Partnership gives vision-impaired passengers a voice in bus accessibility

The initiative took place outside the Guildhall in Portsmouth, where members of Open Sight – a charity dedicated to enhancing the lives of those living with, or at risk of, sight loss – were invited to board a Stagecoach bus, explore its features, and discuss accessibility improvements directly with the Stagecoach South team.

The event aimed to build confidence among those with visual impairments when using public transport and to help Stagecoach better understand how to make bus travel as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Rob Vince, Business Development Manager at Stagecoach South, said: “We’re committed to ensuring our services are accessible to everyone. This event gave us a valuable opportunity to hear directly from people with vision impairments about their experiences and how we can make improvements that truly make a difference.”

Cllr Peter Candlish, Cabinet Member for Transport at Portsmouth City Council, said: "We're proud to have been involved in this event, as part of our work to make public transport in the city more accessible for everyone. The event was a great opportunity for people with visual impairments to get hands-on experience of local buses and bus stops, as well as share their feedback directly with Stagecoach. We hope that this event helped increase their confidence in using the bus in Portsmouth."

Stagecoach South continues to work closely with local groups and accessibility advocates to improve the travel experience for all passengers.