Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is a global movement celebrated each July. It is an opportunity to celebrate the creativity, resilience and achievements of disabled people and challenge the barriers that still exist. 

Disability Pride is important to us at Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus as we are committed to making our buses as accessible as possible by listening to and learning from the lived experience of disabled people. We are the only bus company accredited by the Department for Transport as a level 3 Inclusive Transport Leader – the highest accolade possible. 

We are proud to work with a wide range of organisations and community partners, including Alzheimer’s Society, Mind, RNID, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Guide Dogs, Grace Eyre, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People, Possability People, and many others. Their knowledge helps us understand barriers more clearly and take practical steps to remove them. 

Our Helping Hand scheme is one example of this. Helping Hand cards hold a brief written instruction for the driver that can be shown upon boarding the bus. The driver is made aware of the customer's needs or requirements directly and discreetly without the customer having to verbally communicate it. This helps reduce barriers to travel and gives people greater confidence when making journeys. 

All our drivers and frontline colleagues receive disability awareness training and are trained as Level 1 My Sighted Guides. They are also all Dementia Friends, meaning they can provide more support and assistance to people living with, or affected by dementia. Our Travel Hubs are also part of the Safe Haven scheme, providing additional support and reassurance across the network.  

All our buses are low floor, with next stop audio and visual announcements and dementia-friendly flooring. Our newer buses also include two wheelchair bays and an onboard hearing loop system, with our new electric buses featuring dementia-friendly seating moquette, co-designed with Alzheimer’s Society Horsham. If a wheelchair user cannot board the bus for any reason, our wheelchair taxi guarantee provides the passenger with a free wheelchair accessible taxi so they can continue their journey. 

There is always more to do, and Disability Pride Month is an important reminder to keep removing barriers so everyone can travel with confidence, independence and dignity.