Many thanks to the frequent traveller Serena Cant for sharing this information with CI South West!
Deaf people are entitled to concessionary discounts on travel, both before and after being implanted with a CI, in the same way as anyone with other disabilities or impairments. Your entitlement does not change following implantation, because it is based on your level of hearing loss. Any documentary proof of eligibility required when applying, such as an audiogram, should demonstrate your unaided hearing loss (without CI or HA).
Deaf people are entitled to concessionary discounts on travel, both before and after being implanted with a CI, in the same way as anyone with other disabilities or impairments. Your entitlement does not change following implantation, because it is based on your level of hearing loss. Any documentary proof of eligibility required when applying, such as an audiogram, should demonstrate your unaided hearing loss (without CI or HA).
These travel discounts can be very useful to
reduce the cost of travelling for CI assessments, the operation, and
post-implant mappings - and of course to come to the regular CI South West
socials!
This page describes the three main
concessionary travel passes available in England and gives hints, tips and
links for getting the most out of public transport as a deaf traveller.
Rail:
What is the Disabled Person's Railcard?
The Disabled Persons' Railcard entitles you to ⅓
off rail travel when travelling alone, and when travelling with a companion,
that person can also travel for ⅓ off. The companion can be anyone and
does not need to be the same person every time - they can be your spouse/partner,
a friend or a colleague. However, if you travel with a companion on your
railcard you must travel together on both the outward and return journeys for
the railcard discount to apply to your tickets.
You must show your railcard when purchasing
tickets in person or tick the box for the railcard when purchasing online
tickets, and you must show your railcard and tickets together when checked by
the train manager.
How much does it cost?
£20 for one year or £54 for a three year railcard.
Who is it for?
The railcard is printed with all the different
internationally recognised disability symbols on it, so it's also useful for
showing proof of disability if required.
How do I apply?
What are the benefits compared to other
railcards?
Other concessionary cards are available, but
the Disabled Persons' card offers the best all-round value in terms of its
purchase price, flexibility, and benefits and does not require photo ID. All
other railcards cost £30 plus photo
ID: the Young Persons' and Senior Citizen's Railcards limit the
travel discount to the cardholder only, while the Two Together Railcard is similar in concept to the Disabled
Person's card, but is also priced at £30 and is less flexible: it restricts the
companion discount to one named companion only, for whom photo ID is also
required.
Hints and tips for rail travel:
Booking assistance:
Disabled and elderly travellers are entitled to
book assistance anywhere on the rail network to assist with difficulties in
travelling independently (e.g. hearing announcements, getting off at the right
station.) There is no extra charge for this service, but book at least 24 hours
in advance. You can reserve a priority access seat for yourself and a hearing
or other assistance dog, if you have one.
To request this service, the two main operators
in CI South West's region, Cross Country Trains and Great Western
Railway, have deaf-friendly contact details, which are as follows:
Cross
Country JourneyCare
can be contacted by a dedicated
textphone (minicom, qwertyphone, etc.) on 0344
811 0126 and by e-mail at journeycare@crosscountrytrains.co.uk
Both companies have published access policy statements on how they
look after their disabled customers, including deaf and hard of hearing
travellers:
At the station:
If you are travelling from or to an unfamiliar
station, it can be very helpful to familiarise yourself with the station in
advance as this makes travelling less stressful, especially if you are
dependent on the screens for information. It can also be very helpful if you
have other needs, such as vision or mobility impairments. Station maps and
other details are available via http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/
There are usually ‘all platform’ departure
screens near the entrance or on the concourse before reaching the platforms. On
the platform, there will be individual departure boards for that platform which
provide the same information as the announcements: time, platform number,
destinations, and delay (if any). Every platform should have at least one ‘all
platforms’ screen which will advertise any last minute platform changes.
The tannoy announcements are usually spoken by
different voices for different platforms, alternately male and female, to make
it easier to distinguish relevant announcements.
Platform staff are there to help and will
advise you if you are unsure whether to board a particular train.
On board
the train:
It can help to familiarise yourself with the
timetable, so that you know what time you are expected to arrive at your
destination station. Timetables are readily available from stations and online.
At the time of writing (March 2017) Great Western trains do not display
destination screens on board trains. Cross
Country trains display destination information on dot matrix screens at the
carriage ends and display the name of each stop on approaching. Some other
railway companies such as Abellio
Greater Anglia will also display the expected duration of any delays on the
carriage dot matrix screens where these have been installed on the train (but
they will not tell you the reason for the delay).
Ask the train manager when he or she comes
round, if you are unsure of anything, e.g. time of arrival or reason for delay,
if any. If you are travelling with a Disabled Persons’ Railcard, they may ask
you when they check your ticket if you need any extra assistance (whether you
have booked it or not). They are looking out for their disabled customers but
this question can take deaf people by surprise, so it does help to anticipate
their asking you this question to smooth conversations with the train manager.
