Keolis

Adapted services

Services are generally provided on demand via a specific call centre, and the service costs no more than the price of a normal public transport ticket for the journey. In France the public service delegation can include a reduced mobility service, whereas elsewhere Keolis provides on-demand services in areas where it does not operate the bus network (such as Nice, Paris and the western Paris suburbs). In Sweden, Busslink's Tunabergs Taxis subsidiary has 91 minibuses and ambulances operating in three different regions.

On regular transport

Alongside adapted these adapted services, regular vehicles and stations or stops are increasingly adapted to cater for people with reduced mobility. Nearly 80% of Busslink's bus fleet in Sweden is equipped with low-level access or ramps designed for wheelchair access. In Canada, Orleans Express passengers can ask for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle at 48-hours notice for their long-distance travel.

Drivers are trained in defensive driving, which aims to make the journey as smooth as possible for all passengers and to just those in wheelchairs. Finally, customer-facing staff are trained to deal with and recognise the needs of the mobility-impaired: the notion goes beyond those with a physical handicap, as some people can have visual, hearing or other deficiencies on a permanent or temporary level. The British rail franchise Southern recently pioneered a Priority Seating Card which gives official recognition to all forms of reduced mobility, and a means of helping cardholders to assert their right to a priority seat.