Accessibility Week 2016
Thursday 1 December 2016
To coincide with the International Day of People with Disability on Saturday, 3 December, this week is Yarra Trams' Accessibility Week.
Yarra Trams works closely with the Victorian Government and our advocacy reference groups to enhance the accessibility of Melbourne's tram network. Our vision is to provide a network that is inclusive and accessible to everyone, including:
- People with mobility restriction (permanent or temporary)
- People with vision or hearing impairment
- People with cognitive disability
- Parents with young children
- Our aging population
Our vision for the future Melbourne tram network is an entirely accessible low-floor tram fleet, complemented by level access stops at specific points along every route.
- We currently have 145 low-floor trams in our fleet
- We now have 45 E-Class trams on our network, and a further 25 E-Class trams will be introduced by 2018 (about 30 per cent of our fleet will be low-floor)
- Routes 19, 96 and 109 are fully-serviced by low-floor trams
- Routes 5, 6, 8, 11, 16, 48, 72 and 86 are partially serviced by low-floor trams
We introduced E-Class trams on Route 86 during Accessibility Week, improving accessibility on one of Melbourne's busiest tram routes.
- Four E-Class trams arrived on Route 86 on Monday, 28 November
- E-Class trams are the first low-floor trams to run on Route 86
- Route 86 has 35 level access stops (about 50 per cent of the route)
- E-Class trams enable easier boarding and alighting, and provide improved on-board customer information
Accessibility Week main activities
Disability Sport and Recreation Festival 2016
Yarra Trams is participating in the Disability Sport and Recreation (DSR) Festival 2016 on Friday, 2 December. We'll be at stand 21 from 10am to 3pm. Yarra Trams Rivals will again participate in the wheelchair basketball challenge. Come and cheer us on from 11am to 1pm.
The DSR Festival is on Crown Riverwalk in Southbank. Catch a low-floor tram on Route 96 or 109 to level access stop 124A - Casino / MCEC.
Assisting passengers with accessibility needs
We are actively working with all our employees, particularly our drivers and customer service staff, to increase accessibility awareness. We are providing tips to better assist passengers with accessibility needs. We believe it's everyone's role to ensure our passengers have barrier-free access to our services, high quality customer service and the right information at the right time along their journey.
During accessibility week, we reinforce our commitment to think like passengers by encouraging our staff to provide feedback on the challenges they face and potential solutions they have to better assist our passengers.
For more information visit ptv.vic.gov.au or call 1800 800 007 6am - midnight (all night Friday & Saturday)