Getting off at the right bus stop is like “playing a game of chance”, says guide dog owner Linda, about her experiences navigating the bus network without sight.
Conor Burns MP got a chance to experience for himself why people with sight loss need audio-visual announcements (AV) on buses, through playing a memory game, at the Conservative Party conference last month.
AV is essential for people with sight loss to live independently and, without AV, bus passengers with sight loss have to ask the driver to remember to tell them when they have reached their stop.
Finding out more about Guide Dogs’ work, the MP for Bournemouth West heard that 7 in 10 bus passengers with sight loss have been forgotten by a bus driver. For a sighted person, missing a stop is an annoyance, but for someone with sight loss, it is distressing and potentially dangerous.
Commenting, Conor Burns said: “I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Guide Dogs at conference and find out more about the challenges that blind and partially-sighted people face in their day to day lives. I am happy to support their call for the installation of AV on all new buses, to give the opportunities for living independently to those with sight-loss that many of us take for granted.”
James White, Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs commented: “Guide dogs do fantastic work getting people out and about safely, but the lack of AV acts as a real barrier to their independence. That’s why we’re urging politicians like Conor Burns MP to call for the installation of AV on all new buses, something which is cheap to do.”
AV doesn’t just help people with sight loss – tourists, older people and infrequent bus users all find AV useful. Guide Dogs released their Destination Unknown report this September showing that nearly half of survey respondents would use the bus more frequently if it had AV.