Three groundbreaking projects introduced to help people access public transport in the West Midlands won a prestigious award last night at the transport industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.
Centro, the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority, collected the honour in the ‘Accessibility’ category at the National Transport Awards for its bus hailer, the Getting Around Access Guide and its WorkWise scheme.
The judges were so impressed by the steps Centro has taken to improve access to public transport in the West Midlands that, for the first time in the history of the ceremony, they presented the award for all three projects rather than just one.
Centro fought off competition from nine other shortlisted candidates to win the award, which was presented by radio and television presenter Kate Silverton at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
Last year, Centro introduced the UK’s first ever specialised bus hailer, designed to make it easier for blind and partially sighted people to catch the bus.
It has been produced as a unique, high visibility A5 flip pad, which allows the user to easily flag down the exact bus they want to catch.
The Getting Around Access Guide was created by Centro to give disabled and elderly people or parents with pushchairs all the information they need to know on using the wide range of accessible public transport in the West Midlands.
It comes in a handy A5 size format, and also includes general up-to-date news and information on buses, coaches, trains and trams in the region as well as details of Ring & Ride services, taxis, and public transport tickets.
The well established WorkWise project, which is in operation in Birmingham, Solihull and Walsall, has helped thousands of the region’s jobseekers back into work by providing travel advice, journey plans and free public transport passes for interviews and in the first months of employment.
Last year Centro secured funding to continue the scheme for another three years in Solihull, while in Birmingham WorkWise saw its biggest expansion to date with an extra eight JobCentre Plus Centres offering the service in the city’s most deprived wards. In Walsall the project has also been succesful in securing funding from both the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Walsall MBC.
All three projects were recognised for giving people the confidence and support they need to overcome transport barriers and improve their independence and quality of life.
Cllr Gary Clarke, Chairman of Centro said: “Our priority is to put passengers first, so I am absolutely delighted that these fantastic projects have been recognised for the vital support they give to both individuals and local communities by improving their access to public transport.
“We have had a lot of positive feedback from the public on the contributions that these three schemes have made. Winning this award really is the icing on the cake.”
