Yesterday London Travelwatch, the watchdog for transport users, published '10 policies to keep Londoners moving', a set of guidelines urging mayoral candidates to put the customer at the centre of public transport policies.
Amongst the suggestions - such as providing longer trains more often, improved information, a fair deal for customers - what caught my eye and that of other bloggers such as Going Underground were recommendations to make transport more accessible and joined up for elderly, disabled and less able users.
Having experienced London Transport as a mother to be, and latterly as a mother with buggy and toddler I have some limited experience of travelling encumbered. For me lack of lifts/escalators, overcrowding on buses and tubes, inaccessible bus stops, and lack of any available staff to lend a helping hand make journeys around the capitial a drag. And even with tools such as Get ahead of the Games the idea of travelling during the Olympic Games this year brings me out in a cold sweat...I can therefore only imagine the issues facing customers with disabilities.
So it's really pleasing to see this customer-focussed thinking being published. We can but hope that these guidelines are taken to heart by prospective mayoral candidates.
