Vehicles and equipment
Functional requirements and equipment requirements in the buses.
When we procure bus operators that will run the traffic in Västerbotten, we start from the industry-wide list of requirements Bus Nordic.
The Bus Nordic list of requirements includes guidelines for accessibility and also functional requirements for the buses. The contracts are then adapted to the list together with the bus operators.
Our timetables have a wheelchair symbol on the runs that have accessible buses. The buses in the county are equipped with ramps or lifts. The majority of the buses are of the low-floor type, which means low entry at the front and middle doors.
All buses have special space for wheelchairs or strollers. The seats that have adjusted seat height are marked with a symbol for reduced mobility. At the wheelchair space inside and outside by the middle door, there are special blue buttons that can be used to alert the driver that a passenger with an assistive device or pram needs to get on or off.
Most of our buses in regional traffic in Västerbotten have audio announcements and a screen that shows the next stop. If the bus does not have it, the driver can help you with the information if you ask for it.
Travelling with assistive devices
Bus Nordic is a standard for the procurement of bus services in Sweden and describes the functional requirements that the industry has jointly agreed on.
Industry-wide functional requirements for buses
In addition to special guidelines for adaptation to disabled passengers, there are also functional requirements in the areas of seating, exterior/interior, information, other comfort, driver environment and more. Signs to remind people of seat belt use and where fire equipment is are available in all buses. Toilets are available on the buses in regional traffic that run on our major lines, where the routes are longer than 100 kilometers.
The Swedish Public Transport Association and the Swedish Bus Association have created the document. The working group behind Bus Nordic consists of representatives from PTOs, PTAs, bus manufacturers and the industry organizations Swedish Public Transport Association and the Swedish Bus Association.