Call for bus technology changes to help blind

Guide Dogs said “forgetful” bus drivers were failing to tell blind and partially sighted commuters when they reached their required destination, leaving them vulnerable and often stranded.

Meanwhile, just under a third of drivers (29 per cent) point-blankly refuse to alert them to when to get off, the charity added

The organisation, which compiled the statistics after surveying nearly 300 blind and partially sighted people, is lobbying the Government to change the law so that all new buses are required to have audio-visual technology fitted to help the visually impaired.

So far the technology has only been introduced in Nottinghamshire and Greater London.

David Cowdrey, who is leading the charity’s campaign, said: “It doesn’t matter to us whether the audio-visual information comes through state-of-the-art sound systems and LCD televisions, or the driver simply announces the next stop and holds up a sign. We believe it should be easy for everyone to know where they are along a bus route. Some of the stories that survey respondents told us were awful, including one lady who was almost locked in a bus in a depot for the night because the driver forgot she was there.”

He added: “People are ending up lost or left in potentially dangerous situations because they can’t get the information they need about their bus journeys.”

Nurse Andy Parkinson, 38, who lost his sight 10 years ago, spends around three hours each day commuting on public transport.

He said: “Without audio announcements on buses, blind and visually impaired commuters are being left behind. Something has to change.”