Bristol, Bath and the West

First gets on board with National Falls Awareness Day

IN a bid to mark National Falls Awareness Day (23 June), an awareness initiative organised by Help the Aged / Age Concern to highlight the concerns that older people have about falling, First in Bristol, Somerset and Avon is working closely with the charity to highlight the steps older people can take to ensure that they stay safe when they are out and about on the bus.

The focus of this year's National Falls Awareness Day is falls on buses.

Keen to work with older people to allay their fears, First is supporting the awareness day and has produced a special safe journey card for its older customers to use. Designed to be carried in travel passes, the card can be used to alert bus drivers to any special needs a customer may have, for instance a hearing or speech problem. A number of the cards, along with some special 'Get on Board' travel wallets, designed by the charity, are being given away this week as part of the awareness raising activities.

The limited edition wallets are being distributed via First travel shops in Bristol, Somerset and Avon and via local National Falls Awareness Day activities.

Safe Journey Card inserts are also available to download from the FirstGroup website, www.firstgroup.com/safejourney.

Avonsafe, a partnership of health, local authorities and emergency services working together to reduce unintentional injures, will join First staff to help launch the initiative in Bristol.

Justin Davies, Managing Director of First in Bristol, Somerset and Avon says: "As a company we take the health and safety of our customers very seriously. While the bus remains one of the safest forms of transport around, we recognise some older people may have a fear of falling, and we are keen to assist them. We hope our older passengers will follow the guidance we have outlined in the Get on Board information booklet and on the Safe Journey website - ringing the bell and staying seated until the bus comes to a stop, for instance.

"I hope that as a result of this campaign even more older people are able to feel confident using the bus, making full use of the concessionary pass scheme which was set up by the Government to help them remain active and independent well into old age."

Fiona ODriscoll, Chair of Avonsafe Older People's Group, says: "Avonsafe has supported Falls Awareness Day for many years. The majority of falls happen in the home. Keeping active can help us keep our balance, however some people are concerned about getting out because of a fear of falling. We encourage all bus companies to respond to this national campaign and we welcome First's innovative approach."

In general the advice for older people using the bus is:
· Use the handrails provided when you are stepping on and off the bus. If youre having difficulty, ask the driver to lower the floor (low floor buses only)
· Use the priority seats at the front of the bus - if they are occupied by a younger person, have the confidence to ask them to move
· Don't 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 (Drivers have to stick to a published timetable and while they will do everything they can to wait for you to sit down, you can help them by taking the first available seat, allowing the bus to get on its way)
· 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 see: www.helptheaged.org.uk. To find out more about First, or to download the Safe Journey Card, log onto www.firstgroup.com/safejourney.



Notes
· Since the introduction of the national concessionary fares scheme in April 2008, which allows people over the age of 60 to travel on buses for free*, more and more older people have been using the bus to travel around the country, helping them retain their independence for longer.(*some restrictions apply)
· In the UK, First is the largest bus operator, carrying more than three million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities " helping people get to school, work, medical appointments and social activities amongst many other things.
· In the run up to National Falls Awareness Day, First will be working with various local groups to distribute the wallets and information to older people around the UK. Produced especially for National Falls Awareness Day, the Safe Journey Cards allow users to discreetly alert the driver to any special requirements they have, for instance asking for extra time to find a seat before the bus sets off, or asking the driver to speak clearer or slower " especially useful for those older people who have hearing problems.
· In addition to providing information for customers, First is also taking steps to remind its drivers about the need to wait for older people to take a seat before the bus moves off, and alert them to the presence of the new cards. Notably all drivers have to take a special course at the beginning of their career which helps them identify those passengers that may need extra assistance. During the course they are also asked to consider how to balance the need to stick to published timetables (to ensure that services remain reliable and punctual) with safety requirements.