The Minns Labor Government is supporting the expansion of the internationally recognised Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program to buses in regional NSW, further improving access to public transport.
The Minns Labor Government is supporting the expansion of the internationally recognised Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program to buses in regional NSW, further improving access to public transport.
The program gives people with non-visible disabilities like autism, dementia, chronic pain and anxiety a distinctive green and yellow sunflower-themed lanyard they can wear to signal their need for assistance while using public transport.
The first regional and outer metropolitan bus operators to be Sunflower-friendly are:
- Dions Bus Service in the Illawarra
- Port Stephens Coaches
- Keolis Downer Hunter (Newcastle Transport); and
- selected CDC NSW services on the Far North Coast and Coffs Harbour regions.
Drivers for these operators have been trained to recognise the Sunflower lanyard and provide appropriate support, such as helping passengers in boarding and disembarking or navigating stressful situations.
The government's support for expansion of the program comes as part of a range of measures that have improved access to public transport in regional areas including:
- the $800 million Safe Accessible Transport Program
- the Country Passenger Transport Infrastructure Grants Scheme
- the Transport Access Regional Partnerships Grant Program.
Many other bus operators across the state have enrolled in the program and are at various stages of training staff, so timelines vary for when each operator will offer Sunflower-friendly bus services.
