A public transport advocate says there is room to improve disability access in Dunedin’s bus service.
New Zealand Disability Advisory Trust senior disability service navigator Nick Stoneman said Dunedin’s bus service was "good in some parts, dysfunctional in others".
There was work to do when it came to disability access, Mr Stoneman said.
He raised the issues after the Otago Regional Council flagged ongoing issues with pressure on services which had been exacerbated by half-price fares increasing demand and Covid-19 leading to driver shortages.
Mr Stoneman said Dunedin’s bus drivers were not yet fully trained to deal with disability issues and, while there was work being done in the space, the city’s drivers should be fully competent by now.
For instance, drivers needed to understand that they needed to come to the front of the stop to pick people up, rather than make them walk to the bus.
There were also problems with some of city’s bus stops being blocked or otherwise inaccessible to people with disabilities.
For instance, the design of the bus hub posed a problem for disability access because the buses were often not able to get into the stops properly, leaving huge gaps between the kerb and bus doors.
The park which was provided so bus drivers could change over safely tended to be used by members of the public which resulted in chaotic situations.
At stand A, the buses to Belleknowes and Logan Park often came at the same time meaning one often had to double park and let people off in the middle of the road, or move to another spot, Mr Stoneman said.
ORC transport manager Doug Rodgers said the council absolutely supported making public transport accessible for all.
It had recently met with Access Alliance to discuss kerb distances and a campaign to raise awareness for passengers as to how to ask for a bus to kneel was being developed, Mr Rodgers said.
Bus operators were also working with the council and vision impaired users to get accessibility training up and running.
The training had a very positive reception at the company where it was tried, and it was expected to be rolled out to the council’s other transport operator.
Issues around specific bus stops were raised from time to time and were jointly attended to with the Dunedin City Council.
The regional council recommended getting to stops five minutes before the bus was due as bus times could be affected by traffic conditions.
