Disabled people’s charities unite in call for urgent accessibility changes to public transport
An alliance of transport and disabled people’s charities founded by Transport for All is urging the Government to commit to urgent accessibility changes to public transport.
Image credit: Transport for All
The alliance felt compelled to speak together following an incident experienced at the end of August by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, one of Britain's greatest ever Paralympic athletes, who spoke out about accessibility issues following an LNER journey into London Kings Cross. Baroness Grey-Thompson was abandoned on the train and forced to crawl out of her wheelchair and lie on the platform after passenger assistance failed to meet her.
Following a media outcry and an interview with Channel 4 that saw the Prime Minister affirm that accessibility “should be a basic requirement” for public transport operators, a coalition of charities has signed an open letter to Sir Keir calling for commitment to specific actions.
The letter’s signatories, including Transport for All, Guide Dogs, Disability Rights UK, Whizz Kids, Wheels for Wellbeing, Bus Users UK and Thomas Pocklington Trust, are calling for:
The Railways Act to include accessibility requirements – forcing train operators to make sure disabled people can use their services.
Action to improve the postcode lottery of accessible bus provision, including addressing delays to audio-visual announcements that tell passengers the name of the stop, and displays announcing when the next bus is due.
Improvements to staffing and assistance on the railways to address the issues that Baroness Thompson experienced
Progress to make trains and platforms level so that wheelchair users can board trains independently
The open letter in full
Dear Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Transport,
We are the Accessible Transport Policy Forum founded by Transport for All, a coalition of disability and passenger organisations representing the 16 million disabled people in the UK who face barriers across all modes of transport.
Recent incidents, including the distressing experience of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, highlight ongoing failures within our transport system to provide accessible and reliable services for disabled passengers. These issues are a daily reality for many disabled people, and its impact can be felt in every corner of our lives. It is time to stop accepting failures as inevitable and work together on real solutions to create change.
We were encouraged to hear your recent comments acknowledging that accessible transport is a critical issue that needs attention. As captured in a recent interview with Channel 4 News, your recognition of the importance of this matter gives us hope that meaningful change is possible. However, it is imperative that these words are followed by concrete actions to address the systemic barriers that disabled people face.
We understand that there are upcoming reforms planned for the rail sector, including the creation of Great British Railways, which aims to unify the rail industry and prioritise the needs of passengers. While this unification presents an opportunity to overhaul and improve accessibility, we are concerned that previous versions of the legislation under the former government lacked strong requirements for rail operators to adhere to accessibility and assistance standards for disabled passengers.
It is crucial that the upcoming Railways Act includes enforceable accessibility requirements to ensure that disabled people can travel independently, safely, and with dignity. Bus services also remain a postcode lottery, with driver and staff awareness very mixed, accessibility of buses and stops sometimes years out of date and pedestrian rollout of audio-visual announcements and real-time information stalled.
The need for robust accessibility standards is underscored by findings from the latest Office of Rail and Road’s 2023-2024 Passenger Assist Report. Passenger assistance fails about a quarter of the time—a figure that is growing year on year. Alarmingly, the number of passengers receiving none of the assistance they booked has risen, highlighting a troubling decline in service effectiveness. These failures are particularly concerning for passengers with non-visible impairments, who often face greater challenges in receiving the support they need.
Despite the high satisfaction among those who do receive help, the increasing instances of passengers left without support drive home the need for comprehensive training for transport staff, reliable staffing levels, and clear accountability measures to ensure that disabled passengers receive the assistance they need – whether via Turn Up and Go or pre booked services. Parallel to improvements on staffing and assistance, urgent progress is needed to deliver step-free level boarding across the rail network.
We request an urgent meeting with you, the Prime Minister, and the Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss these concerns and the necessary actions to improve accessibility across our transport system. As you may know, the previous Transport Select Committee recently conducted an enquiry into the legal obligations of transport providers regarding accessibility, concluding that:
“Accessibility cannot be regarded as a matter of regular customer service: that it is both a health and safety issue and a matter of human rights and protection from discrimination. In the light of this, the whole transport system needs a change of mindset, so that operators and others act on the basis that failures must be vanishingly rare, not commonplace.”
This meeting will provide an opportunity to develop a collaborative and comprehensive plan that ensures disabled people are treated with respect and provided with the accessibility services they require. By working together, we can set a new standard for inclusive and accessible transport that not only meets the needs of disabled people but also demonstrates the UK’s commitment to equality and human rights for all its citizens.
We are committed to working with the government and transport providers to create a truly inclusive transport system that serves everyone equally. We urge you to take this opportunity to meet with us and commit to making the changes required to uphold the rights of disabled people across the UK.
We look forward to your prompt response and the opportunity to collaborate on these critical changes.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Vogelmann, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Transport for All (Policy Forum founder)
Claire Walters, Chief Executive of Bus Users UK and Disability & Access Ambassador for Buses
Sarah Pugh, Chief Executive of Whizz Kidz
Stephen Brookes MBE, Transport Policy Adviser at Disability Rights UK
Eleanor Briggs, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Guide Dogs
Isabelle Clement, Director at Wheels for Wellbeing
Charles Colquhoun, CEO of Thomas Pocklington Trust