Avanti West Coast and Mencap get on the right track for inclusive travel

• West Coast operator partners with local charity to promote more inclusive travel
• A series of workshops and consultations took place to help create useful travel advice for people with learning disabilities
• Project funded Avanti West Coast’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund
  
  

Avanti West Coast has partnered with a local charity in Liverpool to help to make travel inclusive for all.

The train operator has teamed up with Mencap’s branch in Liverpool and Sefton to fund a project promoting independent travel for people with a learning disability. The initiative – called On The Right Track - is funded by Avanti West Coast’s Customer Community Improvement Fund (CCIF).

As part of the project a study found that 91 percent of adults with learning disabilities, who struggle to leave their home, wanted to be able to travel more confidently and independently.  

During the project, adults with lived experience were consulted to develop and design inclusive travel training resources. This included a trip out on an Avanti West Coast service from Liverpool to Crewe, a key transport hub in the North West.

The trip represented a huge achievement for the group, with their experiences further shaping the findings that were showcased for the first time at a recent event in Liverpool (Friday 28 March). Group members were presented with a Certificate of Achievement by Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director at Avanti West Coast, in recognition of their support over the course of the last year.

The outcomes of the project will go towards its key aims - to raise awareness of the importance of inclusive travel training and changes that need to be made to remove the barriers that are preventing people with learning disabilities from making independent journeys.

For more information about the project click here.

Joanna Buckley, Community Manager at Avanti West Coast said: “We all have a responsibility to make public transport more inclusive for all.

“On the Right Track is a great example of how our Customer and Community Improvement Fund is making a positive impact, highlighting how we can all work together to support the wider community, and in this instance remove barriers that are preventing people from travelling independently.”

Nadine Jones, Progression Leader at Mencap Liverpool and Sefton added: “Travelling shouldn't be a barrier which is why it is so important to that we hear and listen to the voices and perspectives of people with lived experience. We can really learn from each other, and that is key to moving towards fully inclusive travel. 

“Our On the Right Track Project co-designed Travel Training with Mencap members, building from their real life experiences, worries and aspirations to help shape a more understanding and inclusive future. We are extremely grateful to Avanti West Coast for providing the opportunity for us to carry out this really impactful project.”