How to Use Bus Hailers

Henshaws and Transport for Greater Manchester are working together to help make bus travel easier for visually impaired people in Greater Manchester.

The initiative involves a new fluorescent orange pass wallet as well as a yellow bus hailer to help make catching the bus easier and more accessible. These are available for free and aim to improve people’s journey experiences in Greater Manchester.

The bus hailer is a flip pad that uses both bold and embossed numbers and letters, with the braille version underneath. Passengers simply select the number of their bus and hold it up to oncoming traffic, so that the bus driver can easily identify if he needs to stop. The word ‘bus’ is also available so passengers can still flag down a bus even if they are unsure of the number.

“For people living with sight loss, simply travelling from one place to another can be a challenging experience,” says Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM Committee. “We are delighted to be able to offer visually impaired passengers these aids to make their bus journey that bit more straightforward.

“We hope the scheme will allow blind or partially sighted people to keep a certain amount of independence and confidence in their everyday lives.”

We’d like to say thank you to TfGMC for their partnership in this project, and to JG Creative for their help in the design.

The free bus hailers and orange pass wallets from one of our hubs or at the Travelshops in bus stations across Greater Manchester. You can ring for more information at our office on 0300 222 5555, or by calling the TfGMC on 0161 244 1000.