From 1 June, trainee guide dog puppies and their walkers will travel for free on Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses as part of their Guide Dogs Scotland training programme.
Over the last week the puppies have familiarised themselves with Lothian Buses, visiting bus depots and taken their first steps on board Edinburgh Trams at Edinburgh Airport.
By providing access to both buses and trams allows Guide Dogs Scotland to ensure that their puppy trainees are able to cope with all different environments and situations, giving their owners the confidence to travel on public transport.
Lesley Hinds, Chair of Transport for Edinburgh said:
Our engagement with Guide Dogs Scotland is key to our continued commitment to create an integrated and accessible transport system for everyone who wants to get around Edinburgh. Both Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses are determined to be at the forefront of accessibility to make a real difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
Tom Norris, Director and General Manager, Edinburgh Trams said:
We want to make travelling on our trams as easy as possible for everyone. Our vehicles have been designed with high visibility handrails, and our passenger alert buttons signposted in Braille for blind and partially sighted tram users. However we are always seeking to help improve the experience for our passengers and I look forward to supporting Guide Dogs Scotland with their training.
Work with Guide Dogs Scotland complements the recently launched Transport for Edinburgh ‘talking app’ which supports people with visual impairments. To date, over 110,000 people have udpated their app to include this service.