Accessibility for All in Public Transport and the Overlooked (Social) Dimension—A Case Study of Stockholm

Abstract

Sweden was early to develop legislation related to accessible public transport for disabled people in 1979 and can therefore be seen as a forerunner. However, recent findings reveal widespread barriers in the Swedish public transport system and large variations between different parts of the country. This paper draws on empirical material consisting of complaints regarding accessibility left by travellers in Stockholm to a local transit company and aims to provide an overview of the character of complaints and to identify common themes through a qualitative content analysis. The results show that the most commonly reported challenge relates to boarding or getting off the vehicles, where the drivers are mostly described as the underlying reason for those difficulties. The narratives describe how some drivers misuse (or do not use) the accessibility equipment or show an abusive or attitudinal behaviour. The results support the body of literature on the meaning of continuous work with accessibility issues in public transport. Varying views on disability may have had a substantial impact on the development of our societies and on how the issues of accessibility in the public transport system have been prioritised or handled. Thus, this study highlights existing social barriers and variations in individual capacities as important factors that influence the experiences of public transport users. The study recommends an increased focus on educating drivers and staff about how to accommodate different groups of travellers. The study also recommends that transport providers consider drivers’ working conditions (i.e., with the consideration of timetables and high time-pressure). Further research on how well accessibility adaptations in public transport actually work and how the users perceive them is necessary.

Accessibility Denied. Understanding Inaccessibility and Everyday Resistance to Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities

“…The empirical material for this chapter comprises the 389 passenger complaints concerning accessibility on buses received by SL for the period between January and October 2018. The complaints, which are publicly available, are divided by SL into the following categories: 'kneeling the bus/closeness to the kerb/ramp'; 'elevator/escalator availability'; 'escort service'; 'timetables'; and 'other' (for an overview of the complete material, see Stjernborg, 2019).…”

“…As Vanessa Stjernborg describes in her chapter in this book, such feelings of insecurity often exist among people living with disabilities (cf. Stjernborg, 2019;Trafikanalys 2019;, although, of course, not everyone has these experiences. Using public transport is not uncomplicated; it is related to different prior experiences of what we could call a failure in using buses or trains.…”

Algild hönnun: Leiðarljós að jafnræði og tækifærum til samfélagsþátttöku

“…Í verstu tilvikunum fann það fyrir hraeðslu, niðurlaegingu, stimplun og jaðarsetningu. Eins eru mörg daemi um að hugsunar-og þekkingarleysi torveldi fólki að komast um, jafnvel þótt efnislegt aðgengi sé í lagi, svo sem þegar skilti eru sett við skábrautir (Sigrún Kristín Jónasdóttir o.fl., 2018), blómakeri komið fyrir í bílastaeði aetluðu fötluðu fólki (Blómaker í bílastaeði, 2021) eða bílstjórar straetisvagna stoppa ekki nógu nálaegt gangstéttarbrún eða nota ekki búnað á réttan hátt til að straetó sé aðgengilegur (Stjernborg, 2019). Framhaldsskólanemi sem tók þátt í BS-rannsókn Sigrúnar og félaga (Guðrún Heiða Kristjánsdóttir o.fl., 2008) lýsti því þegar hann þurfti óvaent að fara á eigin bifreið í vettvangsferð:…”

Ulaşımdaki Türel Dağılımın Kamusal Alanlara Erişimdeki Etkisi

“…İkinci olarak, ulaşım türü seçiminde önemli bir etkisi olan türel entegrasyon (Knupter vd., 2018) kullanıcıların toplumun bir parçası olabilmesi, kolaylıkla kamusal alanlara ulaşabilmesi için gereken araç ve teknolojilerini içeren bir parametredir (Stjernborg, 2019). Günümüzde teknolojik gelişmelerle birlikte, ulaşımda kullanılan araçlar da çeşitlenmiştir.…”