Disabled Peoples Organisations Sign Open Letter To PM Calling For Accessible Transport

October 29, 2024

This month, Stephen Brookes, Transport Policy Adviser at Disability Rights UK, took part in a vital collaboration with various Disabled Peoples Organisations, sending a letter to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Transport. This joint effort, which expressed critiques of the UK’s public transport systems, emphasised the importance of collective action in advocating for transport policies that enhance accessibility for all disabled individuals.

The letter highlighted “ongoing failures” to address “the systemic barriers that disabled people face”, and calls upon the Government to address the lack of strong requirements for public transport providers to cater sufficiently to the many disabled passengers who depend on the services. In anticipation of the upcoming Railways Act, the letter calls attention to recurring issues on bus, tram, and rail networks and a need for robust accessibility standards to accommodate and address them.

Just a few issues mentioned in the letter includes a frequent lack of passenger assistance despite prior booking, reliable and consistent staff training in disability awareness, a lack of audio-visual announcements, accountability measures when accessibility issues are not addressed, and the “postcode lottery” nature of bus services. Each of these are elements that our access auditing team at Direct Access underpins with our transport clients when developing accessibility strategies. As such, we have assisted numerous organisations in the development of major station redesigns and refurbishments, most notably those operated by Avanti West Coast, TransPennine, EuroStar, Transport for London, and Transport for Lyon in France.

The publication of this open letter does not come as a great surprise, as according to a study by UK disability charity Motability, those with disabilities (as defined under the Equality Act 2010) take 38% fewer trips than those without. A figure which has not changed over the period for which the organisation has collected data. While this ‘transport accessibility gap’ is driven by many factors, a significant proportion is due to the current provision of transport, both public and private, not adequately catering for the needs of disabled people.

Understanding the lived experiences of disabled individuals in transport is essential for driving meaningful change. By addressing systemic issues and identifying opportunities, transport providers can transform lives and close the accessibility gap. Direct Access is proud to have pioneered initiatives like the Quiet Rooms on Avanti Virgin trains and conducted comprehensive accessibility audits for TransPennine Express stations. By working together to build upon the sectors current achievements, we can unlock significant socio-economic value and create a more inclusive public transport system for everyone.

As a team with a broad history of collaborations alongside public transport providers, we support the letter to its fullest extent and would encourage public transport organisations to consider booking an accessibility audit to review sites for the aforementioned elements, as well as the multitude of other barriers to access that affects much of the UK transport sector. Frequently occurring issues Direct Access’ auditors regularly encounter on our audits includes the lack of information available in alternative formats, lift/elevator accessibility (for both hearing impaired and visually impaired individuals), PA systems, tickets and vending machines, step-free navigation, and wayfinding.

By appointing our team to review your particular service and deliver an access audit report, management teams will be able to comprehensibly identify the full extent of accessibility issues present and understand what measures are required in order to correct them for the betterment of both the experience of individual disabled people and encourage growth in the user-base of said services.

Borrowing from our experience as a team of mostly disabled people and understanding of current and upcoming legislation, we also offer transport providers a more hands-on approach in the form of bespoke accessibility awareness training courses. These courses serve to provide staff with the necessary tools to communicate with and accommodate the particular needs of various disabled people, while also offering introducing to British Sign Language (BSL), sighted guiding, hearing enhancement systems, all in service of providing a deeper understanding and awareness of the average disabled person’s visitor journey, which as this open letter to the UK government demonstrates, has a long way to go before reaching a point of being truly inclusive.

Disabled Peoples Organisations Sign Open Letter To PM Calling For Accessible Transport

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