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Accessible transport: legal obligations

Status: Closed Opened: 2 Feb 2023 Closed: 4 Mar 2026 18 recommendations 11 conclusions 4 reports

A variety of legal obligations to ensure accessibility apply to transport operators and local licensing authorities across different modes of transport, and the Transport Committee has conducted an inquiry into these legal obligations and whether they are being met. The Committee published their report on Thursday 20 March 2025 Read the report Read the large …

Clear

Reports

4 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
1st Report – Access denied: rights versus reality in disabl… HC 770 20 Mar 2025 29 Responded
Easy Read – 1st Report – Access denied: rights versus reali… HC 770 20 Mar 2025 0 Responded
BSL report summary – 1st Report – Access denied: rights ver… HC 770 20 Mar 2025 0 Responded
Audio summary – 1st Report – Access denied: rights versus r… HC 770 20 Mar 2025 0 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
27 Conclusion 1st Report – Access denied: rights vers… Not Addressed

Effective enforcement routes for street environment accessibility are absent and insufficient.

There appears to be no effective or easily available enforcement route for accessibility in the street environment in particular. There is instead a reliance on upstream measures such as local authorities following good practice, consulting effectively and having “due regard” under the Public Sector Equality Duty, but these appear insufficient …

Government response. The government's response broadly discusses reiterating the importance of accessibility duties to regulators and establishing a forum to improve accountability and enforcement, but it does not specifically address the lack of effective enforcement routes for accessibility in the street environment.
Department for Transport
29 Recommendation 1st Report – Access denied: rights vers… Not Addressed

Review roles of transport accessibility enforcement bodies and legislate for consistent, sufficient powers.

The Department should within 12 months review the roles of enforcement bodies with responsibilities for transport accessibility and prepare to legislate where necessary: • to ensure that all have consistent and sufficient powers at their disposal, and have both the powers and resources needed to intervene formally at lower thresholds …

Government response. The government's response focuses on reiterating accessibility duties in annual leadership letters to Arm's-length Bodies and envisaging an accessibility charter, but does not address the recommendation to review the roles and powers of enforcement bodies within 12 months or consider …
Department for Transport

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions
Date Witnesses
13 Dec 2023 Anthony Browne · Department for Transport, Guy Opperman · Department for Transport, Huw Merriman · Department for Transport, John Kirkpatrick · Equality and Human Rights Commission, Liz Wilson · Department for Transport View ↗
22 Nov 2023 Anna Bowles · Civil Aviation Authority, Councillor Linda Taylor · Local Government Association, Jacqueline Starr · Rail Delivery Group, Karen Dee · Airport Operators Association, Loveday Ryder · DVSA, Mr Keith McNally · Confederation of Passenger Transport, Ms Alison Smith · Network Rail and Great British Railways Transition Team, Rob Griggs · Airlines UK, Stephanie Tobyn · Office of Rail and Road View ↗
25 Oct 2023 Caroline Stickland · Transport for All, Catherine Casserley · Cloisters Chambers, Doug Paulley, Accessible transport campaigner, Professor Anna Lawson · School of Law, University of Leeds, Stephen Brookes MBE · Disability Rights UK View ↗
13 Sep 2023 Andy Mellors · Avanti West Coast, Anthony Smith · Transport Focus, Christopher Brooks · Age UK, David Horne · London and North Eastern Railway Company, Katie Pennick · Transport for All, Louise Rubin · Scope, Mick Lynch · National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT), Richard Allan · Chiltern Railways, Simon Moorhead · Rail Delivery Group, Stephanie Tobyn · Office of Rail and Road View ↗
14 Jun 2023 Alan Benson MBE, Christiane Link, Stephen Anderson, The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE View ↗

Correspondence

19 letters
DateDirectionTitle
21 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from the Minister for Rail relating to accessibility at stations, dated …
2 Jul 2025 To cttee Letter from the Secretary of State for Transport relating to the Government res…
13 Jun 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Secretary of State for Transport relating to the G…
21 Feb 2024 — Correspondence from the Minister for Maritime International and Security relati…
21 Feb 2024 — Correspondence from the Deputy Chief Executive, EHRC relating to accessible tra…
21 Feb 2024 — Correspondence from Chair to Minister for Maritime International and Security, …
24 Jan 2024 — Correspondence from the Operations Director, Confederation of Passenger Transpo…
17 Jan 2024 — Correspondence from the Traffic Commissioner relating to Public Service Vehicle…
17 Jan 2024 — Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for …
22 Nov 2023 — Correspondence from the Minister for Rail, Department for Transport, relating t…
15 Nov 2023 — Correspondence from the Managing Director, Chiltern Railways relating to rail t…
23 Oct 2023 — Correspondence from the Chair of the Committee to the Minister for Rail relatin…
20 Oct 2023 — Correspondence from the Managing Director, LNER relating to rail ticket office …
20 Oct 2023 — Correspondence from the Managing Director, Chiltern Railways relating to rail t…
20 Oct 2023 — Correspondence from the Managing Director, Avanti West Coast Railways relating …
20 Oct 2023 — Correspondence from the Chief Information Officer, Rail Delivery Group relating…
19 Sep 2023 — Correspondence from the Chief Executive, LNER, relating to Accessible transport…
12 Sep 2023 — Correspondence from Chair to the Rail Minister relating to rail ticket offices,…
12 Sep 2023 — Correspondence from the Rail Minister relating to rail ticket offices, dated 11…