2009-2011 Three-Year Plan to Improve Accessibility

Over the years, investments in the removal of architectural barriers connected to city public transport have been substantial and constant. An initial investment in testing was followed by the adoption of specific devices leading to the gradual improvement of accessibility. However, many problems still await a solution and at ATM we are fully aware of the difficulties encountered daily by many citizens in accessing vehicles. The recent establishment as part of the Milan City Council Department of Mobility, Transport and the Environment of a Panel for the access of disadvantaged users to the city and its public transport has seen a common effort by the City Council, ATM and representatives from associations for the disabled to adopt a more systematic approach to unsolved problems in a climate of mutual respect.

Our renewed commitment to the City of Milan and its citizens has led us to draw up a Three-Year Plan to Improve Accessibility in 2008. This plan was developed by setting up a working group and appointing a director in charge of overseeing the planned investments, many of which are currently in the pipeline. For the 2009-2011 three-year period we plan to invest in both the modification and maintenance of vehicles and infrastructure and the provision of specific devices. During the preliminary start-up phase of the plan we created a complete map of our vehicles and infrastructure in accordance with the Full Handicap Compliance (FHC) indicator. This indicator gave a level of accessibility for the city’s public transport of 56%, a value placing Milan in an intermediate position among the world’s great cities, above London and Berlin.
The objective of the plan is to improve the level of accessibility of transport over the three years; this initiative is aimed on the one hand at the disabled and on the other at ensuring easier and more comfortable use of vehicles for the elderly, families travelling with children and passengers with luggage.

Communications

Our Transport Network Accessibility Guide (Italian only), attached at the end of the page and available free of charge from ATM Points, will provide more complete and detailed information on our work, underway or planned, to improve the level of accessibility for people with mobility, visual or hearing impairments.

The three-year plan also entails a new layout for web-based information aimed at our customers: this internet site has updated its consultation procedures, optimizing them to encourage access by people with visual impairments. To ensure the constant improvement of our service, your assistance is of crucial importance. Please contact us to propose new solutions or to tell us about any problems you experience using the channels made available by ATM.