Nexus have proudly announced that they have become the first public transport provider in the region to achieve the Autism Friendly Award. Given by the National Autistic Society, the award is designed to support organisations to provide an autism friendly environment and inclusive customer service.
Nexus have provided training for frontline employee, detailed guides to support journeys, signage improvements and easily accessible online information as part of their work to achieve this award.
Anja Cole, Autism Accreditation Consultant with National Autistic Society, said: “There are lots of small changes businesses can make that make a big difference to autistic people – from customer information to staff awareness. By providing an autism-friendly service, Nexus will play its part in creating a more welcoming environment and make a difference to the lives of autistic people.”
Heather Blevins, Nexus’s Head of Learning, said: “Public transport is for everyone, but we know that for some it can be daunting. There’s a lot of ticketing options, it can get very busy, and unfortunately there can be delays and disruptions. All of these could make autistic people reluctant to travel. Working with the National Autistic Society, we have made some changes which could make a massive difference to customers with autism, including making our services, information and environments more accessible, both in person and online.
“We’ve had positive feedback from the frontline teams who have already undergone the training and it will be great to see them put their new-found knowledge into practice when working with customers who have additional or specific needs.”
As part of the work undertaken at Nexus new accessibility guides have been produced which provide autistic people with clear information about Metro trains and stations, bus interchanges and the Shields Ferry. They detail what stations, trains, interchanges and ferries will look, sound and feel like, to help them plan their visit and prepare them for what to expect.
- The autism guides can be downloaded from this page on the Nexus website: https://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/making-public-transport-more-autism-friendly-0