Greater Glasgow

Getting on board for National Falls Awareness Day

To mark National Falls Awareness Day tomorrow (Tuesday 23 June) and encourage more people to 'get on board' and travel safely by bus, city bus operator First in Glasgow is working closely with occupational therapy teams across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to highlight the steps that can be taken to ensure a safer journey while travelling by public transport.

First is supporting Help the Aged/Age Concern's 'Get on Board' campaign and initiatives which are designed to focus attention on falls on buses - the theme of this year's National Falls Awareness Day. First is playing its part by producing a number of limited-edition 'Get on Board' travel wallets for 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 concession card holders 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 have hearing difficulties.

Across Greater Glasgow, the wallets and Safe Journey cards will be distributed at various National Falls Awareness Day information stands at the Southern General, Victoria Infirmary and Mansionhouse Unit. As the wallets are 'limited-edition', they will be issued on a first come, first served basis. However, for anyone who misses out, Safe Journey Card inserts are available for download from FirstGroups website, www.firstgroup.com/safejourney.

Alex Shearer, Executive Director of First in Glasgow, said: "Safety continues to be our number one priority at all times and we are very keen to provide our passengers with a means of letting us know when they may need some additional assistance when using 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 will particularly help many of our elderly passengers to enjoy the best possible experience while travelling by bus."

Glynis Anderson, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Team Lead for Occupational Therapy, Medicine for the Elderly, South Glasgow, added: "We support National Falls Awareness Day every year and ensure that older people know just what to do to keep themselves as safe as possible at all times. It's important for older people to get out and about and continue to enjoy active lifestyles and travelling about by bus helps them achieve this. We welcome initiatives like these Safe Journey Cards that contain important messages on how older people can travel safely by bus and we hope as many people as possible take the opportunity to get a hold of one."

First's operating company in central Scotland, Lothian and the Borders will be distributing the wallets and cards at Falkirk and Galashiels bus stations and First in Aberdeen will also be distributing Safe Journey Cards via the Travel Centre on Union Street and at the 'Delight the Customers' roadshow in Summerhill on Wednesday 24 June.

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.