Catching the Electric Bus - workshop 26th May

If we stop and think about the different elements that make up a bus journey, there are lots of them. Planning the journey, getting to the bus stop, waiting at the bus stop, the journey on board, connecting with other services… you get the idea. 

In fact, during our journeys we encounter a complex collection of products, services, environments and experiences and we know that many people are disabled by the design of these different elements of travel, not just ‘inaccessible’ vehicles.  And yet we still design individual journey elements in isolation. So, as we move through the journey the rules change, the signs are different, unexpected things happen, things feel like they are inconsistent and could be more joined up. 

Many of us recalibrate, swerve the challenges and take the knocks, but many others aren’t able to do this. Many people are disabled and disadvantaged by different elements of different stages of the journey. If I can’t understand the timetable or walk safely to the bus stop or find a suitable toilet at the station, I might not be able to choose to use the bus even if I would like to. 

Changing our travel behaviours is one of the most effective climate-positive actions we can take so we need to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to choose to take part. As we respond to the climate emergency we need to recognise that transport is only part of our journey and decarbonising transport is only part of creating Net Zero travel. 

If we’re going to avoid creating low-emission transport networks that continue to disadvantage and disable people, we need to design journeys as an entire experience - journeys that have fewer impacts on people and the planet. If people can’t easily plan a lower emission journey, walk safely to the new transport hub or find a suitable toilet at the redesigned station, they still might not be able to choose to use the bus even if it is electric. 

How do we ensure that we redesign low carbon experiences, products, services and environments, that enable everyone to be able to choose to travel sustainably? 

We’ve been working with people who are disabled by current transport systems and learning about plans and designs for a low carbon world from service providers, innovators, designers and policy makers in related sectors. By applying our experiences of exclusion to these plans, we’ve imagined more inclusive versions of them.

We’re designing Inclusive Low Carbon Journeys.

By turning these informed imaginations' into stories we can create something that seems to have been missing - a vision of what low carbon journeys could and should look like, informed by real experience. 

We’ve started writing a story already.

By taking part in this process and using our stories, service providers, innovators, designers and policy makers and more can ensure that their designs for a low carbon world are made more inclusive. 

If you’d like to find out more about our Future Journeys process and imagine a more inclusive low carbon bus journey, join us on Thursday 26th May at 2pm for a one hour online “Catching the Electric Bus” workshop.

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