Accessibility Specification for Small Buses Designed to Carry 9 to 22 Passengers (Inclusive)

Accessibility Specification A: Vehicles Not Used on Local Services

Note: At a future date the requirements of this section will be amended to a single-step (i.e. low-floor) specification. It is proposed that this will be from 1 January 2007. All following sub-sections will then be amended as appropriate.

A1. Entrances and Exits

A1.1 Passenger entrances/exits (excluding any emergency exits), and the area(s) immediately outside these, must be well lit, including illumination at foot level, when passengers are boarding and alighting.

A1.2 At least one nearside entrance/exit must have a maximum first step height of 250mm above ground level when the vehicle is in the boarding position, which may be achieved with a folding or slide out step or kneeling mechanism.

A1.3 Each subsequent entrance step must be between 120mm and 250mm high, with the risers consistent in height to within 20mm.

A1.4 Step treads must be at least 250mm deep. (Note: 300mm is preferable). Risers must be vertical and closed, and have a smooth flat surface with no protrusions. Any lights incorporated into risers should be flush-mounted. All step nosings and entrance flooring should be of slip-resistant material, with the nosing finished in a bright colour contrasting with the colour of the floor/step surface.

A1.5 The maximum ground to floor height is to be 750mm, at top of steps to start of gangway.

A1.6 The interior height, at the door threshold (measured from the step tread of the first fixed step to top of door frame), is to be a minimum of 1750mm.
N.B. This applies to the entrance/exit in paragraph A1.2.

A1.7 For a bus with step entrance, the doorway must have handrails with the width between handrails on the doorway not less than 650mm and not more than 850m. At wider doorways an intermediate handrail must be provided (to give a minimum width between handrails of 650mm, and a maximum of 850mm, on at least one side).

For a low-floor bus, a minimum unobstructed space through this entrance of 800mm wide, and 1800mm high measured from the floor in the vertical plane.

A1.8 There must be a horizontal handrail at a height of 800mm to 900mm above floor height extending from the entrance or top of the entrance steps, to the first forward facing seat on the vehicle offside. Where this cannot be achieved due to any necessary breaks in this handrail, this is to be compensated for by suitably placed vertical handrails within the height range of 1200mm to 1500mm, which provide a maximum reach of not more than 1050mm.

A2 Floors and Gangways

A2.1 All floors and gangways should be level and covered with a slip-resistant material. A slope of not more than 5º (approximately 1 in 12 or 8%), measured with the vehicle unladen and in its normal ride position, is permitted.

A2.2 Gangways must be not less than 350mm wide from floor level up to 1400mm above the floor.

A2.3 Minimum clear headroom must be 1750mm throughout the saloon area except above fixed seats and wheel arches.

A3 Internal Steps

A3.1 Any steps in a gangway must be grouped together, and be between 120mm and 200mm in height with the risers consistent in height to within 10mm. They must comply with paragraph A1.4 and have adequate handrails adjacent to the steps.

A4 Handrails and Handholds

A4.1 All handrails and handholds must have a circular crosssection, with a diameter of between 30mm and 35mm. There should be no sharp bends (e.g. mitred corners of 90° or less) in handrails. There must be a minimum clearance of 45mm (preferably 50mm) between handrails or handholds and any adjacent surface.

A4.2 Handrails must have an easily gripped slip-resistant surface, preferably with a "rigidised" or similar raised texture, and in a bright colour which provides a clearly visible contrast (both in colour and tone) with the interior colour scheme and seat covering.

A4.3 Handrails must be provided on both sides of each nearside entrance to give a rigid handhold parallel with the slope of the steps from a point not more than 100mm inboard of the outer edge of the first fixed step to a point not less than 100mm beyond the nosing of the top step, at a height of 800-900mm above the step nosings. Handrails may be fixed to the inside of the door leaves provided they do not move when the doors are open.

A4.4 In the absence of steps at doorways, handrails must be provided to give a rigid handhold (which may be fixed to the inside of the door leaf provided that movement of the door leaf is minimal when the handrail is in use), incorporating:

(i) a vertical section on each side of the entrance from a point not more than 550mm above the step to a point not less than 850mm above the step, which is to be mounted no more than 100mm inboard of the step nosing measured in the horizontal plane when the door(s) is (are) open, and

(ii) a horizontal section on one side of the entrance (preferably both), mounted at a height of 800mm to 900mm above the floor and which extends from a point not more than 150mm inboard of the step nosing measured in the horizontal plane for at least 350mm into and parallel to the entrance platform.

A4.5 The tops of all gangway seats must be fitted with a rigid handhold, which may be either a corner mounted grab handle on the gangway side or a top mounted grab handle. Such grab handles must be padded or similarly protected to minimise risk of head injury. On any seat location where no such handhold or vertical rail can be reached a horizontal handrail or vertical stanchion must be provided for this purpose (e.g. in front seats facing a bulkhead or in seats facing a wheelchair position).

A5. Seats

A5.1 The minimum seat size for each passenger must be 425mm wide (measured at the leading edge), and 400mm deep (measured through the centre line of the cushion top).

A5.2 The top of each seat cushion (measured at the leading edge) must be between 430mm and 490mm above the floor immediately in front of the seat. The clear headroom above each seat must be at least 1250mm from the top of the seat cushion (measured in the vertical plane from the centre of the leading edge).

A5.3 The distance between the front surface of the seat back and the back of the seat(s) in front must be at least 650mm (measured at the centreline), and the horizontal distance from the leading edge of the seat cushion and the seat or fixture in front must be at least 250mm. If facing pairs of seats are provided, the minimum distance between the leading edges of the facing seat cushions must be at least 500mm.

A5.4 All seats must be either forward or rearward facing.

A6 Passenger Restraints

A6.1 3-point passenger restraints (lap & diagonal belts) must be fitted to all seats. Alternative restraints e.g. full harness or child restraints, may be provided where appropriate.

A7 Heating and Ventilation

A7.1 An adequate system of heating and ventilation should be installed to ensure that a reasonable temperature and air quality is maintained in the passenger area.

A8. Reversing Alarms

A8.1 An audible external reversing alarm should be fitted for automatic use in conjunction with reverse gear, but with provision for the driver to override during prohibited hours.

A9 Luggage Space

A9.1 Luggage space must be provided for the safe storage of mobility aids, shopping bags, trolleys or folded pushchairs, etc.

Published: 7 December 2001

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