Disabled people’s association criticizes: soon there will be illegal conditions in public transport

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

The accessibility of public transport (ÖV) in Switzerland still shows major shortcomings, Inclusion Handicap criticized at a media conference in Bern on Thursday. The Disability Equality Act, introduced in 2004, aimed to make public transport freely accessible to people with disabilities within 20 years.

By the end of 2023, shortly before the deadline, more than 500 train stations and two-thirds of all bus and tram stops would still not meet these requirements, it was said. From January 1, 2024, there will be an unlawful situation in many places. A new social consensus is therefore needed for the coming years.

Someone has to take the lead

In the transport sector, there is still no coordinated overall concept between the responsible actors to guarantee barrier-free public transport, the report said. Public transport companies, but also authorities at municipal, cantonal and federal level are called upon.

Four to five years ago, the dynamics in the field of rail transport began to be implemented, but only after the Federal Audit Office put pressure on the Federal Office for Transport (BAV) did the umbrella organization move forward. With public transport the situation is even worse. There is a lack of a committee throughout Switzerland that takes the lead and defines, decides, coordinates and monitors binding implementation measures.

People with disabilities were not given the necessary priority

The illegal situation is an unacceptable situation that clearly shows that the interests of people with disabilities are not given the necessary priority, according to Inclusion Handicap. New measures are needed as part of a revision of the Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act (BehiG) to meet the legal requirements of people with physical disabilities.

Inclusion Handicap therefore calls for a new legal deadline for the implementation of BehiG, no later than 2030, with binding interim targets. In the field of rail transport, the BAV must take responsibility, and in the field of local transport, cantons and municipalities must be made more responsible. Moreover, the BAV’s austerity measures endanger the implementation of the BehiG. Only if the Federal Council increases the planned resources can solid and earmarked financing be guaranteed.

Inclusion Handicap is the united voice of the approximately 1.7 million people with disabilities in Switzerland. The political umbrella organization of organizations for people with disabilities is committed to inclusion and respect for the rights and dignity of all people with disabilities. (SDA)

Source:Blick