpanish*

www.miusa.orgMobility International USA. Leadership training,international exchanges. MIUSA may be contacted toorderBuilding an Inclusive Development Community: A

Manual on Including People with Disabilities inInternational Development.

Fax: 1 (541) 343-6812Postal: P.O. Box 10767, Eugene, Oregon 97440USA

openword@sepia.ocn.ne.jpOpen World/SATHFor information on advocacy of accessible transportin southeast Asia, contact Walter Spillum

Fax: (81-4) 2644-9566Postal: 4-10-16-103 Myojin-choHachioji-shiTokyo 192-0046Japan

RESOURCES

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psreddy@rnd.bhel.co.inSociety for Equal Opportunities for Persons withDisabilitiesPromotes accessible transport in state of AndhraPradesh

Postal: 1-4-879/60, SBI Officers ColonyGandhi nagarHyderabad 500 080India

www.disabledpersonspenang.orgSociety of Disabled Persons of Penang. Chinese andMalay versions of AEI’s Mobility for All: AccessibleTransportation Around the World, may be ordered with-out charge from this source.

Fax: (60-4) 228-1058Postal: Kompleks Masyarakat PenyayangCO-19-GF Jalan Utama10450 PenangMalaysia

www.geocities.com/sustrannetSUSTRAN: The Sustainable Transport ActionNetwork for Asia and the Pacific Taking Steps: A Community Action Guide to People-Centred, Equitable and Sustainable Urban Transport* (inEnglish)See especially “What we can do,” pages 78-85.

PLANNING

www.ncsu.eduCenter for Universal Design (North Carolina StateUniversity)The Principles of Universal Design*

Fax: 1 (919) 515-3023Postal: Box 8613219 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, North Carolina 27695-8613USA

www.fta.dot.gov/ntl/planningFederal Transit Administration (USA)Planning Guidelines for Coordinated State and LocalSpecialized Transportation Services* A good list of plan-ning elements is found in Chapter 5.

www.rpd.esReal PatronatoGuía para la Redacción de un Plan Municipal deAccesibilidad (An excellent guide to the preparation of

a municipal access plan, with a chapter on trans-portation planning, in Spanish)

Fax: (34-1) 914-115-502Postal: Calle Serrano, 140Madrid 2Spain

www.tc.gc.ca/tdcTransportation Development Centre Publications on accessible transportation include:Making Transportation Accessible: A Canadian Planning

GuideAccess to Transport Systems and Services: An

International Review (in English and French ver-sions)

Improving Transportation Information: Design Guidelinesfor Making Travel Accessible

Fax: 1 (514) 283-7158Postal: 800 René Lévesque Blvd. W., Suite 600Montréal, Québec H3B 1X9Canada

www.vtpi.orgVictoria Transport Policy Institute Transport Demand Management Encyclopedia,* with sec-tions of special interest on universal design and TDMin developing countries.

Fax: 1 (250) 360-1560Postal: 1250 Rudlin StreetVictoria, BC V8V 3R7Canada

IMPLEMENTATION OF ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION, FACILITIES, AND

PEDESTRIAN WAYS

www.globalride-sf.orgAccess Exchange InternationalEnhanced Accessibility for People with Disabilities inUrban Areas* (inception report of an internationaltransport access project focusing on Africa, Asia, andLatin America, sponsored by the UK’s Departmentfor International Development)Mobility for All: Accessible Transportation Around theWorld (contact AEI for a complimentary printed copyin English or Spanish. See elsewhere in this sectionfor electronic and translated versions.)

Fax: 1 (415) 661-1543Postal: 112 San Pablo AvenueSan Francisco, California 94127USA

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www.trans.gov.ab.ca/Content/doctype369/produc-tion/pedaccdesigng.pdfAlberta Transportation and Utilities Design Guidelines for Pedestrian Accessibility,* includ-ing bus stop design diagrams

Fax: 1 (403) 427-0783Postal: 4999 – 98th AvenueEdmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3Canada

www.access-board.govAmericans with Disabilities ActADA Accessibility Guidelines* (pedestrian ways, facili-ties, transport vehicles) This is the standard USA reg-ulation.

Fax: 1 (202) 272-5447Postal: 1331 “F” Street, NW, Suite 1000Washington, DC 20004USA

www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/guiadd/aprod-dis.htmAPRODDIS (Asociación pro Desarrollo de laPersona con Discapacidad, in Spanish)Manual de Diseño de Lugares Accesibles* (an illustratedmanual on access audits and accessible design, inSpanish)

Fax: (51-1) 225-7945Postal: Calle 1, # 689Urb. Córpac, San IsidroLima 27Peru

www.coliac.cnt.frComité de liaison pour l’accessibilité des Transportset du Cadre Bati (COLIAC) (a primary resource inFrench)

E-mail: christiane.izel@cnt.frFax: (33-1) 5323-8580Postal: 34, Avenue Marceau75008 ParisFrance

cventer@csir.co.zaCSIR TransportekContact Dr. Christo Venter for reports on accessibletransport demonstration projects in southern Africaand India.

