Research papers dating back to 2014 report on issues disabled people face when travelling by train, and nearly 10 years later, the same issues are still being reported[1]. There are over 16 million people in the UK alone who live with a sensory, cognitive, or physical impairment[2] and between them have around £274 billion pounds worth of spending power, yet when it comes to travelling by train, they have a 31% underspend compared to the rest of the nation[3]. The most common barriers reported include physical access, restrictive building layouts, inaccessible information and inflexible design of customer services that do not consider accessibility for a broad range of needs[4].
Data shows that 60% of people underestimate how many disabled people there actually are in the UK, this presents a problem for the rail industry because if a group is seen to be smaller than it is, trying to remove barriers can be seen as a niche concern[5]. In reality, there are other groups of people that face these issues too; people who are elderly, whose first language is not English and people who are technologically disadvantaged or excluded also report facing the same issues when travelling by train[6]. When the numbers of these different groups are combined, it transpires accessibility is not only a problem for the minority, but actually a large percentage of our society. Revealing that facilities that support these groups are no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity for the future of an inclusive rail environment.
There are a vast amount of different barriers reported by people who fall into these groups, but one they all encounter is the barrier to information.
Accurate, up-to-date information is arguably the most important tool when trying to get from one place to another and the longer this barrier remains active, the bigger the ripple effect it creates, generating more barriers throughout the rail journey. More and more investment is being made in accessible infrastructure such as lifts, wheelchair ramps, tactile paving, etc. however these features are not yet available at all stations and are sometimes out of use/unavailable due to maintenance works; 38% of people said that it wasn’t the lack of accessibility features that made them reluctant to travel by train, but the poor quality of information around what accessibility features were available at the station and destination station. Even when information was available in advance, it was reported that poor signage within stations prevented them from finding the correct platforms, lifts, and facilities. These on station barriers combined with barriers to accessing live information on-train, with 18% saying there was a lack of accurate, real-time updates, and 17% saying that updates were not communicated in accessible formats, resulting in people missing stops, and being unaware of platform changes, delays, and other vital updates[1] has caused passengers to have low travel confidence when using the railways.
Whilst new infrastructure cannot be implemented overnight, one thing that can be deployed quickly is the provision of information, clear, consistent, truly real-time information that will not only help people with impairments travel seamlessly but the wider public too. KeTech believe the right data, presented in the right way can be a powerful tool and if used correctly, can fill these gaps that exist. Collecting and processing data and turning it into contextual information in real-time isn’t a technology the rail industry needs to create. It exists and is available today, Operators such as Northern Rail, LNER, Avanti West Coast, Transport for Wales and many other UK Train Operators and their passengers are already benefitting from partnering with KeTech with access to consistent software updates/upgrades, meeting passenger needs as they evolve.
KeTech’s aim is to remove barriers to information through its ‘single source of the truth’ for everyone. A system that is not discriminatory and addresses the needs of everyone, not just the masses. We start with a single universal platform, to deliver consistent, clear, real-time journey information.
KeTech’s system ensures that up-to-date journey information and assistance is always available via any channel, and readily tailored for individual needs, whether via screens and PA, interactive totems, cameras, microphones, mobile apps and other technologies available either before travel, on stations and on trains. At the same time, additional data – perhaps relating to the availability and/or status of toilets, lifts, seating and multilingual information is also utilised in real-time to provide supplementary information that could be important to certain individuals while travelling by train.
There appears to be a major information and confidence gap preventing or deterring these groups of passengers from travelling, yet a lot of the barriers that exist can be removed through the use of intelligent information. At KeTech we believe all customers deserve to have confidence in the information provided on stations and on trains so they can be better informed about their journey, from start to finish.
Our approach ensures that future needs can always be addressed, whether through updates to system software, integration with accessible apps or hardware such as BSL screens, whether that’s on platform or on train. As customer expectations and legislation evolve, so do our systems in parallel to ensure we’re always delivering improvements for passengers and operators all over the UK.
References
[1] Pennick, K. (2023) Are we there yet? barriers to transport for disabled people in 2023, Transport for All. Available at: https://www.transportforall.org.uk/news/are-we-there-yet-barriers-to-transport-for-disabled-people-in-2023/ (Accessed: 26 February 2024).
[2] Kirk-Wade, E. (2023) UK disability statistics: Prevalence and life experiences, House of Commons Library. Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9602/#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20have%20a,24%25%20of%20the%20total%20population. (Accessed: 19 February 2024).
[3] The purple pound – why marketers need to know (2023) Purple Goat Agency. Available at: https://www.purplegoatagency.com/insights/purple-pound/#:~:text=Families%20of%20disabled%20people%20in,to%20over%20%C2%A316%20trillion. (Accessed: 20 February 2024).
[4] Department for Transport. (2019) Experiences of disabled rail passengers, GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/experiences-of-disabled-rail-passengers (Accessed: 26 February 2024).
[5] Scope (2023) Understanding disability in a Digital Society: TechShare pro 2020, Scope for business. Available at: https://business.scope.org.uk/article/accessibility-understanding-disability-in-a-digital-society#:~:text=Disabled%20people%20are%20over%2050,access%20devices%20and%20get%20online. (Accessed: 26 February 2024).
[6] Left behind Londoners: Digital Exclusion and … (2023) London Travel Watch. Available at: https://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Left-Behind-Londoners.pdf (Accessed: 20 February 2024).
