Travel Champions help improve accessible transport across the region
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Good transport helps people get where they need to go and brings people together.
As part of our Travelling with Confidence project, Your Voice Counts is working to make public transport more accessible for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Over the past year, our dedicated Travel Champions have taken part in a wide range of journeys across the region. From visits to York and Durham to trips to local destinations, they have been quality checking every stage of the travel experience.
The Travel Champions looked at everything from planning journeys and booking tickets to finding their way around stations, using public transport and reaching their destination safely and confidently.
These quality checks help us understand what is working well and where improvements are needed. The feedback gathered is helping transport providers create a more accessible and inclusive experience, making it easier for people with a learning disability and autistic people to travel independently.
As part of the project, we also work with organisations including Choices College, Keelmans School, Routes2Work, Skills4Work and PRS Inclusion to provide support to their learners. This has included delivering travel training and 121 support through our Travel Buddies programme to help their learners get around and travel to their work placements.
The project has also had a positive impact on the Travel Champions themselves, helping them develop new skills and build confidence.
Some of the feedback from participants included:
“Building up my confidence to use buses and the metro system to travel.”
“I can now show my other friends how to cross roads safely.”
“I feel more confident travelling on the metro.”
“Learnt new routes with bus and trains. It has built up my confidence.”
“Given me confidence to travel independently.”
“I have learnt how to use Google Maps and take different buses.”
“I have travelled from South Shields Interchange to Marsden Road Health Centre. I know to sit at the front of the bus to make myself feel safer.”
“I found it useful finding out how long journeys take on Google Maps and it helped me with planning.”
By sharing their experiences and highlighting barriers, our Travel Champions are helping to create a transport network that works better for everyone. Their work is making a real difference, supporting more people to travel with confidence, independence and greater choice in their daily lives.
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