Full accessibility in public transport is still a long way off
Published: Friday, Nov 10th 2023, 10:20
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In Switzerland, full accessibility in public transport, which according to the law should be achieved by the end of this year, is still a long way off. For example, only 60 percent of train stations will be accessible to people with disabilities by the end of the year. For Inclusion Handicap, this is an affront.
In road-based public transport, around a third of the 23,000 bus and streetcar stops across Switzerland will comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act by the end of 2023. This was announced on Friday by the Swiss Association of Public Transport (VöV), the Swiss Association of Cities, the Swiss Association of Municipalities and others.
They say that much has been achieved in the fight for accessibility. For example, the rail companies have given priority to upgrading busy stations so that 80 percent of travelers benefit from the conversions. However, further improvements are necessary.
Public transport companies, cantons, cities and municipalities promise that by 2024, disabled people will be able to find alternative solutions at all stations and stops that have not yet been converted, for example thanks to assistance from staff or shuttle services. The costs for the latter will be borne by the owners of the stops.
SBB takes over coordination of shuttle services
From 2024, people with reduced mobility will be able to find out more about the accessibility of stops and the alternative or bridging solutions on offer via the online timetable. In addition, SBB's existing Contact Center Handicap will be "specifically expanded", the public transport operators, cantons and municipalities added.
This contact center will be made available to customers of all 89 participating transport companies as a point of contact. All passengers should be able to use public transport services without discrimination from 2024.
High costs, complicated procedures
The Disability Discrimination Act (BehiG) came into force on January 1, 2004. The owners of public transport vehicles and stops therefore had twenty years to implement it. VöV and the public authorities attribute the fact that this has not worked out completely to the high costs of structural adaptations.
The procedures are also often complicated, for example when a referendum is required for loans. And in some places, the topographical conditions are difficult. Furthermore, the railroads have had to rebuild more stations than originally planned.
Für Inclusion Handicap ein "Affront".
It is an "affront to people with disabilities", wrote Inclusion Handicap, the umbrella organization of disabled people's organizations, in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency, that after 20 years, over 500 train stations and two thirds of streetcar and bus stops have still not been converted to make them accessible to people with disabilities. Those affected feel the effects of this every day and are correspondingly frustrated.
Many public transport companies simply missed the deadline, especially in the first ten or fifteen years. Under pressure from the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO), the rail companies have now largely recognized the problem. On the other hand, there is hardly any sign of this development in public road transport, where the cantons, cities and municipalities are responsible.
Bridging measures are better than nothing. However, they are inferior, lengthen and complicate the journey and are no substitute for adjustments that comply with the Disability Discrimination Act. Inclusion Handicap is therefore calling for these measures to be used only to a limited extent and for public transport to be barrier-free by 2030 at the latest.
Various responsibilities
The rail infrastructure operators are responsible for implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in public transport for access and platform facilities at stations. The transport companies are responsible for vehicles and customer information.
Landowners are responsible for adapting bus and streetcar stops. According to the press release, most of the vehicles used in public transport today are designed to be accessible to the disabled.
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