Fleming Way hub more accessible for all

Fleming Way hub more accessible for people with learning disabilities

Swindon’s Bus Company has been working closely with Swindon Borough Council’s EP stakeholder Forum, Get Swindon Moving, to ensure bus services at the new Fleming Way transport hub are accessible for all.

Taking part in the forum since 2024, the Learning Disability Partnership (LDP) has brought lived experience and expertise to Swindon’s conversation with public transport operators.

Most recently, Swindon’s Bus Company has closely supported the creation of easy-to-read leaflets, based on the Fleming Way ‘where to’ board maps - which guides passengers to the correct stops for their bus journeys.

Funded by Swindon Borough Council, the leaflets are also in digital form - giving as many people as possible access to the essential information.

Download your easy to read leaflet here.

We know how vital bus services are for many living and working in Swindon, and we want to make our buses accessible for all. The launch of the Fleming Way transport hub has been a huge success, but we know this new layout may present a challenge for some of our customers. We want public transport to be truly inclusive, and those with learning disabilities or autism to be able to travel as confidently as other passengers.

The Learning Disability Partnership helps to ensure local adults with learning disabilities and their families have their voices heard about things that affect their lives, and we are grateful for their feedback on this. Together, and with assistance from Swindon Borough Council, we have produced a handy tool that will ensure all those using it can feel fully confident when catching a bus at this excellent new transport hub.

Rachel Edgington, Swindon Borough Council’s public transport strategy officer, added: "Swindon's Bus Company are really showing their commitment to the ongoing partnership with the Council and community. It has been so easy to work together when we have a common objective to make public transport better for Swindon Borough's residents. Through the Enhanced Partnership, Swindon's Bus Company have recognised that the users are often the real experts, and it is a testament to the culture of Swindon’s Bus Company and the fantastic team there who value users' contributions from all perspectives. We value having a partner that we can rely on to go the extra mile."

The project was the result of feedback from learning disability expert, Lily O’Brien, who felt the original ‘where to’ map at Fleming Way wasn’t accessible to all. She and her team worked tirelessly with her team of experts to create a new map the disability community could understand.

Lily, a wheelchair user with multiple disabilities, is hopeful the new map will benefit everyone - not just those with learning disabilities.

She said: “On behalf of the LDP, I’d like to thank Swindon Borough Council and Swindon’s Bus Company for working with us, as always, to continue making public transport accessible for all.”

A spokesperson from Swindon Advocacy Movement added: "We are so proud of all the hard work Lily and the experts by experience have put into devising this easy read leaflet. Accessibility for all is of utmost importance to the Learning Disability Partnership Board and the best way to approach this is by involving the people who would be affected. In this case, it was initiated and spearheaded entirely by people with learning disabilities. This is a huge step forward in self and peer advocacy."

For more information about the LDP, please contact [email protected]

Download your easy to read leaflet here.