Southern Vectis is marking Dementia Action Week – 13th to 19th May – by highlighting its commitment to making local bus services more accessible for some of its most vulnerable passengers.
Bus services across the Isle of Wight provide a vital lifeline for many of those living within the local community – giving them access a wide variety of shops, health services and other amenities.
Dedicated to making passengers’ journeys as comfortable and stress-free as possible
Southern Vectis head of communications, Nikki Honer, said,
“People living with dementia, in particular, rely on our services in order to carry out their everyday activities – but we know they have special requirements when travelling with us.
“Dementia Action Week is an excellent time to highlight the work we carry out to ensure our entire team is fully aware of the special requirements many of our customers have. My colleagues are dedicated to making those passengers’ journeys as comfortable and stress-free as possible.
“All our drivers are trained as ‘Dementia Friends’ as part of our ‘Accessible Travel for All’ course, delivered within colleagues’ initial training, and as part of our ongoing development curriculum.
“It is about ensuring all our customers receive excellent service, no matter what they are having to deal with elsewhere.
“With that in mind, we also ensure our new buses have light-coloured flooring, because we know many of those with dementia fear darker spaces.
“We hope our dementia friendly ethos helps ensure our services across the Island are accessible to all.”
News shared by Paula on behalf of Southern Vectis. Ed