If you have difficulty hearing announcements at
the platform or on board, the platform or on board screens are down, or in the
event of delay while travelling, one very useful website is Realtime Trains. Enter
in your departure or destination station for up-to-date information, which should
show the length of any delay on any service you search for.
In the event of serious delays on board, most
rail companies make real-time announcements and answer queries live via Twitter. It’s a very accessible medium
for deaf people to find out information on board. You can access and read
Twitter without having an account, but to ask questions an account is necessary
(it’s free to join up). Remember that you can only use up to 140 characters per
message.
Useful Twitter contacts are @crosscountryUK
and @GWRHelp.
When making enquiries let them know the details of the service you are on, e.g.
09.02 BPW-PAD
Getting
around London:
For day trips and longer stays in London, purchase an Oyster card at any Tube station and take your railcard to a Tube ticket office to register your railcard against the Oyster card to obtain ⅓ off Tube, DLR and National Rail fares within London for yourself or select the railcard option when purchasing an Oyster fare at a ticket machine.
Except for Off-Peak Day Travelcards Zones 1-6, when a companion can also travel for ⅓ off, no companion discounts are available in the Greater London area.
Travel by London bus, is, however, free for holders of local authority bus passes (see Bus section).
Coach:
What is the Disabled Coach Card?
The Disabled Coach Card entitles you to ⅓ off National Express coach journeys.
How much does it cost?
By post: £10 for one year + £2 postage;
In person at a National Express
office (usually at major bus stations): free
Who is it for?
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are entitled to
apply for a card. National Express' Code
of Practice for Disabled Travellers gives further details on
eligibility.
How do I apply?
Hints and tips for coach travel:
At the
bus or coach station:
Departure screens will display the time,
number, and bay to board your bus. Unlike buses, coaches do not usually have
on-board screens displaying destination information, so, when you board the
coach, let the driver know you are deaf if you are concerned about missing your
stop, as he or she will make sure you get off at the correct destination on
request.
The National Express website publishes
timetables for all routes with the names and locations of each stop: sometimes,
especially in smaller places, the coach stop may be at the roadside rather than
a bus station. Again, ask the driver to come and get you if you are unsure if a
particular stop is your stop.
You can follow the route of the coach and know
when your stop is approaching by using the live Coach
Tracker website, using your ticket number or coach
service number to identify your journey. This very helpful website
allows you to identify your destination independently and posts real-time
information, including any delays caused by roadworks or accidents, for
example.
Bus:
What is the Diamond Travelcard?
The Diamond
Card, also known as a Diamond Bus Pass or Disabled Buss Pass, is a national
scheme permitting free concessionary off-peak travel on buses anywhere in
England, usually after either 9am or 9.30am all day, with no restrictions at
weekends.
There are two versions of the Diamond Card, one
for senior citizens and one for disabled people below retirement age. It is a
national scheme, but is administered by local authorities.
The card is valid in your local area and in all
other English local authorities, including London. It is not valid in the other
home nations, with minor exceptions: for example, you may be able to travel for
free into Wales on a bus journey originating in England, but you will have to
pay for your return journey home from Wales (and vice versa for Welsh cards).
They are also not valid on some special bus
services, such as the Bristol Flyer airport bus from Temple Meads to Bristol Airport
or on coaches (to which the separate coach card applies). In some areas the
card may permit travel at peak hours at a reduced rate, but this concession
varies from authority to authority.
If you are deaf-blind, or have another
disability in addition to deafness which makes independent travel difficult or
impossible, some local authorities also permit you to apply for a concessionary
pass which also allows a companion to travel with you free of charge, but this
again varies from authority to authority.
How much does it cost?
Free (+ cost of photos)
How do I apply?
Apply through your local authority, who set the
criteria for who is eligible and which forms of documentation they will accept
as proof of eligibility within their catchment area.
Just as each local authority can vary the hours
during which the pass is valid in their area, they also set their own criteria
for eligibility, documentary proof, and application processes. Check with your
authority (list below) for full details.
For example, they may set a specific level of
hearing loss in dB to be eligible for a pass. For documentary proof of your
disability, they may request proof of registration with local social services,
a copy of your hearing aid book or an audiogram and report from a medical
professional such as your GP or audiologist. Some councils ask you to apply in
person, others have an online application process.
Links to application processes for local
authorities covered by CI South West's catchment area are listed below:
Hints and tips for bus travel:
Modern buses run by the major operators often
have display screens inside the bus, displaying stop information run at the
same time as the tannoy experiment, which is very useful in unfamiliar
locations.
If you are using a Diamond card, you can travel
anywhere in England for free, so you do not usually need to state your
destination on boarding, but it can help to tell the driver where you're going
and ask them to let you off at the correct stop if you're not familiar with the
route.
One of the major bus companies in CI South
West's catchment area is First, who have introduced cards with pre-printed
messages allowing you to discreetly show the driver your needs, without the
whole bus becoming aware of it, e.g. you can show that you are a lipreader so
that the bus driver faces you when speaking. These Safe Journey and Better
Journey cards can be downloaded from the First Bristol and West website.
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