If youre unsteady on your feet – or if you care for someone who is – then weve created this webpage to help you using public transport to get about safely.
Itll only take a couple of minutes to read and it could help you or someone you know avoid having a fall or a bump.
Planning before you start
Use a timetable or journey planner to plan your journey before you set off. If you do this youll know how long youve got to catch your bus, train or tram and you wont then be rushing or flustered to catch it.
Dont forget about your return journey too and the times for your journey home.
There are timetables and guides and you can plan your journey by visiting the Journey Planning pages of our website. Click here to get started.
Getting on board
Look out for shiny surfaces, especially if it been raining or cold, which might mean the surface is slippery to walk on. Uneven pavements could trip you up, so look keep an eye open for those too.
When the bus, train or tram comes, let people get off before you start to get on. Waiting means you wont bump into people who are getting off.
Have your fare or pass ready in advance so that youre not looking for it when you get on the bus, risking losing your balance or giving yourself a knock.
Watch out for the gap between the pavement and the bus and take care special care getting on board.
On buses the driver can help you. Ask them to wait until you are sitting down before they drive off.
On Buses and trains it a good idea to tell the driver or guard where you want to get off.
Use the priority seats on buses and trams if this helps you. On buses these are near the front to save you walking far to find a seat.
On Metrolink trams the priority seats are next to the inner two entrance doors. Look for the wheelchair symbols on platform at the tram stop – this shows where these doors will be when the tram stops.
Never try to get on or off a bus, train or tram when the doors are closing.
On your journey
Stay sitting down until the bus, tram or train has fully stopped.
Always make sure that you keep one hand free to hold onto hand rails, safety bars or the straps.
Dont carry too many bags or packages as these might swing about and knock you off balance.
Once the journey starts, try and anticipate when the vehicle will slow down or turn so these changes dont catch you unawares.
On a bus, ring the bell in good time when you want to get off to let the driver know you want to get off at the next stop.
When you get off, go steady when youre stepping onto the pavement or platform, there might be a gap. Look before you get off for surfaces that might be slippery.
What we are doing to help
Modern public transport has features to make travel easier, like brightly coloured handrails and good lighting. Some features are specifically designed for people in wheelchairs but the features like lifts and ramps make public transport easier for everyone to use.
Transport for Greater Manchester works with companies who provide public transport services to ensure everyone who uses buses, trains and trams can do so safely.
We do this in lots of ways, from working with bus operators to help them make sure drivers understand the issues that concern passengers, and drive smoothly, to working with local councils to improve the area around bus stops to make it easier for people to get on and off buses.
Most buses in Greater Manchester can ‘kneel’ down to the kerb, making the entrance of the bus lower and providing near- level entry. Some buses also have ramps and a space on board for wheelchair users.
Metrolink is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and from the outset we designed the system to be easy for everybody to use with ramps, lifts and level access to trams.
We work with the various Network Rail and train companies to make local trains and stations easier to use.