News about bus campaigning activity including details about meetings, events and announcements from around the UK.
Visit the Bus campaign - get involved page to find out how to get involved with campaigning for better bus services in your area.
Visit the Stop for me, Speak to me campaign report page to find out more about the campaign and download a copy of the report.
Bus campaigning in your area
A lot of the events and activities for the Bus campaign are happening localy with some fantasitc progress being made with local and national bus operators. Keep up to date with our regional news pages to find out more...
Nationwide highlights...
April and May 2013
Swap with me events happen throughout the country. Blind and partially sighted campaigners swap places with bus drivers so that they can both experience what it's like from the other side of the glass. Great progress is being made from all these events with Merton,. Manchester, Loughborough and Worcester hosting events to name a few.
12th April 2013 - Mystery shopping bus trips in Barnsley
Local campaigners undertook a number of independent mystery shopping trips across Barnsley. Their journeys on Stagecoach buses were observed by Stagecoach director Rupert Cox.
These trips highlighted a number of challenges that people with sight loss face whilst traveling independently. Rupert felt that the exercise was a positive one which he valued. He agreed to send out thank you letters to those drivers that delivered good service and raise concerns with those that did not.
10th April 2013 - Bus trip with Firstbus Director of Operations
Local resident Gail and Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind representative Patrick Slowe met with Ben Gilligan, Director of Operations at Firstbus. They undertook a number of journeys across the city on 8 individual buses.
The experience was largely positive with bus drivers being courteous and empathetic of Gails needs. Ben acknowledged that more could be done and offered resources to help blind and partially sighted travelers develop their confidence in Firstbus provision.
6th April 2013 - Bus trip with Stagecoach Operations Manager
Bill Skinner local campaigner from Hull met with Stagecoach operations manager David Lee-Kong. They travelled across Hull on Bill's normal route. Bill was able to explain to David the difficulties he faced when traveling on the route and identify possible solutions.
25 March 2013 - Meeting with Norfolk Council Travel Development Team
Emily Papaleo, Regional Campaigns Officer for East of England and Bernie Reddington, Norflk Volunteer Campaign Coordinator met with Norfolk Council's Travel Development Team on 25 March 2013. This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss RNIB's Bus Campaign and the accessibility of bus travel information in the area.
18 March 2013 - Meeting with Stagecoach Director for Lincolnshire
Tracy Dearing, Regional Campaigns Officer for Yorkshire and Humberside met with David Skepper, Stagecoach Director for Lincolnshire on 18 March 2013. Local campaigners also attended the meeting which was held at the Hull and East Riding Institute for the Blind (HERIB).
Stagecoach were very positive about reviewing their stopping practices and appeared to have recognised that they need to be improved. They explained that they were currently in the process of planning how they introduce a policy that would mean all buses would stop whenever drivers could see someone waiting at a bus stop. In addition to this they were very keen to hold a "Swap with me" event at Hull Interchange involving drivers, operation staff and local campaigners. It is hoped that this event will take place during deafblind awareness week in June.
22 February 2013 - Vince Cable joins campaigners for 'Swap with me' event in Twickenham
At the end of February blind and partially sighted residents from Richmond swapped places with bus drivers at Fulwell garage for a "Swap with Me" event.
The idea of the event was to give both drivers (who donned special glasses to simulate various eye conditions) and blind and partially sighted people a better understanding of some of the other's experiences. Campaigners took to the drivers seat to gauge how hard it is to hear through the screen and both groups agreed the event was a useful step in understanding the problems from the other's point of view.
It was fantastic to be joined on the day by Vincent Cable MP and London Assembly Member Cllr Stephen Knight and we're delighted that regular meetings will be set up between drivers and local visual impariment group, VISOR
21 February 2013 - Meeting with Stagecoach in Cambridge
Emily Papaleo, Regional Campaigns Officer for the East of England, Hugh Huddy, Campaigns Offficer for Inclusive Society and Volunteer Campaign Coordinator Maxine Turkington met with representatives of Stagecoach Bus in Cambridge on 21 February.
They met with Dorothy Hermiston, Deputy Training Manager and Zoe Paget, Cambridge Depot Manager, to discuss bus travel for blind and partially sighted people in Cambridge and RNIB's bus campaign.
Dorothy said that Stagecoach policy is for drivers to stop at every stop where a passenger is waiting, regardless of whether they are hailed. She called on campaigners to contact Stagecoach and let them know the time, date and bus route if this is not happening.
28 January 2013 - Meeting with East Yorkshire Motor Services
Tracy Dearing our Regional Campaigns Officer for Yorkshire and Humber met with East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) to introduce them to the headline findings of the RNIB national research 'Stop for me, speak to me'.
She also assisted local blind and partially sighted people to raise concerns about using local bus services. Local people attended the meeting along with the CEO from the local society (HERIB) and the manager of visual impaired charity (Visability).
The group discussed concerns, explored solutions and set out possible ways forward. Ways forward included: Enhanced disability awareness training, DVD project aimed at bus drivers, outlining the difficulties people with sight loss have using buses and a 'swap with me event'.
23 January 2013 - Meeting with First Bus in the South West
Tara Melton our Campaigns Officer for the South West met with First Bus. This meeting was to discuss the holding of 'Swap with me events' across the South West. It is hoped that the events will take place during April and May. Planning work will now commence and volunteer campaign coordinators will take the lead in working with First to put on the events.
First Bus and RNIB in the South West have worked together in past, in 2012 First met with blind and partially sighted people in Bristol and St Austell's to discuss buses and some of the difficulties faced by blind and partially sighted people.
22 January 2013 - Meeting with First Bus and Stagecoach directors in Yorkshire
Tracy Dearing our Regional Campaigns Officer for Yorkshire and Humberside met with the Yorkshire Operations Directors from First Bus and Stagecoach today at the offices of the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind. She presented the key recommendations that we have set out in our bus campaign report and plans were discussed for organising a 'Swap with me' event in the region.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for representatives from local groups in Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley to raise the concerns of blind and partially sighted residents about the safety and accessibility of bus services in their local areas.
11 December 2012 - Minister attends our first "Swap with me" event in Reading
Minister for Transport, Norman Baker, attended the first "Swap with Me" event, which took place at Reading bus station last December. The Minister is backing the campaign and his department is looking at ways of improving the accessibility of public transport which will be included in an Accessibility Action Plan. Reading Transport, which hosted this event, has also made a commitment to the campaign and carried out some work to make bus travel easier for customers with sight loss.