Making our networks accessible to all passengers, so that everyone can travel freely, is one of our key priorities. We work closely and actively with our subsidiaries, providing our expertise and raising awareness to provide tangible solutions. The Marinéo network, which we operate for the Boulogne Metropolitan Area, was a forerunner in this field, making its services, infrastructure and rolling stock accessible to all passengers.
409
urban bus stops, of which 77% are accessible for people with reduced mobility
90%
of buses are equipped with a wheelchair ramp
100%
of buses make voice announcements for upcoming stops
Process
Since 2013, RATP Dev has operated the Marinéo network, which serves 120,000 inhabitants, for the Boulogne Metropolitan Area, a grouping of 22 municipalities around the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The network is composed of 4 main bus lines, 7 supplementary lines and 4 local lines. In addition to this, it also runs school bus services, a long-term rental service for electrically-assisted bicycles, a transport-on-demand service and also a transportation service for people with reduced mobility.
Marinéo stands out not only for establishing a transportation service for people with reduced mobility and for ensuring accessibility to the network for the disabled, but above all for its resolve to raise awareness of disability amongst its employees and other passengers.
Marinéo successfully meets the 4 goals set by RATP Dev for accessible mobility for everyone:
- Passenger information: making the information clear and accessible to everyone;
- Equipment and installations: adapting the infrastructure and rolling stock to make them easier to use for everyone;
- Transport services: extending mobility services to cover all travel requirements;
- Support and raising awareness: supporting and encouraging all segments of the public to use public transport;
- Communications: Marinéo organizes communications and awareness-raising campaigns for its employees and passengers to illustrate the barriers encountered by disabled people in their everyday travels, and to show how important everyone’s role is in making sure that their needs are met.
OSONS LE BUS workshops for vulnerable groups (people with reduced mobility, job seekers and seniors): The goal of the OSONS LE BUS mobility workshop is to support, inform, and increase knowledge about the transport network and how to use it, while making it accessible, and therefore making journeys easier. During this workshop, Marinéo answers fundamental questions to help everyone prepare for their journey, find the right information and transport solution according to their needs, or understand the network so that they can take the bus at the right place and the right time.
HANDI…CAPABLE awareness days for freedom to travel: on International Day of People with Disabilities, the network attuned personnel to greater understanding of different types of disability and encouraged dialogue between employees and disabled people, showing them the importance of their role in operations and in customer relations. Watch the video to learn more about the day (insert the link to the Marinéo site)
After this day, Marinéo asked local partner organizations to be the “faces” of its “HANDI…CAPABLE (ENABLE)” communications campaign focusing on accessibility for people with reduced mobility in the Boulogne area. The goal is to demonstrate that people with reduced mobility can be integrated, autonomous, and use public transport, through concrete examples: finding their way in the bus, getting onto the bus alone, getting off at the right stop, etc.
Glossary
- Paratransit
- Paratransit services. Paratransit is a public transport service available for people with disabilities making it difficult for them to use the urban bus network
- TOD
- o Transport-On-Demand A local transportation offer by area, activated on demand. Transport-On-Demand is available for selected destinations in the area: town centers, some bus stops and train stations, and shopping centers