Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
1st Report – Access denied: rights versus reality in disabled people's access to transport
Transport Committee
HC 770
Published 20 March 2025
Recommendations
3
Accepted in Part
Publish new Inclusive Transport Strategy within 12 months with clear metrics, actions, and costed milestones.
Recommendation
The Government should publish within 12 months a new Inclusive Transport Strategy. This strategy must have a stretching ambition, but one underpinned by metrics, actions, costings and milestones which clearly map out a practical pathway to deliver on that ambition. …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepts the need for an improved strategic approach to accessibility but will incorporate it within its forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy (INTS) rather than publishing a separate Inclusive Transport Strategy, ensuring it has a clear action plan, milestones, and specific focus on people.
Department for Transport
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4
Accepted
Establish accessibility as a non-negotiable policy goal for all government decision-making.
Recommendation
Decision-makers too often deem accessibility to be in conflict with, and less important than, other policy goals, technical requirements or cost pressures. The Government’s starting point must be that accessibility has to be delivered, not that it will only be …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepts that accessibility must be a "golden thread" in transport system design and operation, committing to embedding it within the forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy with clear action plans and milestones to ensure it is not sidelined.
Department for Transport
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5
Accepted in Part
Commit to publishing a roadmap for achieving independent rail network accessibility within 12 months.
Recommendation
As part of a new Inclusive Transport Strategy, the Government must set out concrete timescales for achieving independent accessibility across the rail network, and commit to setting out within 12 months a road map for how to meet those timescales. …
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Government Response Summary
The government will publish an Accessibility Roadmap later this year, outlining measures and initiatives to be undertaken before Great British Railways is established, but it does not explicitly commit to setting concrete timescales for achieving full independent accessibility across the entire rail network.
Department for Transport
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6
Deferred
Adopt a rolling programme of rapid interventions for station accessibility upgrades.
Recommendation
Progress in implementing agreed accessibility upgrades at stations has been too halting, and delivery too slow and costly. The Department for Transport and its agencies and partners should consider adopting a different commissioning approach based on a rolling programme of …
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Government Response Summary
The government is exploring adapting the Access for All programme to a longer-term, rolling programme to improve efficiency and delivery. It will also consider how regulators could be empowered to proactively enforce accessible design standards.
Department for Transport
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7
Accepted in Part
Publish full station accessibility audit information and an open data register of key assets.
Recommendation
Station accessibility audit information must be published in full within two months of this report to permit independent scrutiny of progress, the resources required and any decisions made to rule out works at particular locations. In its Inclusive Transport Strategy, …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that rail station accessibility audit data is already available on the Rail Data Marketplace. For bus and rail accessibility assets, the Department is undertaking discovery work to capture this data within NaPTAN for future journey planning tools.
Department for Transport
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9
Accepted
Embed accountability for accessibility failures and collect comprehensive data on occurrences.
Recommendation
The Government’s new strategy for inclusive transport should set out what practical measures it will take to embed the principle that every instance of not meeting accessibility obligations constitutes a serious failure for which operators and service providers will be …
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Government Response Summary
The government commits to embedding accountability measures and a clear action plan within its forthcoming Inclusive Transport Strategy to address accessibility obligations and failures.
Department for Transport
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11
Accepted
Change processes to build accessibility into departmental decision-making and internal checks.
Recommendation
The Department must set out in response to this report how it will change its processes in order to build accessibility into decision-making processes both internally and at agencies overseen by the Department, and how it will ensure that internal …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees to integrate accessibility into decision-making, stating it will review business case guidance and associated processes to better reflect impacts on people with disabilities. It has also expanded its People and Equalities Centre of Excellence (PECoE) team to drive internal culture change.
Department for Transport
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13
Accepted in Part
Share DPTAC's policy involvement work plan and publish quarterly impact reports.
Recommendation
The Department should share with this Committee a work plan mapping out DPTAC’s involvement in upcoming policy decisions, and publish quarterly reports detailing the impact that DPTAC has had on the Department’s decision-making. (Recommendation, Paragraph 77)
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Government Response Summary
The government states that DPTAC's publishing decisions are for DPTAC itself, but notes that DPTAC has agreed to enhance its public reporting by publishing regular work programme updates and meeting minutes at least quarterly.
Department for Transport
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14
Acknowledged
Embed accessibility as a core goal for Great British Railways in forthcoming legislation.
Recommendation
The establishment of Great British Railways presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix accessibility as a core goal and responsibility of the railway and as a guiding principle for its decision-making. The opportunity must not be squandered, and we urge the …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that focused work will continue on the design of Great British Railways over the next 12-18 months, including how accessibility will be approached within its customer-focused culture, but does not explicitly commit to fixing accessibility as a core goal through a full range of mechanisms.
