On behalf of the German Federal Highway Research Institute (Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen BASt), we worked on the topic of accessibility in long-distance buses. The aim was to develop recommendations that support the legislation for a pan-European regulation on accessible long-distance bus travel.

The topic was addressed in two steps: First, we investigated conditions for and requirements of accessibility for different user groups (visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired, elderly, children, pregnant women, etc.). We researched current definitions of accessibility, standards and guidelines for barrier-free design of means of transport as well as their respective infrastructure, and developed a definition of accessibility for long-distance buses.

In the second step, we assessed the state of scientific knowledge and the identified needs in terms of practical feasibility. We developed specific recommendations for vehicle equipment, service and infrastructure (bus terminals, service stations, etc.) in order to support a rapid and, above all, expedient transfer of the results of our work into the discussion on the design of long-distance buses.

In the project, we worked closely with the Steuerungsgruppe Lastenheft. The Department of Railways and Railway Operations at the Technische Universität Berlin (Schienenfahrwege und Bahnbetrieb der Technischen Universität Berlin) also supported us with a presentation of the implementation of accessibility in the railroad sector and a corresponding examination of the transferability of these solutions to long-distance buses.