A survey by Maritime & Coastguard Agency gives a snapshot of disabled people’s experiences on cruise and ferry ships. The survey says that while ferry and cruise ship passengers are more likely to experience problems getting assistance if they have a disability that is not immediately visible.
In the first survey of this kind, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency has received several responses that show that while many disabled passengers have had a good experience on board, others have not.
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Namely, over 70% of disabled passengers who use cruise ships responded that they are happy with their experience on board. However, on the other hand, ferry users were less happy with 56% saying their experience had been a good one.
The survey was conducted by the MCA to find out from disabled passengers and those of reduced mobility, what their experience of transport was and how effective the provision of assistance has been when using ferries or cruise ships.
220 responses were received and analysed since it began last August.
Commenting on the survey, Danny Light, passenger rights enforcement officer for the MCA, stated that it showed there is more work to be done:
The survey shows that actually people don’t necessarily know their rights or in some cases what assistance is available. It also revealed a difference in satisfaction levels between those with a visible disability and those with a disability which isn’t immediately obvious. We will be working with the industry to see how we can best help raise awareness
The MCA will be repeating the survey every year, with the next survey taking place in August 2019.
The report is one of the key commitments in the Department for Transport’s Inclusive Transport Strategy to enhance disabled people’s access across all modes of transport by 2030.
For more information, click the PDF herebelow
