Keywords
urban transport
public transportation
passengers with disabilities
How to Cite
Abstract
The aim of this article is to present the main barriers identified by people with disabilities when using urban public transport in the context of implementing sustainable development solutions. The main reason for undertaking the research was to answer the question of whether people with disabilities use sustainable means of transport and to identify barriers that hinder more sustainable behaviour. To this end, a CAWI survey was conducted among public transport passengers in Poland. The following hypotheses were adopted in the study: H 1: People with disabilities are statistically significantly more likely to rate public transport in a city or region as unsuitable for their needs than people without disabilities. H 2: Different forms of public transport create different barriers that limit the accessibility and comfort of persons with disabilities to varying degrees, and the type of barriers depends on the specific characteristics of the means of transport. In all forms of urban public transport surveyed (buses, streetcar and rail), persons with disabilities encounter at least three types of barriers, the occurrence and severity of which depend on the type of transport. The elimination of perceived barriers is a prerequisite for changing the transport behaviour and activity of persons with disabilities. Research has shown that there are barriers in public transport that are perceived by persons with disabilities, their carers and able-bodied persons alike. However, it is people with disabilities who experience these barriers to a greater extent. The barriers include the availability of adapted infrastructure (rolling stock and stations/stops) and the service and knowledge of the needs of this group of people by staff (employees). The results of the research are particularly important for transport operators and public transport organisers. The study makes an important contribution to discussions on sustainable transport by not only pinpointing the obstacles that people with disabilities face in using local public transport, but also by comparing these barriers across different modes of transport within the framework of sustainable urban mobility. Its innovative nature lies in demonstrating that, regardless of the specific means of transport, the same categories of barriers are identified – infrastructural, informational and those resulting from the attitudes and competences of staff.
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