'BUILT ENVIRONMENT INCL. PUBLIC TRANSPORT' VOTING HAS CLOSED
Please visit the 2021 People's Choice Accessible Business Awards webpage to vote and nominate in other 'area of life' categories.
Welcome to the voting site for the Built Environment including Public Transport 'area of life' category, for the 2021 People's Choice Accessible Business Awards.
Use the voting form at the bottom of this page to select the Built Environment including Public Transport provider of your choice from the list of nominees that follow.
Please note:
- You can only vote for ONE Built Environment including Public Transport provider.
- Built Environment including Public Transport 'area of life' category finalist votes must be cast between 16 - 21 March in order to be eligible.
- The three Built Environment including Public Transport providers receiving the highest number of votes will progress as finalists to the final voting round during the week 7 – 13 June.
- Visit the Awards home page for more information.
And the Built Environment including Public Transport provider nominees are:
1. Go Bus Transport Ltd (Christchurch)
"Go Bus Christchurch has an electric fleet which arrived late last year. Their buses have an improved cabin and comfortable interior, including ceiling colour. The Go Bus fleet is environmentally friendly due to their contract with Environment Canterbury."
2. Go Bus Transport Ltd (Hamilton)
"I want Go Bus Transport to be a finalist as they are the only transport company who has openly accepted the challenge to become totally accessible, including providing accessibility training to their drivers."
3. FAB Drivers
"An assistance driving company of just two ladies, who take appointments like a taxi, but they bring me inside, wait with me, and will shop for me ... with me or without me. They are super friendly and obliging. Because I am blind, they take the pressure off me when I need to go anywhere. They never get stressed and do everything they can to make my life easier. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for them."
4. NextStep New Zealand
"Everything about the facility is designed for accessibility and to reduce barriers to exercise for people with disabilities."
5. Transdev Wellington
"Transdev provide train transportation for the Wellington and Wairarapa Regions for people with disabilities including blindness. Transdev staff conduct a two hour training unit for all new staff to provide assistance for passengers who may require some help in boarding, finding a seat, getting off at the right destination and also exiting the railway station. They have awareness and accommodation of various disabilities, including the ability to handle equipment used by blind people. My guide dog and I accompany new staff to a platform where a train has been made available for each staff member to practice what has been learned in the earlier part of the training course. At all stages of this training programme, respect and consideration of the client is emphasized as being of the utmost importance."
6. Metlink
"In 2020, Metlink undertook a significant upgrade of their Metlink website. For this project Metlink employed digital accessibility specialists (Access Advisors) and followed a best practice combined approach of task-based usability testing and expert review to identify accessibility issues prior to release of the website. For the usability testing Metlink used Access Advisors' Research Panel involving people with real access needs to help assess the websites. This approach shows a real commitment to achieving digital accessibility, going above compliance with guidelines, and aiming to achieve real accessibility. In addition, three key staff involved in these projects also studied to increase capability and gain a micro-credential in Digital Accessibility through Victoria University."
7. Auckland Transport
"The improvements Auckland Transport have made to their AT Mobile App are a great example of the benefits of their approach to accessibility. They have changed the design and development process of the AT Mobile App to ensure that support for larger text sizes and screen readers is included in every new initiative. Using app analytics, they learned that the majority of customers who use larger text sizes are using up to 135% of the default, so now they design to this size. They have made the app layout flexible for different text sizes by utilising more flexible components that adjust to fit different text sizes as they increase/decrease, while maintaining readability as much as possible. For screen readers, they now include a ‘screen reader design’ in design deliverables before development which maps the different elements, how they should be voiced, what order they should be voiced etc, to maximise support for VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android). In addition, they engage Access Advisors to regularly provide independent expert assessments to ensure they are taking the right approach to accessibility."
8. Ritchies Transport Holdings Ltd - Albany Depot: Special Education Student Transport
"This is a smooth operation, run by a team that has the best management, concerned with the safe transport of special needs children to and from school everyday. They have a well trained team of dedicated drivers."
"The staff go above and beyond in transporting students with disabilities to school and supporting their whanau. It’s a good example of an accessible transport provider."
9. Christchurch City Council (in association with Otakaro Limited): Christchurch Bus Interchange
"The [Christchurch Bus Interchange] is airy and well designed. The transport advice comes over the intercom system very clearly and buses have designated platforms which are clearly numbered. [There Interchange has] tactile paving and the [bus] doors do not open until all passengers are off the bus. [The Interchange] is also extremely clean and tidy, and the toilets are also disabled-friendly and clean."
10. MRCagney
"MRCagney specialises in urban design and transport planning. Principal Researcher Bridgett Burdett is recognised widely for leadership as an accessible transport planner."
11. Driving Miss Daisy Howick and Bucklands Beach
"Their service is impeccable. Drivers are highly trained to support the people with reduced mobility and their attitude is very welcoming."
www.drivingmissdaisy.co.nz/franchise/howick
Please cast your vote 16 - 21 March using the form below.