PASSENGERS' PUBLIC SERVICE * UK - The Silver Economy
* England - Technology used to help older people navigate
London,EN,UK -The Financial Times, by Jane Wild -November 3, 2014: -- “There is a steep slope to the pavement ahead, it would be easier to cross here,” said the bollard. Talking bollards that can detect your presence by sensing a signal from your phone are being developed to help older people get around... As with the bollards, much of the work done by the transport industry to serve the growing numbers of older people aims to help them get around comfortably. Bus passengers are offered a variety of cards that can be shown to a driver when boarding, keeping their request private. ‘Please speak slowly – I am hard of hearing’ one reads. Users can write in their destination so drivers can alert them to their stop... The scheme was brought in by FirstGroup in a partnership with the charity Age UK but proved so popular it was introduced across the industry... Bus and train manufacturers are also adapting. “We look at access issues in a very serious way, and it’s what has helped us triple the size of our business,” said Bill Simpson, group corporate affairs director at Alexander Dennis. The company, one of Britain’s biggest bus and coach manufacturers, designs the low floors on its buses with the elderly in mind. Two doors allow faster entry, while for those who are unsteady on their feet it has fixed extra handles to seats. Hooks on seat backs are designed for carrier bags full of shopping... Jonathan Bray, director of the Passenger Transport Executive, which represents transport authorities around the country, says this is an issue for the whole transport industry. “Often [older people] want to be seen just like everybody else and just want a decent service” ...
Labels: passengers' transport industry
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