Reduced mobility: disability lags behind business travel

Those involved in business travel, the major business travel agencies in particular, are generally less than forthcoming about how they deal with people with reduced mobility. And yet... 10 % of the French population would be disabledincluding many professionals. In France, companies with more than 20 employees must employ disabled people on a full- or part-time basis in a proportion of 6 % of the total workforce. If a company fails to meet this obligation, it is obliged to pay a contribution to the fund for the professional integration of disabled people (Agefiph). On 12 July last year, the French government pledged to double the number of jobs for disabled people by 2022.

In the meantime, many people have to travel as part of their job. And that's when things get complicated... "I prefer to book my tickets myself rather than go through our approved agency, which is not used to dealing with this type of request. It is simpler, more reliable and I save time rather than having to check the travel agent's work"Annie Morvan, who teaches at an agricultural engineering school in Montpellier and regularly travels to Paris and the provinces for meetings, conferences and congresses.

This can go very well or be a real hassle.

A paraplegic in a manual wheelchair, she sums up the situation in a few words: "You never know how your trip will go. It could go very well, or it could be a real nightmare. It all depends on the people and service providers you are dealing with. There are, for example, countries in Africa and Latin America where travel is trouble-free thanks to common sense and simple goodwill, whereas in France and Europe it can be complicated by overly strict safety regulations."

Dedicated services

To make travelling easier, the airlines have developed dedicated services. The rules governing travel by disabled persons or persons with reduced mobility (PRMs) are even very strict, as they are linked to the European regulation of 4 July 2006 (No. 1107/2006). Airlines cannot refuse to book or board a passenger on the grounds of disability. This is why easyJet has been heavily fined in the past, including €60,000 in 2017. "Many low cost have no policy in this area and prefer to pay fines. Because of the relatively high staff turnover, the cabin crew are not trained. They are busier cleaning on short rotations than looking after us."Marie-Odile Vincent, a quadriplegic traveller who is working with Comptoir des Voyages to develop an offer for people with reduced mobility. "We're disabled, not ill. We don't need a medical check-up to fly!"she adds.

However, an airline may request that passengers with certain disabilities or for reasons of safety on board be accompanied by a passenger during the journey. In response, easyJet argued that the various cases of which it is accused "have often followed a miscommunication about the level of disability of the person. The passengers in question were unable to board for security reasons, as they must be able to carry out the standard security procedures on their own in cases where they are unaccompanied.."

I advise you to be accompanied on the plane by a close friend or colleague, who will also help you to manage your affairs.

From his side, Air France presents, in a online guide of around thirty pages, all the services it offers for different types of disability: motor, sensory, intellectual, respiratory, etc. Its assistance service, called Sapphireis available from mainland France, French overseas departments and 19 countries worldwide. In a white paper published by the French Travel Management Association (AFTM) published in 2015, Cédric Moccellin, customer manager at EDF, praised the Saphir booking centre, which is still the benchmark today: "Each individual is taken care of in a particular way thanks to a profile sheet. This enables crews to know the passenger's level of disability, so they can provide assistance in the best possible conditions. The rest follows naturally: dedicated seats, traceability of baggage and wheelchairs, full assistance from the beginning to the end of the journey, right up to the taxi or the next flight...". Tanguy Revel, who uses an electric wheelchair and runs a company specialising in equipment for establishments open to the public (ERP), notes, however, that "even if the on-board staff are better trained than before, they don't help you much. The procedures vary from one carrier to another: some make you board before the passengers, others afterwards... I advise you to be accompanied on the plane by a relative or colleague who will also help you to manage your affairs".

Upstream preparation

In the European Union, it is up to the airport managersAccording to the same regulation (EC 1107/2006), it is the responsibility of airlines to ensure, either themselves or via a service provider, that aircraft embark and disembark. "In order to guarantee equal treatment and quality, the service is provided through a PMR fee which is calculated on the total number of passengers departing from each airline and each airport"Nice-Côte d'Azur airport is using a service provider to provide this assistance.

The process is highly regulated: passengers inform the airline or their travel agent of their request for assistance at least 48 hours before departure, specifying their needs so that the airport or assistance company can take care of them on the day. "If no information is provided in advance, the aid may be provided, but there is no guarantee of the deadlines."Nice airport adds. Air France also specifies that, when connecting at Paris CDG airport, passengers should allow a margin of 1h30.

