Aberdeen

First in Aberdeen gets on board with National Falls Awareness Day

To mark National Falls Awareness Day tomorrow (Tuesday 23 June) and encourage even more older people to ‘get on board and travel safely by bus, city bus operator First in Aberdeen is working to highlight the steps older people can take to ensure they stay safe when out and about.

First is supporting Help the Aged/Age Concerns ‘Get on Board campaign and the charitys activities which have been designed to focus attention on falls on buses " the theme of this years National Falls Awareness Day. First is playing its part by producing a number of limited-edition ‘Get on Board travel wallets for older customers to use. The wallets are designed to incorporate concessionary bus passes, information on how to stay safe, as well as a special Safe Journey Card, which has been produced by First for older people to use to alert bus drivers of any difficulties they may have when travelling by bus such as needing extra time to sit down or asking the driver to speak slowly if they are hard of hearing.

In Aberdeen, the wallets and Safe Journey cards will be available at from Firsts Travel Centre on Union Street and a limited number will also be available at the ‘Delight the Customers roadshow between 10am and 2pm at 3 Lums in Summerhill on Wednesday 24 June. As the wallets are limited-edition, they will be issued on a first come, first served basis and for anyone who misses out, Safe Journey Card inserts are available for download from FirstGroups website, www.firstgroup.com/safejourney.

Bob Dorr, Managing Director of First in Scotland East, said: "Safety is our number one priority at all times and we were very keen to provide our older passengers with a means of letting us know when they may need some additional assistance when travelling on our services " the Safe Journey Card is the ideal way to do just that. Bus travel remains one of the safest forms of transport around and these cards " and the guidance they offer, such as staying seated until the bus comes to a stop " will help our older passengers enjoy the best possible experience while travelling by bus.

"Its important for older people to get out and about and continue to enjoy active lifestyles and travelling about by bus helps them achieve this. I hope our Safe Journey Cards will help our older passengers get out and about and get on board with First on this years National Falls Awareness Day " or any day!'

The guidance contained within the Safe Journey wallets and cards has been agreed with Help the Aged/Age concern:

· Use the handles on passenger doors and handrails provided when you are stepping on and off the bus. If you are having difficulty, ask the driver to lower the floor if possible.
· Use the priority seats at the front of the bus " if they are occupied by a younger person, ask them to move.
· Dont feel as though you have the rush. You can ask the driver to wait until you are seated before moving off, but try and ensure you take the first available seat as this will help the driver stick to the published timetable.
· If possible, try not to travel with lots of bags as these will prevent you from holding the handrails. A shopping trolley may be a safer option.
· When you want to get off, ring the bell and stay seated until the bus stops. If you need to, when you get on, ask the driver to give you extra time to leave the bus safely.

For more information about National Falls Awareness Day, visit www.helptheaged.org.uk. To find out more about First, or to download the Safe Journey Card, log onto www.firstgroup.com/safejourney.