A new Transport Committee report is calling for an overhaul of the regulatory system to better support disabled people’s access to transport services. One PCV industry body described the report as a wake-up call.

The cross-party Committee’s report, entitled ‘Access denied: rights versus reality in disabled people’s access to transport’, also finds that progress with addressing disparities between disabled and non-disabled people’s access to services has in some cases gone into reverse since the Covid pandemic, despite policy aspirations to close the gap.

In evidence heard by the previous Committee, before the 2024 general election, people with access needs – including non-visible disabilities such as autism, dementia, severe anxiety and learning disabilities – told the Committee that the stresses caused by poor reliability and a lack of assistance discourage them from trying to travel at all.

A survey conducted by the Committee, which received 825 responses, found that 67% of disabled people, or those who assist them, encounter problems using transport either ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’. Just 1.7% said they never experienced challenges when travelling. A further 50.8% said that at least one a month they would decide against making a journey because they expected to face difficulties whilst travelling.

Human rights

The report says that accessibility for disabled people on transport must be recognised as a human right rather than a ‘nice to have’. It says failures should be seen as discrimination, not merely as a customer service issue. A change of mindset is needed at all levels among providers, regulators and enforcers, according to the report.

A review of all relevant legislation and the powers and resources of enforcement bodies is needed so that no transport mode is left uncovered, the Committee’s report says. This review should assess whether a single enforcement body would be more effective at asserting disabled people’s rights. Until then, the document suggests the Transport Secretary should direct all existing enforcement bodies to take a proactive approach to enforcement.

The report demands that within 12 months the Government must produce new, long-term, fully costed inclusive transport strategy to make both radical improvements across the transport network and closes the gap between rights and reality.

Wake-up call

Bus Users UK has described the ‘Access denied’ report as a ‘wake-up’ call for all those involved in the design, planning and delivery of bus services. The group said the report echoes findings from research by Bus Users UK.  

Lydia Horbury, Bus Users UK’s Director for England, said: “Access denied confirms what disabled passengers have been telling us for years: that transport accessibility is a national embarrassment. Too many people face unacceptable barriers when trying to make every-day journeys, and too much responsibility is placed on disabled people themselves to challenge and push for change.”

Bus Users UK has long called for a transport system that is genuinely accessible, inclusive and designed for everyone. Its Catch the Bus Month campaign in 2024 focused on these issues. 

“Central and local government must now act on these recommendations” – Lydia Horbury, Bus Users UK’s Director for England

Lydia Horbury added: “We fundamentally support the Transport Committee’s call for a change in culture – one that sees accessibility as a non-negotiable human right rather than a tick-box exercise. Central and local government must now act on these recommendations, including simplifying the complex and fragmented regulatory system, in order to deliver a public transport network that enables everyone to travel with dignity, confidence and independence.”

“Passengers with disabilities make thousands of journeys every day without incident but we recognise that at times, things don’t go to plan” – Keith McNally, Operations Director at the Confederation of Passenger Transport

Keith McNally, Operations Director at the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: “Buses are the UK’s most popular form of public transport, carrying 11 million passengers a day. They play a vital role in connecting communities and in ensuring that everybody can access jobs, education and local services.

“As an industry, our goal is to make sure that every passenger who gets onboard a bus feels comfortable and welcome. All scheduled bus and coaches that are open to the public should be accessible – including to passengers who use wheelchairs. All drivers of timetabled services should receive disability awareness training.

“Passengers with disabilities make thousands of journeys every day without incident but we recognise that at times, things don’t go to plan. When that happens, as an industry, we need to do better.

“We welcome the conclusions and recommendations of the Transport Committee and bus operators are working closely with the Department for Transport to improve accessibility.”

‘National embarrassment’

Transport Committee Chair, Ruth Cadbury, said: “It should be a source of national embarrassment that our country’s transport services effectively treat disabled people as second class citizens, denying them access to jobs, leisure, support networks and essential services – denying them their rights.

“This inquiry worked on the premise that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their condition or difference, and that services should be designed to enable disabled people to travel independently, not reliant on others. After all, services that work for disabled people also work better for everyone.

“And yet, those who have been let down and want redress or compensation face a spaghetti junction of complaints processes that either fob them off or lead them on a road to nowhere. Even when complaints are resolved, lessons aren’t learnt, changes aren’t put in place, and it’s tempting to think that the small and occasional penalties for failure are accepted by providers as a mere cost of doing business.

“…the Government must ensure people with access needs no longer go unseen, unheard and unacknowledged” – Transport Committee Chair, Ruth Cadbury

“Failures must go from being an everyday occurrence to vanishingly rare. In its reforms to transport services over this Parliament, the Government must ensure people with access needs no longer go unseen, unheard and unacknowledged. This should be underpinned with a new inclusive transport strategy, backed by long-term funding.

“As a Committee, we would like to thank the many charities, experts, campaigners – including disabled people who have lived with inadequate services – for giving evidence to this Committee and its predecessor before the general election. We look forward to working constructively with the Government and tracking its progress over the coming years.”