Fax: (27-12) 841-4054Postal: P.O. Box 395Pretoria 0001South Africa

www.mobility-unit.dft.gov.ukDepartment for Transportation: Mobility andInclusion Unit Publications from this major UKsource include:Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surface*Accessibility specifications for Rail, Bus, and Taxi vehicles*Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to

Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure*Fax: (44-207) 944-6102Postal: Zone 1/1876 Marsham StreetLondon SW1P 4DRUnited Kingdom

www.easrs.orgEnvironmental Access Advisory Service (HongKong)With helpful links to resources in Chinese andEnglish on accessible public transportation modes inHong Kong. This link is included as an interestingmodel for other cities.

www.oecd.org/CEM/pub/pubfree.htmEuropean Conference of Ministers of Transport Improving Transport for People with Mobility Handicaps:

A Guide to Good Practice (free of charge)Transport and Ageing of the Population

Fax: (33-1) 4524-9742Postal: 2, rue André Pascal75775 Paris, Cedex 16France

Villagers built their own accessible platform atthis site in rural Mexico Photo by David Werner

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www.unit.org.uyInstituto Uruguayo de Normas TécnicasDeveloping access norms for Latin America regionCurso básico sobre Accesibilidad al Medio Físico (inSpanish)

Fax: (598-2) 600-3572Postal: Coordinador, CT143 COPANTPlaza Independencia 81211100 MontevideoUruguay

www.iadb.org/pubInter-American Development BankTo order Facilitando o Transporte para Todos (inPortuguese, including a translation of AEI’s Mobilityfor All: Accessible Transportation Around the World), orto order Facilitando el Transporte para Todos (Spanishversion)

Fax: 1 (202) 623-1709Postal: IDB Bookstore1300 New York Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20577USA

www.icat-ciat.orgInternational Centre for Accessible Transportation(in English and French, promoting universally acces-sible transportation systems)

Fax: 1 (514) 396-3378Postal: 425, Viger Avenue West, Suite 520Montréal, Québec H2Z 1X2Canada

101326.2263@compuserve.comDr. C G B MitchellAdvice on best practices and standards, presentationsand workshops on accessible transport.

Fax: (44-1252) 815-920Postal: 17 Tavistock RoadFleet, Hampshire GU13 8EHUnited Kingdom

www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/designmUnited Nations Division for Social Policy andDevelopmentA Design Manual for a Barrier Free Environment*(English)

www.unescap.org/decadeUnited Nations Economic and Social Commissionfor the Asia Pacific Region Among several relevantpublications:

Promotion of Non-Handicapping Physical Environmentfor Disabled Persons: Guidelines*

Fax: (66-2) 288-1030Postal: Rajdamnern AvenueBangkok 10200Thailand

www.worldbank.org/spWorld Bank (go to “disability,” then “documents online,” then “World Bank documents,” then the iconsfor the respective documents)Mobility for the Disabled Poor* (prepared by AEI)Transport, Poverty, and Disability in Developing

Countries*

Publications concerning specific transport modes

www.dptac.gov.uk/pubs/smallbus2001Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee(UK)Accessibility Specifications for Small Buses designed to

carry 9 to 22 passengers (inclusive)*

www.cordis.lu/cost-transport/home.htmOffice of Official Publications of the EuropeanCommunity (Luxembourg)COST 322: Low Floor Buses*COST 335: Passengers’ Accessibility of Heavy Rail

Systems*

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIA-TIONS OF TRANSPORT PROVIDERS

(materials on accessible transportation are often available at these sites or their links)

www.apta.comAmerican Public Transportation Association

www.CommunityTransport.comCommunity Transport Association (UnitedKingdom)

www.ctaa.orgCommunity Transportation Association of America

www.uitp.comInternational Association of Public Transport(France)

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This guide is prepared and published by

Access Exchange International112 San Pablo Avenue

San Francisco, California 94127, USATelephone: 1 (415) 661-6355

Fax: 1 (415) 661-1543E-mail: globalride-sf@att.netWeb: www.globalride-sf.org

About AEI

Access Exchange International assists stakeholders in Asia, Africa, the Americas and elsewhere asthey promote, plan, and implement accessible bus, rail, and other transport for seniors and pas-sengers with disabilities. Assistance is provided through publications and the provision of intro-ductory or specialized workshops on all aspects of accessible transport. AEI also provides focusedconsultation and services to meet specific needs of stakeholders and development agencies con-cerning accessible transport in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Reproduction and translation of this document is encouraged. Please credit Access ExchangeInternational. Translators are encouraged to contact AEI for possible updates to contents.

Contact AEI for copies of this guide.

2/03

Access Exchange Internationalgratefully acknowledges donations to help underwrite this publication from

Health and Welfare MinistriesGeneral Board of Global Ministries

The United Methodist Church

475 Riverside Drive, Room 330New York, New York 10115, USA

Web: http://gbgm-umc.orgFax: 1 (212) 870-3624

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A P u b l i c a t i o n o fA P u b l i c a t i o n o fA c c e s sE x c h a n g eI n t e r n a t i o n a l

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