Yarra Trams, PTV and Metro play ball, in a wheelchair, during Accessibility Week
Wednesday 3 December 2014
Yarra Trams and Metro will go head to head in a game of wheelchair basketball, as part of Yarra Trams' second annual Accessibility Week.
The event is part of a week of activities taking place to coincide with the International Day of People on Wednesday 3 December.
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) CEO Mark Wild, who will play as a guest in the match, commended the activities organised by Yarra Trams.
"I am firmly committed to, and extremely passionate about making public transport simple and easy to use throughout an entire journey," Mr Wild said.
"Accessible public transport in Victoria is vital to improving liveability and community participation, designed and shaped by travelling in the shoes of our customers.
"Yarra Trams' Accessibility Week, aimed at raising employee awareness of people on trams with special needs, clearly reflects this objective.
"PTV is committed to ongoing and effective collaboration with operators, partners and the community to deliver and accessible network that is integrated, safe and inclusive and a service Victorians value and choose to use," said Mr Wild.
The corporate wheelchair competition, organised by Disability Sports & Recreation (DSR) will take place between 11am and 1.45pm on Wednesday 3 December at Federation Square.
In addition to Yarra Trams, Metro and DSR, City of Melbourne, Victoria Police and Ronald McDonald House will all have teams in the competition.
Yarra Trams acting CEO Steven Roberts said the operator's vision for a fully accessible tram network in Melbourne includes building strong partnerships with a number of accessibility groups.
"Yarra Trams works closely with PTV to enhance the accessibility of the tram network and while there is still a long way to go, we are making progress," said Mr Roberts.
"More than 340 level access stops have been built in the last decade, while recent investments in technology mean that most low-floor trams have automatic 'next stop' announcements.
"The next generation E-Class trams are equipped with the latest accessibility features including dedicated wheelchair spaces with accessible intercom and a next stop request button within reach, designated accessible doors for mobility aid users, a platform gap reducer at each doorway and automatic passenger information announcements.
"Behind the fun at Federation Square today is a serious message that we all need to work together to ensure that everyone who wants to catch public transport is able to do so."
Other Accessibility Week activities include an accessible transport race simulating vision impairments, a 'try before you ride' event for passengers with special needs at Box Hill Interchange, and a series of mental health forums for Yarra Trams employees.
Anyone who would like to learn more about accessibility on Melbourne's tram network is invited to visit the Yarra Trams marquee at the Disability Sports and Recreation Festival at Federation Square on Wednesday 3 December between 10am and 3pm.
Yarra Trams accessibility facts
- 112 low-floor trams, plus 38 more E-Class trams on order
- 380 accessible tram stops
- Routes 96 and 109 fully serviced by low-floor trams
- Routes 5, 6, 8, 16, 19, 48 and 72 partially serviced by low-floor trams
- tramTRACKER shows low-floor tram icon to assist passengers
- Priority seats on all trams, identified by bright orange fabric
- Gap reducers on all low-floor trams to enable easier wheelchair and mobility scooter access
- Automatic next stop announcements on 76 trams