Breaking Barriers in Danube Transport The DANOVA NEXT project is transforming transport accessibility across the Danube region. Project coordinator Hrvoje Spremić, alongside partners Marica Mirić and Magdalena Guzalić, explains how airports, ports, and urban transport systems are working together with organisations of persons with disabilities to create digital and physical solutions for passengers with reduced mobility. Despite progress in recent decades, accessible transport across Europe remains far from universal. For many persons with disabilities, simple acts such as boarding a bus, navigating an airport terminal, or transferring between transport modes can be exhausting, frustrating, or even impossible. The absence of consistent standards means that while some hubs have invested in inclusive infrastructure, others lag behind, leaving travelers facing uncertainty every time they embark on a journey. The scale of the challenge is immense. According to the World Health Organization and the European Disability Forum, more than 100 million people in the EU live with some form of disability - rising to 135 million across the wider European region. The airport association ACI Europe highlights that one in four adults in the EU experiences some kind of disability, underlining the urgent need for more inclusive mobility. The Danube region-stretching across countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia-is particularly affected by this lack of harmonised accessibility. While the European Accessibility Act sets a broad framework, gaps remain-especially in transport services, where obligations are often unclear or unevenly applied. A recent European Commission study assessing 125 digital travel information tools found that 41% provided no data for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM), and only 16% met most accessibility requirements. This shortfall demonstrates why a comprehensive,
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harmonised approach to accessible digital travel services is urgently needed-a gap DANOVA NEXT is working to fill. Recognising this challenge, the DANOVA project was launched to improve accessibility for blind and partially sighted passengers. Building on its success, DANOVA NEXT broadened its mission to support persons with reduced mobility and deaf and hardof-hearing passengers. Coordinated by Dubrovnik Airport, the project brings together 16 partners from eleven countries,
approach across countries. DANOVA NEXT provides a common framework to address these gaps - developing solutions shaped directly by the users themselves.”
Inclusive Partnership What makes DANOVA NEXT unique is its commitment to equal partnership. Alongside technical institutions and infrastructure providers, three organisations of persons with disabilities play a central role: the Austrian Federation of the Blind and Partially
“Transport is freedom. Without accessibility, persons with disabilities are excluded from work, travel, and everyday life. With DANOVA NEXT, we are opening doors - not only in the Danube region, but across Europe.” spanning airports, ports, urban transport providers, universities, research centers, and organisations of persons with disabilities. Its preparation was closely aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and major EU strategies, including the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030, the Territorial Agenda 2030, the European Green Deal, and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. As Hrvoje Spremić, Assistant General Manager at Dubrovnik Airport and coordinator of DANOVA NEXT, puts it: “We identified a critical gap in accessible transport. The Danube region lacked both barrier-free services and a harmonised
Sighted (BSVÖ), the Romanian National Association of the Deaf (ANSR), and the Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities (SOIH). “This project is not about creating solutions for persons with disabilities-it is about creating solutions with them,” stresses Marica Mirić, who represents SOIH. “For the first time, organisations of persons with disabilities are included as equal partners, not just stakeholders. This ensures that nothing is done without the people directly affected.” That commitment has translated into wide user involvement across the region. Live workshops held in all partner countries brought together 227 participants, including
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PRM users and policymakers, to identify gaps in infrastructure and digital services. In parallel, an online survey collected 623 responses from passengers with disabilities, assessing their satisfaction with air, urban, and water transport. Another 55 transport service providers took part in a separate survey on the maturity of their digital travel information systems. All of these insights feed directly into the project’s design and ensure that DANOVA NEXT responds to real-world needs. Magdalena Guzalić, who manages communication and dissemination, adds that workshops, focus groups, and surveys across partner countries are central to this approach: “From the beginning, we gathered feedback through questionnaires, focus groups, and workshops. Every pilot, strategy, or app is tested with real users, so that what we deliver is not theoretical but practical and usable.”
Digital Innovation A key achievement of the project is its selfassessment accessibility toolkit, already available online. This interactive tool allows infrastructure providers to assess their current accessibility levels through 60 questions. Based on the results, the toolkit generates tailored recommendations for improvements, helping airports, ports, and public transport providers benchmark their progress. Another milestone is the development of a digital travel information application, which was released on 3rd December, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The app provides all passengers with disabilities with accessible, real-time travel information across the Danube region. “This app is crucial,” explains Spremić. “Every journey starts with information. If passengers cannot access real-time travel data, the rest of the journey becomes impossible. That is why digital services are just as important as physical infrastructure improvements.”
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The application has already undergone rigorous testing with organisations of persons with disabilities before being rolled out publicly. Users were able to provide feedback at multiple stages, ensuring that the final product is both functional and inclusive.
Infrastructure Upgrades Alongside digital solutions, DANOVA NEXT is also making visible changes to the physical environment of transport hubs. In airports, passengers will soon find dedicated PRM information totems and corners, offering clearer guidance and support. Seating and resting areas are being redesigned with accessibility and comfort in mind, while specialised mobility equipment is being introduced-from plastic wheelchairs that can pass through security checks to smaller chairs designed for boarding aircraft, as well as electric vehicles that help passengers navigate large terminals with ease. Other innovations include PRM climbing chairs, which act as mechanical lifts to assist travelers in moving between floors, and a wide range of sensory enhancements such as tactile walking surfaces, braille signage, and hearing loop devices. Flight information displays are also being adapted to better serve passengers with hearing impairments, while voice announcements are enhanced for passengers with visual impairments ensuring that vital travel updates are accessible to everyone. Beyond airports, urban public transport systems are undergoing upgrades too. New equipment will make bus boarding easier, and tactile maps are being introduced at key transport locations. Budapest, meanwhile, is expanding its pioneering indoor navigation app for blind and partially sighted users, guiding them through complex terminal spaces with sensor-based technology. “These measures are not abstract ideas-they are being installed and tested now,” notes Spremić. “By 2026, all pilot actions will be complete.”
Coordinating Complexity Managing 16 partners across eleven countries and three different transport modes is no small feat. Yet the DANOVA NEXT consortium has shown how collaboration can overcome complexity. “It was not easy to coordinate such a diverse group,” admits Spremić. “But from the beginning, we involved partners in shaping activities based on their expertise. Universities led research, organisations of persons with disabilities guided accessibility standards, and transport providers delivered the pilots. Regular online meetings and workshops ensured that everyone remained aligned.” The diversity of the Danube region adds to the challenge. Some countries-such as Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Croatia-have already invested significantly in accessible transport infrastructure. Others, including Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova, are still lagging behind. The result is a patchwork of provision, with passengers facing a different experience depending on the country they travel through. As Mirić points out, the project also serves as a case study in how to coordinate multiple stakeholders across borders. “We want DANOVA NEXT to be a model-not only for accessibility, but for how transport operators and organisations of persons with disabilities can work together.”
Overcoming Challenges Not everything has been smooth. One of the project’s toughest challenges has been the development of the digital application, requiring technical expertise and coordination across different transport modes. “There are moments when you think it is impossible,” admits Guzalić. “But the motivation comes from knowing the impact this will have. Many persons with disabilities
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