Public transport accessibility

MEPs approve Accessibility Act, ready for talks in Council

The European Parliament approved on Thursday 14 (September) the proposed European Accessibility Act, a major piece of legislation meant to make life easier for the elderly and people with disabilities, adding that it is ready for potentially tough member states negotiations.

Løkkegaard: Amended Accessibility Act should pass in Parliament

The European Accessibility Act – a landmark piece of legislation for Europe's 80 million people with disabilities – goes to the European Parliament's for a plenary vote on Wednesday (13 September) after lengthy and sometimes heated debates.

Digital and accessible, Tallinn’s public transport aims for more

The European Accessibility Act -- a landmark set of rules meant to facilitate the lives of the elderly and people with disabilities -- is going to the Parliament's plenary next week. A lot of focus has been placed on public transport and ways to make it more accessible.

Vers un label européen pour l’accessibilité des transports aux personnes handicapées

Les législations sur les transports, les règles d’accessibilité, la qualité des équipements et des infrastructures, les modes de financement de la mobilité diffèrent assez largement d’un pays à l’autre de l’Europe et les situations des personnes handicapées à l’égard des transports sont contrastées.

21st century public transport: People with disabilities face discrimination

The European Accessibility Act, the proposed law that would make products and services in the EU more accessible for persons with disabilities, is a unique opportunity for Europe, writes Catherine Naughton.

Vienna shows local solutions can improve public transport accessibility

Improving the accessibilty of public transport is also about taking due account of efficient local solutions, write Wiener Linien and the Austrian Association in Support of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Accessibility of public transport services in Prague

Prague's transport system has to deal with a vast number of people every day, including those with special needs. It is a big challenge for the Prague Public Transit Company.

Public transport bosses: EU Accessibility Act focuses too much on ticket machines

With the passage of the EU Accessibility Act this month, EURACTIV.com spoke to the public transport bodies of London, Vienna and Paris to see what progressive solutions for disabled passengers are already underway – and what dangers may lurk in the proposed act.

Disabled groups’ dismay at Parliament vote on accessibility

Disability groups have expressed dismay at this week’s vote in the European Parliament on the proposed EU Accessibility Act, saying it risks making the act “meaningless for millions of people.”

Germans ready to ditch cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes

German motorists are ready, in theory at least, to abandon their cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes, according to a new study. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

Airlines failing to accommodate passengers in need of oxygen treatment

Airlines are unfairly discriminating against passengers that need to bring portable oxygen tanks with them on their flights. Susanna Palkonen explains the obstacles many people face.

Battle hots up over details of Accessibilty Act for passengers with disabilities

Last week dozens of people with disabilities demonstrated outside the European Parliament in the hope that MEPs will honour promises they saw in a landmark new accessibility act.

Lisbon, Malmö and Skopje announced as sustainable mobility city finalists

Cities from Portugal, Sweden and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have made it through to become finalists for the European Mobility Award 2016.

Czech MEP: Europe needs harmonised standards for smart cities

According to Dita Charanzová, smart cities are about bettering the lives of Europe's citizens. They'll not only improve urban life but the environment too, she told Euractiv.com

ECR candidate: EU needs dynamic debate and to officially recognise sign language

Belgian MEP Helga Stevens, who is the ECR group's pick for the European Parliament presidency race and who is also the first female MEP to identify herself as being deaf, told EURACTIV Spain that she wants to be “the institution's voice”.

Better accessibility is good for consumers and businesses

The common standards brought in by the Accessibility Act will benefit businesses and consumers, bringing regulatory certainty and making sure no-one is left behind, writes Marianne Thyssen.

EU disability rights bill won’t fix public transport problems, campaigners fear

Public transport authorities in cities around Europe are expecting that they'll have to improve ticket machines to make them easier to read for people who are partially or totally blind, once an EU disability rights bill is passed.

Navracsics: New technologies are ‘unmatched vectors’ of integration

Technology can make "an enormous difference" for pupils with disabilities, offering them the same opportunities as other students, according to Tibor Navracsics, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports.

Leftist MEP: EU Accessibility Act is an ‘ideal chance’

The European Accessibility Act for people with disabilities opens a "huge horizon" and new innovation fields for everybody, but its scope should be widened to more products and services, MEP Konstantina Kuneva said in an interview with EURACTIV.com.

European Accessibility Act ‘not future-proof enough’

The EU tech industry has criticised the European Commission’s draft Accessibility Act, saying it is too prescriptive and fails to provide incentives for innovative businesses to develop the solutions that will make life easier for people with disabilities.

EU turns up pressure on accessibility rights of people with disabilities

The draft European Accessibility Act seeks to bring together “fragmented” national laws while creating new rights enabling full access to services ranging from transport to cash dispensers.

European Accessibility Act

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Debate about policies in favour of people with disabilities has climbed up a notch on the agenda with the publication in December of new European Commission proposals for a European Accessibility Act.