Tag: visually impaired people

Scottish Government announces free rail travel for companions of visually impaired people

Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans welcome the Scottish Government announcement today that free rail travel for companions of visually impaired people has been made a permanent policy across all ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services.

Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans have been campaigning for this ‘life-changing’ decision for over three years through its Fair Rail campaign. The call for a new national policy arose when veterans at Sight Scotland Veterans raised an equality issue: visually impaired people had to pay for a companion on every rail journey, making travel unaffordable, while travelling without support was unsafe. They also highlighted the confusing range of concession and companion schemes across Scotland.

This news means, that from 1 April 2026, anyone with an Eye Plus One National Entitlement Card (NEC) can now travel with a companion throughout Scotland at no extra cost.

The announcement follows a year-long pilot, during which feedback from over 1,500 visually impaired NEC holders was overwhelmingly positive. Among those who knew about the scheme and had travelled by rail:

  • 84 percent used it, showing how popular it became once people were aware of it.
  • Over 95 percent of users reported benefits across every area measured, including independence, mobility, confidence when travelling, travel costs, and feeling safer and more supported.
  • Nearly nine in ten said the scheme had changed how they use rail, with 84 percent taking more trips and 69 percent visiting new places they had not travelled to before.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “I’m pleased to confirm that from 1 April 2026, free companion rail travel for visually impaired people will become a permanent offering. This change will support around 8,000 visually impaired National Entitlement Cardholders who rely on ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services.

“Over the past year, the pilot has clearly shown the profound impact that affordable, accessible rail travel can have for blind and partially sighted people. We’ve seen people travelling more often, gaining confidence, and needing less staff assistance. Feedback from Sight Scotland, Sight Scotland Veterans, and – most importantly – passengers themselves has been overwhelmingly positive.

“By making this scheme permanent, we’re opening up greater access to work, education, communities, and everyday life in ways many of us take for granted. This decision strengthens independence, reduces isolation, and improves quality of life, and it reflects our wider commitment to ensuring Scotland’s railway is accessible, affordable, and welcoming for everyone who depends on it.”

Anne Dignan, from Edinburgh, who is deafblind and has macular degeneration, comments: “This news is genuinely life changing. Knowing that free companion rail travel is here to stay gives me confidence and freedom I didn’t have before.

“I can plan trips without worrying about the cost of a companion ticket, travel more often, and explore new places that I couldn’t before without the extra financial burden.

“Thanks to Sight Scotland, Sight Scotland Veterans and the tireless work of campaigners, free companion travel means independence, inclusion and the opportunity for people like me with sight loss to access rail travel right across Scotland.”

Agnes Houston, 76, a former army nurse from Coatbridge, who lives with both dementia and visual impairment, says: “I am overwhelmed by this news. It means so much to me.

“Over the past year it has genuinely changed my life, and I was becoming quite worried about the pilot ending. Because of my visual impairment and dementia, I can no longer travel alone, especially over long distances, and I simply could not afford to pay for a companion. The difference the free companion rail travel has made to my mental health is extraordinary.”

Craig Spalding, Chief Executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, comments: “We are delighted the Scottish Government has made free companion rail travel a permanent policy – a major step towards making train travel truly affordable and accessible for everyone.

“After more than three years of campaigning, this is a huge victory for our campaigners, service users, and our External Affairs and Campaigns team, whose hard work has made this possible.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, said: “We’re delighted the Scottish Government’s free companion rail travel scheme for visually impaired people is being made permanent and proud to be able to play our part in improving the customer experience for people who are blind or have a visual impairment.

“This is a major step towards empowering people to be able to travel with confidence and independence, making train journeys safer and more welcoming for everyone. ScotRail is committed to ensuring the railway works for all of our customers, and the scheme is part of our wider efforts to improve accessibility across our network.”

For more information visit sightscotland.org.uk.

Scotland’s Bottle Deposit Return Scheme: Have visually-impaired people even been considered?

Sight Scotland: people with vision impairment will not be able to take part in the bottle return scheme

Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans have welcomed the delay to the Bottle Deposit Return Scheme and are urging the Scottish Government to use this time to consider the implications it will have for visually impaired people.

The Bottle Deposit Return Scheme, which is used by many other countries to encourage recycling, will charge people a small deposit on certain types of containers, which will be given back to them when they return it to a recycling point. People return their items to a reverse vending machine where they scan their bottles to receive cash back.

The sight loss charities are concerned that people with vision impairment will not be able to take part in the scheme and will incur the increased costs with no way of getting their money back, thus increasing cost of living pressures further.

Craig Spalding, Chief Executive, Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, explains: “Although we support environmental initiatives like the Bottle Deposit Return Scheme, we are extremely worried that the rights of visually impaired people have not been taken into consideration when the scheme has been developed. We urge the Scottish Government to take this time to review several unacceptable accessibility issues.

“For many blind and partially sighted people online food shopping is key to being able to shop independently. This is also true for many older people. We are concerned that those unable or who find it challenging to physically go to a supermarket will not be able to participate in the return scheme and will bear a disproportionate cost on bottled items.

“We are aware that new regulations state that some large retailers will provide a vital takeback service. However, we are very concerned about recent reports of one large supermarket possibly cancelling online shopping deliveries to get out of offering a takeback service. If this is the case, it is likely other supermarkets will follow suit which will isolate more people with visual impairment from the scheme.

“For those who are able to shop in person, we are also concerned about how someone with visual impairment will be able to identify what bottles are included in the scheme and how will they be able to operate the reverse vending machine. Will they be required to scan the bottles manually? It is essential the codes are in large print and have a tactile marker to indicate where they are on the bottle. We feel it is a necessity that reverse vending machines should include audio instructions and large print on the screen. The test machines which are currently in some shops around the country have none of these unfortunately.” 

Spalding adds: “We have written to the Scottish Government raising our concerns and are currently awaiting a reply. As it stands just now, the Bottle Deposit Return Scheme just does not work for blind or partially sighted people.”

For more information on Sight Scotland, and Sight Scotland Veterans, please visit sightscotland.org.uk or sightscotlandveterans.org.uk.