Bus Users UK has described a powerful new report on transport accessibility as a ‘wake-up’ call for all those involved in the design, planning and delivery of services. ‘Access denied’ from the Transport Committee calls for an urgent overhaul of laws, strategy and attitudes to ‘get transport working for disabled people’.
The report supports findings from research by Bus Users UK which captured the lived-experiences of disabled people, the barriers to travel and the impact on their lives of inaccessible and unreliable transport.
Lydia Horbury, Bus Users UK’s Director for England, welcomed the report’s urgent call to action: “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 in order to highlight the urgent need for improvements, and the charity continues to work with local authorities, transport bodies and operators to ensure that accessibility is not an afterthought but an integral part of service planning and delivery.
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.”
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