Hearing and Visual Impairment

Lothian are committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment in which disabled individuals, families and anyone with additional access needs can feel confident and safe.
guide dogs scotland logo

Hearing and visual impairment

Lothian work in partnership with Guide Dogs Scotland to ensure that all of our drivers and customer service advisors receive training on hearing and visual impairments.

All of our push bells are tactile and embossed with braille and handrails are in high contrasting colours for the best possible visibility. Our new buses are fitted with media screens providing visual and audio ‘Next Stop’ information.

Our priority seating is designed with assistance dog users in mind, allowing space for both you and your dog to sit together.

Smart support

Our app has some very useful features including ‘TFE talk’ which includes full VoiceOver support and next stop announcements designed for those with impaired sight. You can also enable ‘Stop Radar’ which, when your phone is pointed in the direction of a bus stop, will give you information about the distance to the stop, the buses that stop there and their anticipated arrival time.

On social media, for those who rely on screen reader technology, posts with photos are shared with ‘alt text’ and hashtags are always capitalised to ensure our content is inclusive and accessible to all.

Timetable assistance

If you require any of our timetables in large print, please contact us our Customer Service Team who can arrange to have one sent out to you free of charge. Alternatively, visit one of our Travelhubs and a member of our team will print one off for you there and then.

thistle assistance logo

If you need extra help to make your journey, the Thistle Assistance Card is available to assist anyone who has difficulty using public transport because of age, disability or illness.

This can be especially useful for individuals with a hidden disability to discreetly alert drivers to their additional needs.

To find out more about this free scheme visit www.thistleassistance.com

woman saying here to help

We are here to help

Lothian acknowledge and support the fact that not all disabilities are visible and our customers should be able to travel free from judgement. We aim to create a culture of inclusion across Edinburgh and hope all of our customers support us by showing patience and kindness to each other and our colleagues. If you require any additional support with your journey planning or any aspect of your travel with us, please contact our dedicated Accessibility team via email to [email protected]

Your safety is our priority

Lothian believe that our colleagues and customers have the right to travel without receiving any form of abuse.

Lothian operate a zero-tolerance policy towards any physical or verbal abuse directed at our colleagues or customers, and CCTV and audio recording is in operation on all of our buses.

If you wish to report an incident or provide us with any feedback, please contact our Customer Support Department.

If you need to report a hate crime, please call 101.

In partnership with
logos for epilepsy scotland, guide dogs scotland and whizz-kidz