Graded wheelchair ramps, textured handrails and audio and visual messaging on the buses are some of the features incorporated into Rea Vaya to make it more accessible to people with disabilities.

Rea Vaya buses have space for wheelchair users

TO mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Rea Vaya arranged a tour of its facilities to show what accessibility there was for people with special needs.

The tour, on 8 December, enabled the national Department of Transport; the Department of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities; and the Gauteng Commuter Organisation, among others, the opportunity to see what Rea Vaya had done to make the bus service accessible to people with special needs.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is on 3 December.

On hand at the start of the tour was Vuyiswa Voyi, the manager of the BRT project at the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), who explained the special features at the stations. She also said a mini portable ramp was in the pipeline, which would be used for wheelchair-bound passengers boarding and leaving the bus.

There is a small gap between the station and the bus, and the portable ramp will cut any risk this gap carries for passengers getting on or off a bus.

The JDA was involved in constructing the Rea Vaya stations.

Following Voyi’s presentation, there was a tour of the Rea Vaya control room. This high-tech facility monitors the buses and stations, ensuring Rea Vaya matches world-class standards, and that buses run on time.

From there, it was a trip on a Rea Vaya bus to Westgate Station in the inner city, where the group was able to witness first-hand what they had heard about in the presentation.

In designing the eye-catching stations, which have ventilated roofs, engraved artworks, pre-boarding automated ticketing systems and wheelchair friendly access, among other features, the City wanted to ensure easy travel for disabled people.

STATION DESIGN

Jonathan Manning, the principal architect at Ikemeleng Architects, which designed the stations, noted that the structure needed to offer commuters an adequate level of comfort, safety and security. This included the location of each station, the raised platforms as well as ramps leading up to the stations.

A lift onto a bus

The ramps are graded, with a level area part way along the incline to give commuters a break.

Other features include handrails on either side of the ramps as well as rest rails at the stations. The window height of the ticketing booth is lower to accommodate people in wheelchairs and the booths have also been designed so that there is enough space to allow people in wheelchairs to work there.

For visually impaired commuters, the ramps have lights on either sides and specific colours are used inside the station; for example, there are yellow blocks at the areas where the bus doors will open for boarding.

Each station also has an electronic variable message system in different languages for the hearing impaired. Complementary buses can accommodate at least one wheelchair and have a kerbside lift, while each articulated bus, which has level boarding, can cater for two wheelchairs. Complementary buses also have grab rails and lower stairs on the kerbside, making for easy access.

Luminous floor strips and textured handrails help guide the visually impaired to the seats and exits. Visual and audio communication systems are used on the buses, and there are push buttons so that less mobile passengers can alert the driver if they need more time to get off the bus.

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