DRIVERS NOTICE No 232

Providing Information to Passengers on Rail Replacement

New Legislation has been implemented from the 1st October regarding information that must be given to passengers. From this date, passengers travelling on any vehicles under 5 years old on any local bus or train service, where they can board and alight within 15miles (as the crow flies), must be given:

  • An Audio announcement of the stop where they are, and also the next stop
  • A Visual announcement of the stop where they are, and also the next stop
  • Information about the route and the end destination
  • Information on diversions or significant delays
  • The vehicle be fitted with a hearing loop

Most of this information will be delivered automatically, as we have done on Service 21 for some time and we have fitted quite a number of these systems.

If the service doesn’t have stops within the 15 miles limit, it is exempt from these regulations. Emergency rail replacement journeys are also exempt regardless of the distance between stops.

We have an exemption to the fitting of this equipment, but we still have to provide the information both visually and audibly.

To comply with the requirements to provide this information on a vehicle without the equipment fitted the driver must,

  • display the current destination and also the next destination by holding up an A4 sign which we will provide for this purpose.
  • must announce the current and next stations whilst holding up the signage
  • must ensure that everyone has seen and heard this and don’t forget some people have disabilities that you can’t see.

If you have a pack of destination boards and this notice in your rail pack, you must follow these instructions above at each stop.