Accessibility journey mapping public transport
As part of a broad program of work PTV had undertaken an extensive journey mapping exercise across all modes of public transport. However, the journey map was a bit light on around accessible needs. We enhanced it by working with the accessibility community. This involved, among other things, travelling the network in a blindfold with a cane and in a wheelchair, with a disability trainer as a guide; and running a workshop with 35 people from the community - with a mix of people with a disability, advocates and carers.
Some of the most interesting lessons from this project included:
- How do you modify your traditional CX workshop to cater for people with different needs? It actually takes some thinking - not just the tools and techniques you use, but how you keep everything fast paced and energetic when you have deaf people with interpreters, people who can't move around, people who can't see, and people with cognitive impairment all in a room together.
- Balancing what was already captured in the original journey mapping, and what was missing. There was actually an awful lot that we had already captured because so many needs are similar (ie. reliable access to information, safety and security etc). But there were a couple of critical things missing and true to the principles of universal design, they were things that will make it easier for everyone not just for those with accessible needs.
- How to integrate the accessibility needs back into the BAU journey maps and the Customer Experience Standards that had been developed at the same time - because we didn't want the outcome to be standalone, instead we wanted it to be incorporated into how PTV is considering the customer as a whole.
