Disabled accessibility and PRM

Gestione Navigazione Laghi with a fleet of about 100 vessels has been guaranteeing mobility 365 days a year within the territories of Lake Maggiore, Garda and Como for sixty years

Navigazione Laghi, in order to promote the welcome and mobility on board its fleet for travellers with disabilities and reduced mobility, since 2016 has launched an ambitious project aimed to identifying all the solutions to offer them a comfortable and pleasant journey, while taking into account the inevitable structural and technical limitations of older ships. Over 55,000 passengers with disabilities travelled aboard the Navigazione Laghi boats in the past and this data certainly represents a positive element that demonstrates the goodness of the path already started by the Navigazione Laghi Management, but it can also be a further incentive to develop solutions to improve the quality of the provided services.

As part of the provided regulations at European level by EU Regulation 1177/2010 and in particular, in mind of art. 14 Training and instructions, some training sessions are periodically held for all the front office staff (onboard staff) as well as for the operators assigned to the external relations office. During these classes, the staff is made aware of the various types of disabilities, trained on the attitude of approach to the disabled customer and possible useful assistance, providing also basic notions on the use of assistance equipment, with particular reference to the wheelchair.

Ships accessibility

Up to date , most of the ships in the Navigazione Laghi fleet are easily accessible.

Boarding on board, always assisted by the Navigazione Laghi staff, is carried out using a footbridge, with a minimum width of 80 cm with a non-slip surface and with a variable slope according to the hydrometric level of the lake.

The most recent ships are widely usable and equipped with adequate extra services (toilets, lifts); for the older ones, appropriate studies are already underway as well as the implementation of measures and solutions useful to guarantee a better travel experience for wheelchair passengers.

Furthermore, to facilitate the boarding of wheelchairs – possibly even autonomously by the disabled traveler who so wishes – ships and the main ports of call have already been equipped with special stepless ramps, i.e. easy to handle and light ramps which make it possible to eliminate the step between the jetty and the walkway.

Special useful symbols have been inserted on the timetable boards and on the pocket formats of the timetables in order to identify the recommended journeys as they are the most suitable for transporting travelers in wheelchairs and to simplify the organization of the journey in advance, considering that, due to safety issues, boarding could in any case be limited or excluded at the Captain’s discretion.

After boarding, the wheelchair traveler who decides to sit on one of the ship’s seats has to set it, closed (if possible) and braked, in a place that does not hinder the crew and other passengers.

Special stickers and seat covers have also been installed on board to indicate courtesy “priority seats” for travelers with reduced mobility.

For visually impaired and blind passengers, the audio system is available on board and on some of the ships, information panels, with variable messages, have been installed to indicate the next stop of the ship’s arrival.

Blind passengers can always bring their dog with them free of charge.

All passengers, in case of need, may request assistance from the crew, who will be available, within the limits of their functions and without compromising the performance of the tasks entrusted to them for the safety of navigation; assistance in using the toilets may be provided only to the extent of being accompanied to the entrance door.

Tariff conditions

Slipways / Piers accessibility

SMISTO - INTERREG cooperation plan

As part of the INTERREG V-A Italy-Switzerland 2014-2020 Cooperation Program, Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi attended the SMISTO project (Development of Integrated and Sustainable Mobility between Ticino and Lombardy), which aims to increase the use of public transport improving accessibility, integration and service quality.

Specifically, Navigazione Laghi has provided, on its own behalf and thanks to the financial resources available for this project:

to install tactile routes and maps at some wharfs of Lake Maggiore and Lake Como, in order to semplify the orientation and mobility of blind and visually impaired people who use the aforementioned structures;
to train the staff being in touch with the public (especially on-board and ground staff) with the aim of improving the assistance of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility;
to purchase wheelchairs to be available to the travelers if their aid is damaged or broken down, in order to allow the journey to be continued up to the disembarkation location.

The Italian lead partner of the project is the Lombardy Region and the Italian Partners are Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi and the Public Transport Agency of the Como, Lecco and Varese basin.

The Swiss lead partner is the Canton of Ticino and the Swiss partners are the Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano and the Regional Transport Commission of Mendrisiotto and Basso Ceresio.

The total cost of the project for the Italian part amounts to €.1,689,667.24; the public contribution is equal to € 1,689,667.24 of which € 1,436,217.15 (equal to 85%) from the FERS and € 253,450.09 (equal to 15%) from the Revolving Fund ex law n.183/1987. The cost of the project for the Swiss part amounts to 994,952.00 CHF.

The approved budget for gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi amounts to €214,811.64. On the basis of the reported and validated expenses during the audit, this Management has obtained a refund of €.214.345,78.

Below are the links of the INTERREG V-A Italy-Switzerland 2014-2020 Cooperation Program and of the SMISTO project.

https://interreg-italiasvizzera.eu/

https://progetti.interreg-italiasvizzera.eu/it/b/78/sviluppodellamobilitaintegrataesostenibiletraticinoelombardia