Since June 2022, we have been holding monthly meetings with participants in our Pécs office. We wanted to start this cooperation by looking more closely at the issue of transport accessibility. It became clear that passenger information systems were often out of order or not doing their job. Difficulty in obtaining information limits transport for people with disabilities, especially people with visual and hearing impairments, and people with autism.
Together with five other organisations, we wrote a letter to the Tüke Busz Zrt. in the spring of 2023, outlining the problem and suggesting further improvements.
We discussed the issues raised in our letter in a face-to-face meeting with Tibor Skutnik, the managing director of Tüke Busz Zrt., in June. The meeting had a positive atmosphere, with opportunities for an in-depth discussion of the difficulties, and for a mutual understanding of the arguments.
Regarding the loudspeakers and displays, it was agreed that they should be in a good working order, with the aim of providing passengers with appropriate information. Therefore, Tüke Busz Zrt. will adjust the volume of the loudspeakers if necessary, and review what information is shown on the displays.
It was agreed that if new buses were to be purchased, non-governmental organisations for people with disabilities would be contacted before launching the tender.
The managing director was also open to allowing the new buses to be tested before putting them into service.
The organisation that participated in the meeting was overwhelmingly positive about the openness of Tüke Busz Zrt. and its managing director to the problems. We hope that the meeting will make public transport in Pécs even more accessible to passengers with disabilities.
We believe that the power of communities is essential in advocacy, and we will continue to work with the members of the advocacy platform to find solutions to local problems together, public transport-related or otherwise.