Abstract
Transport enables the economic and social well-being of all members of society. It is therefore important to design and provide transportation that is usable by all people, irrespective of a person’s abilities or circumstances. Although transport should be regarded as a right for every citizen, this is not always true for people with disabilities, especially in developing countries, as they often face barriers in accessing transport.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the provision of transport services and the transport needs of people with disabilities in the City of Tshwane. Mixed-methods research, specifically an explanatory sequential design, was adopted in this study. The study was addressed from different perspectives, including the users of transport (people with disabilities), drivers, transport experts and observation audits.
The results revealed that the key issues concerning structural barriers are infrastructure design and maintenance. To a large extent, the design of infrastructure in the City of Tshwane does not comply with universal design principles and, in areas where there is compliance, there was a distinct lack of consistency. The key psychosocial barriers identified were related to fear of using public transport and drivers’ lack of awareness of passenger needs. The key factors concerning service quality barriers were lack of transport information, poor safety, lack of comfort, long waiting times for transport, and drivers’ attitudes. Most people with disabilities do not have sufficient income to cover travel expenses. Institutional barriers identified were poor implementation of policies and legislation.
The study provides an understanding with regard to the attitudes of transport providers and drivers towards people with disabilities. Based on the interviews with the transport experts, the study contributes by highlighting the gaps in existing policies and legislation. It further provides clarity on interventions in the transport infrastructure needs of different groups of people with disabilities by highlighting those that people with disabilities consider to be most important and could make the biggest difference in facilitating access to goods and services. The City of Tshwane is recommended to carry out periodic condition assessments on existing infrastructure. The barriers and experiences of people with disabilities established in this study could help improve policies and legislation regarding the provision of transport infrastructure and services. Further research could explore the opinions of transport practitioners on the
importance of the involvement of people with disabilities in planning and designing transport infrastructure and services.
Key words: Universally accessible transport, public transport, people with disabilities, transport barriers, universal design, accessibility.