Specific transport services for persons with severely reduced mobility (PRM).
In 1992, Transportes Ciudad Condal played an active role in the Paralympic Games by providing the transport services for all athletes with severe mobility difficulties. While the Barcelona Olympic Games revitalised and updated the transport service, the Paralympic Games were also crucial for raising awareness about the transport needs of persons with severely reduced mobility.
On 9 March 1992, Transportes Ciudad Condal launched a service in Barcelona aimed at people with all kinds of physical or mental disability that prevented them from using conventional public transport services. This service is still going today and, to use it, passengers simply need to have the white special transport card, which can be obtained from the Instituto Municipal de Personas con Discapacidad (IMD) [Municipal Institute for Persons with Disabilities], a department of Barcelona City Council. Passengers who have this card are entitled to use the service in the towns of Barcelona, Badalona, Esplugues de Llobregat, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs and Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
The service, awarded through a tender by Entidad Metropolitana del Transporte de Barcelona, was launched in 1992 with 14 buses. It has experienced significant growth since then, making Transportes Ciudad Condal one of the European companies most specialised in transport services for persons with reduced mobility and in the provision of services designed especially for the requesting authority or agency.
Transportes Ciudad Condal currently offers repeat school services aimed at those people who may be eligible to use the adapted transport service. Furthermore, it also offers a ‘door-to-door’ public transport service for persons with severely reduced mobility. In 2005, this service was awarded to the company for the third time. People registered as residents in Barcelona with a disability certificate and recognised as having reduced mobility are entitled to use this service.
There are various types of ‘door-to-door’ services: on the one hand, fixed services that repeat days, times and routes and can therefore be planned in advance; and, on the other hand, sporadic services that are required at specific moments, e.g. to go shopping, to the cinema, etc.
Since 1998, there has also been an adapted taxi service for those people who cannot use the standard vehicles.
This type of transport pays special attention to every detail and the service covers every possible need in this regard. Miquel Martí Escursell explains that “persons with reduced mobility require vehicles with a special shape and cabin design, and these specifications are sent to the manufacturer. The drivers of these vehicles receive ongoing and specific training to ensure they have the skills and awareness necessary to serve this group of people with physical and/or mental difficulties as they deserve”.
At present, the authorities receiving this service from Transportes Ciudad Condal are: Barcelona City Council-Entidad Metropolitana del Transporte, since March 1992; the Regional Council of El Baix Llobregat, since September 1992; and the Regional Council of El Garraf, since September 1995.
