Vision in Transportation Workshop – Enhancing Accessibility and Digital Services

In March 2023, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Traficom organized a stakeholder workshop to discuss the accessibility of transportation and the usability of digital services. This workshop is part of a process to establish a national target state guiding the accessibility work of the state traffic administration. The work is carried out by a working group appointed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in 2021. Akordi designed and facilitated the workshop, which was conducted in a hybrid format.

The focus of the half-day event was on carefully planned and guided small group discussions. Participants included transportation service providers, disability and elderly organizations, and authorities who, sitting around a common table, contemplated improvement areas, opportunities, and constraints regarding the accessibility of transportation and digital services.

In the first small group discussion, participants collectively pondered how to enhance a vision describing the accessibility of transportation and services, and what principles it should encompass. The discussions highlighted the importance of equality, emphasizing that the accessibility vision should aim for all passengers to plan and carry out their journeys smoothly, safely, and user-centered.

During the second small group discussion, participants delved into various themes of the vision, including: modes of transportation, mobility services, infrastructure, and accessibility information. Discussions between service providers, users, and government entities underscored the need for goal-oriented and long-term collaboration among different stakeholders and across various levels and sectors of the government to ensure accessibility. Identifying existing issues in structures and services, along with devising action plans for their rectification, was also deemed crucial.

The outcomes of the workshop will be utilized in the state traffic administration’s accessibility work and during the update cycle of the Liikenne12 plan.

Link to the project description.