All aboard? Our new report on navigating bus travel with sight loss
A group of people wearing high-visibility vests are gathered at a bus depot near a bus. There are two guide dogs.
Buses are the most used form of public transport for blind and partially sighted people, and provide a vital service in getting to work, being able to attend healthcare appointments, complete education, and be part of communities. RNIB’s new #AllAboard report shows that particular barriers are making bus travel too challenging for many, and outlines the steps needed to make bus travel more accessible.
What you told us
The report, which is the first in a series on how people with sight loss get around, finds that while having the option of travelling by bus is ‘very important’ for 83 per cent, fewer than half of blind and partially sighted people can make all the journeys by bus that they want or need to,
Bus routes and stops are less detectable and reliable than those of trains or trams. There is little or no possibility of the assistance from staff that is available for rail travel. Added to these challenges are new trends in bus stop design, incorporating cycle tracks at bus stops.
RNIB’s Policy Lead Erik Matthies, who has sight loss, said:
“These new findings demonstrate that we need all the decision makers to play their part. With changes everywhere and plans to extend bus franchising in both England and Wales, now’s the time for local authorities and bus operators to act on the experiences of blind and partially sighted people, to make all buses accessible, reliable, and safe.”
Lucy Edwards, Broadcaster, disability activist, and content creator, said:
“With the right support from local and national governments, better design and awareness from bus companies, and just a little more understanding from our fellow passengers, we can make the bus a space that blind and partially sighted people can use confidently and comfortably.”
Improving bus travel
The report contains recommendations for comprehensive change from bus operators and local authorities that would make bus travel more accessible for people with sight loss. We’re calling on bus operators to:
- Improve driver training to ensure they understand how best to support blind and partially sighted passengers.
- Enhance bus design to include clear, accessible destination boards, consistent placement and colour contrast of card and travel pass readers, and a clearly highlighted payment gap.
We’re calling on local authorities to:
- Monitor and maintain pavement quality near bus stops, minimizing street obstacles.
- Improve lighting at bus stops.
- Enhance Passenger Information Displays (PIDs) at bus stops.
- Ensure free concessionary travel for blind and partially sighted people at all times of the day.
The Bus Services (No 2) Bill
The Bus Services (No 2) Bill, which will start making its way through the House of Commons shortly, has a number of aims, including improving the accessibility and safety of bus services.
One of the key issues highlighted by RNIB during the Bill’s earlier passage through the House of Lords was the design of bus stops that incorporate cycle tracks (known as bus stop bypasses / floating bus stops), which pose significant challenges for blind and partially sighted people as backed up by our report - 49 per cent of people with sight loss who have encountered these make fewer journeys to avoid inaccessible bus stop bypasses.
We want to see a suspension of these designs until a safe and accessible solution can be implemented. In addition, the UK Government should investigate the potential for a national rollout of tactile paving designs to make bus stops more easily identifiable.
Share the #AllAboard report with your local authority and bus operators
We’ve created simple template letters you can use to share the #AllAboard report and its recommendations with your local authority’s transport department and your local bus operators. These templates include space for personal experiences of bus travel:
- Download template letter for contacting your bus operator.
- Download template letter for contacting your local authority.
Thank you for taking part
This report on bus travel presents findings from an online survey conducted by RNIB in February 2025 which 1197 people responded to, as well as insights from focus groups with blind and partially sighted people. Thank you to everyone who took part. By sharing your experience of bus travel, you are helping RNIB demonstrate to decision makers what needs to change.
You also told us about how you get around by walking and on trains, so watch this space for further findings to come later in 2025.
In the meantime, for more information you can visit the ‘All aboard?’ page on the RNIB website to read the findings in full.
