Stagecoach Supertram and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) have run six session special “Try a Tram” sessions on board the new Citylink trams set to enter service on the current Supertram network from late summer. More than 100 vulnerable passengers were invited to the sessions with staff on hand at Meadowhall Interchange for informative and fun learning sessions.
The “Tray a Tram” days were designed to give more vulnerable passengers the opportunity to try out services in less pressurised circumstances when the tram isn’t running to a timetable or needing to leave the tram stop. Assistance was provided by staff and to give advice on the best value tickets to buy.
Treana Hudson, Customer Coordinator for Stagecoach Supertram, said: “The main point of the days was to help people with learning difficulties or disabilities to explore the new trams in an environment where they were at ease. It was also a great opportunity for us to help some passengers to overcome their fears of tram travel, and to help them be more independent. We wanted it to be both fun and informative and our staff that attended and helped were fantastic.”
Included in the sessions were demonstrations of a range of features which can help vulnerable passengers on board the trams. These include a change to the location of where passengers using wheelchairs will board the trams and the introduction of new tactile buttons, located in the doors that open automatically and illuminate green when active, helping visually impaired passengers to use services easier.
Following feedback from attendees at the events plans are being made for another familiarisation event once it is passed for public use. A number of passengers are to be invited to experience the tram in live conditions later this summer.