Braille boarding pass

Nevertheless, some airlines are innovating in terms of dedicated services, such as Turkish Airlines which publishes a boarding pass in Braille for its blind and partially sighted passengers travelling on its international flights from Istanbul airport. Several airlines, such as the Turkish airline or KLMDuring their journey, these customers can also benefit from audio-description films in the video entertainment system. For its part, Virgin Atlantic provides passengers with a special digital tablet.

book your TGV journey well in advance, as there is only one adapted seat per 1-seater carriage^era class

Concerning rail travel, Eurostar offers special assistance at its main stations, thanks to trained teams. In France, the SNCF has also developed services to support these passengers and is adapting its station facilities - 164 will be made accessible by 2024 - as well as its rolling stock. It has also introduced the Accès Plus customer relations centreThis service is available to people with disabilities, reduced mobility or visual impairments, as well as the deaf and hard of hearing. "You need to register 48 hours in advance, which does not allow last-minute travel and there are bugs, because this service is often outsourced. In fact, quality depends above all on the goodwill of the staff."says Annette Masson, President of the Tourisme & Handicap association. "The first thing to do is check the list of stations with PRM facilities to find out whether you can use these services on departure and arrival.adds Tanguy Revel. You then need to book your TGV journey well in advance, as there is only one adapted seat per 1^era class. Finally, you need to arrive early, 30 minutes for example at Euralille TGV station, where a private service provider provides the service. Because the most important thing is to have staff available to use the equipment. This is easy for the new TER trains operating in Hauts de France, which have level platforms and an internal ramp. But it remains complicated for the TGVs, as the Duplex trains are too low in relation to the platforms and the conventional oars too high!"

Annie Morvan confirms:"It's actually quite incredible that the TGVs are not independently accessiblewhich exists for TER and Intercités services." The places reserved for PRMs are inadequate and often overbooked. Tanguy Revel manages this situation by pushing hard, especially when he has to travel at the last minute. Even if it means parking in the corridor while waiting to get a dedicated space for part of the journey.

The situation could improve in the TGV of the future recently ordered by SNCF. The accessibility department is having the current PRM area of its trains tested by some of its disabled employees to identify possible improvements. "In the meantime, I prefer to stay in my armchair than using the TGV's wheelchair lift, which is too low and you can't get out of it."says Annie Morvan.

First-class travel

Another important question: the price. With SNCF, the passenger travels in first class, but pays the second-class fare. Passengers may also be accompanied by another person if they have an 80 % disability card. At Eurostar, wheelchair users benefit from a reduced fare and accompanying persons from a special fare. "In the airline industry, there is no specific fare structure for people with reduced mobility in the front cabins of aircraft, even though these people would benefit from greater travelling comfort, particularly on long-haul flights."says Ryadh Sallem, founder of Cap Saaa.

With regard to hotels and tourist residencesMost of them are equipped to accommodate disabled and PRM business travellers, in accordance with the local regulations in force. "This depends on the year the residence was built and the number of flats it has. For an aparthotel with 100 flats, at least four of them must be fully accessible."says Adagio. He added: "Our facilities have been adapted for people with reduced mobility and visual and hearing impairments.". Marriott specifies that "each of the group's hotels complies with the standards applicable in each country". This information is presented on the establishments' websites. "Accommodation is improving with the opening and renovation of hotels, confirms Annette Masson. The important thing is to post reliable information on the Internet what is accessible and what is not."

Tanguy Revel believes that "the hotel groups have made adjustments to accommodate people with disabilities. It's more complicated to be sure for the disabled. independent establishments. That's why I prefer to book in three-star hotels and above.." Ryadh Sallem notes that "things are moving forward with the Tourisme & Handicap label"We are sorry that "the disabled room is sometimes occupied by able-bodied people who have requested this room because of its larger surface area. So there is no longer a room available for us.."

The issue of accessibility is more varied for car rental companies because of theno obligation and local conditions. For example, if Enterprise does not have any vehicles adapted for disabled people in France, the American rental company is converting vehicles in the UK and has a dedicated fleet in North America with National, one of its other brands.

Europe lags far behind the Anglo-Saxon countries

If Sixt has no suitable cars, Hertz has a fleet of vehicles in 28 branches in the Paris region, as well as in Marseille, Nice, Cannes, Valence, Bourges, Montpellier and Monaco. The vehicle on offer is a Mégane with manual controls on the steering wheel for people who do not have the use of their lower limbs. The only restriction is that the minimum rental period is five days. "Europe lags far behind the Anglo-Saxon countriessaid Cédric Moccellin. While it's very easy to hire automatic vehicles with driver assistance kits in the United States, it's more complicated here.."

This may no longer be an issue in the future, thanks to research by carmakers and American companies such as Google and Uber on the autonomous car. "Toyota is working on mobility for all. In the future, autonomous cars could make it easier for everyone to get around, especially people with reduced mobility."says Ludovic Billiet, the Japanese manufacturer's Marketing Director for France.

This means that travel is still complicated for disabled people, who have to plan ahead and often go to great lengths to ensure that their journey runs smoothly from start to finish. Progress is slow, with some operators taking advantage of extensions granted by the State to postpone investment in accessibility. Starting with SNCF which has been granted a deferment until... 2024 ! A crucial year with the Paralympic Games in Paris. Given the difficulties encountered by individual travellers, we wonder how transport operators will be able to manage the travel of several national teams at the same time... The delay in comparison with other countries is all the more damaging given that certain advances in the field of disability could benefit the elderly at a time when France is ageing.