Bus Éireann marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities with Minister Anne Rabbitte promoti

  • December 3 is UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities
  • 80% of disability in Ireland is invisible
  • Bus Éireann is proud to support Just A Minute Cards to assist those who need a little more time to use public transport services

 Anne Rabbitte TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability with Ciarán Delaney, NOW Group Ambassador and Bus Éireann driver Rhonda Byrne

Bus Éireann, Ireland’s national bus company, is proud to support the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities by promoting the JAM card.

This year’s theme for International Day of Persons with aims to raise awareness of disabilities which may not be immediately apparent but can still have an impact on people's lives.  Around 500,000 people in Ireland have invisible disabilities, that is eight in 10 of everyone living with disabilities

Bus Éireann proudly supports the JAM Card which allows people with a learning difficulty, autism, or any condition where communication can be a barrier to show their JAM Card to the driver or a staff member and relay to others that they may need a little extra time or ‘Just A Minute’ when accessing services.

Anne Rabbitte TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, said: “It’s fantastic to see Bus Éireann embracing the JAM card initiative. This one subtle change can have a major positive impact on people with disabilities and break down barriers when it comes to accessing transport. I thank Bus Éireann for ensuring their services are as accessible as possible and its support of the JAM Card is another step in that direction”.

Allen Parker, Chief Customer Officer, Bus Éireann, said: “We are very pleased to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities , which is a great initiative and reminds us that quite often, disabilities and communication barriers are invisible. Our customer-facing employees, more than 2,000 colleagues, are trained to recognise the JAM Card which allows passengers to signal discretely that they may need some extra time when using our services.

“We recognise the important role public transport plays in the lives of people with disabilities, and Bus Éireann is proud to count many passengers with disabilities among our customers, not least the 15,000 children with special educational needs who are facilitated through the School Transport Scheme every year. We are operating a fully accessible fleet in all our city and town services, supported by the National Transport Authority, and seeking to improve access and service all the time.” 

Ciarán Delaney, NOW Group Ambassador said “When I first came across the JAM card in 2018, I could not believe how simple the concept was. I am proud to be responsible for bringing it to Bus Éireann in tandem with Maeve Monaghan and Diane Hill from the NOW Group.  People with Invisible Disabilities can use the JAM card to discretely inform drivers and other Bus Éireann staff that they come in contact with, that they may need an extra minute to get their business done. I am grateful to those members of Bus Éireann staff that interact in a respectful manner with JAM card users to ensure accessibility to Bus Éireann services for people with invisible disabilities.

JAM Cards are available for free and for more information, please visit https://jamcard.org/#.

JAM Cards are recognised on all Bus Éireann services and in all Bus Éireann bus stations.


Friday, 3rd December, 2021