Under the slogan “On the bus and metro, give absolute priority to those who need it”, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, TMB, the Barcelona City Council and the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities, IMPD, launched a campaign to demand the priority of reserved spaces for those who need it.
The campaign started last week on the subway and bus networks to raise awareness among users through real testimonials, that priority should be given to people with disabilities or other special conditions.
Priority of spaces reserved for people who need them
The campaign shows three concrete testimonials:
- Andrés Hinarejos, a person with a spinal cord injury who asks the reader: “If you occupy the space for a wheelchair, where do I stand?
- Lorena Blanco, who has a prosthetic tibia, reminds the reader: “You want to sit down. I need to sit down. Respect the reserved seats.
- Javier Rojano with a knee prosthesis explains: “You can take the stairs. I need the elevator.
The campaign aims to promote the civic use of TMB’s reserved spaces and seats as well as priority in elevators and to raise awareness of the importance of respecting these reserved spaces for people who need them due to their health conditions.
It also wants to give visibility to people with reduced mobility and other disabilities that may not even be visible.
For her part, Laia Bonet, president of TMB, recalled that public transport belongs to everyone and that in TMB accessibility for people with reduced mobility is a priority.
Direct and forceful message for absolute priority to be given
TMB’s campaign is precise, clear and forceful in the message it conveys. It seeks “absolute priority” in reserved spaces, elevators and preferential seating.
The campaign can be seen on the TMB channels of the metro and bus networks of the Catalan capital, both in digital formats and in the facilities themselves, as well as on some digital channels of the City Council and on municipal bulletin boards in some districts.
And in fact accessibility management at TMB has always been a priority.
It has succeeded in integrating technology and innovation to adapt buses and subways for the usability of people with disabilities.
In fact, since 2007 the TMB bus network has been equipped to transport people with disabilities and reduced mobility.
They are equipped with ramps, areas reserved for wheelchair users, preferential seating, low and non-slip platform, among other tools.
They also have Braille buttons for the visually impaired, as well as a visual and acoustic information system inside the vehicles for people with sensory disabilities.