Department for Transport
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16
Accepted in Part
Establish an expert unit to review, benchmark, and standardise transport accessibility training packages.
Recommendation
It is not sufficient for training to be delivered on disability awareness, accessibility and preventing discrimination: the training must be of a guaranteed minimum standard and proven to be effective in improving outcomes. The Department for Transport should, with the …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees there is merit in reviewing, benchmarking, and standardising training packages across transport modes. It will work with DPTAC and disabled persons organisations to assess how this can be undertaken timely to support new statutory training requirements, though it doesn't commit to establishing a dedicated expert unit.
Department for Transport
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17
Deferred
Mandate Great British Railways to prioritise accessibility in future staffing level and location decisions.
Recommendation
The presence of staff is often a crucial determinant of the ability of disabled people to travel. Ahead of the establishment of Great British Railways and nationalisation of operating companies, the Department must be prepared to intervene where necessary to …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the important role of staff for disabled travellers and highlights existing requirements. It defers specific actions to future initiatives like the Accessibility Roadmap, the forthcoming Railways Bill (which will propose an accessibility duty for a new watchdog), and design work for GBR over the next 12-18 months.
Department for Transport
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20
Acknowledged
Establish a unified service with disabled people to receive and triage transport accessibility complaints.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department for Transport work with disabled people’s organisations to design a unified service to receive and triage accessibility complaints or reports of failures, ensure that they reach the relevant operator, authority or regulator, and follow them …
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Government Response Summary
The government highlights existing work to improve information on rights and redress, and commits to exploring how complaints processes and escalation routes could be simplified, but does not commit to designing or implementing a unified complaints service within the specified timeframe.
Department for Transport
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21
Acknowledged
Analyse complaint data to identify systemic issues and report quarterly on service improvements.
Recommendation
Users of such a service must receive assurance that information about complaints and failures is being aggregated and used proactively to improve systems and services, not just to effect redress to the individual. In order to achieve this, the Department …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the complexity of complaints and has worked to improve information for disabled people. It commits to undertaking further work to explore and assess how complaints processes can be simplified, including mapping processes with stakeholders to identify how data use and transparency can be captured, collated, and published.
Department for Transport
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22
Rejected
Mandate all licensed transport providers to appoint accessible transport champions for passenger experience assessment.
Recommendation
As one way of reducing the need for complaints in the first place, we recommend that all licensed transport providers be required to appoint an accessible transport champion with the specific responsibility for navigating journeys on a regular basis to …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to require all licensed transport providers to appoint an accessible transport champion, stating it is not within its remit to impose specific personnel roles on operators, though it acknowledges such initiatives may be beneficial.
Department for Transport
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24
Deferred
Lead a review of transport accessibility legislation, collaborating with disabled people, to update and clarify standards.
Recommendation
The Department for Transport should lead a review of transport accessibility legislation in collaboration with the Office for Equality and Opportunity, and with meaningful involvement and leadership by disabled people, to assess how it could be streamlined, clarified and updated, …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepts the need to review transport accessibility legislation but has deferred the work to the Law Commission, having approached them to assess their capacity to undertake this review.
Department for Transport
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25
Deferred
Require evidence of e-scooter schemes managing negative impacts on disabled people's street access.
Recommendation
The case of e-scooters demonstrates the importance of ensuring that enforcement is not an afterthought when new elements are introduced into transport networks. Should the Government eventually seek to legislate for permanent e-scooter rental schemes or use of privately-owned e-scooters …
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Government Response Summary
The government notes the importance of evidence for future e-scooter regulation and intends to consult on new regulations. It is undertaking trials and evaluations until May 2026, with results to be published in due course, and has announced powers for local leaders to regulate micromobility schemes.
Department for Transport
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28
Acknowledged
Mandate regulators with resources to proactively enforce accessibility laws and publish breach data.
Recommendation
The Secretary of State should immediately give regulators an explicit mandate, backed by the necessary resources, to be far more proactive within the scope of their current powers in identifying and enforcing against breaches of accessibility law and regulations by …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of enforcing accessibility duties and, as a first step, will reiterate these duties in annual leadership directive letters to Arm's-length Bodies and agencies. The Department also envisages co-producing an accessibility charter.
Department for Transport
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29
Not Addressed
Review roles of transport accessibility enforcement bodies and legislate for consistent, sufficient powers.
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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 legislation for consistent powers and coverage.
Department for Transport
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Conclusions (11)
1
Conclusion
Accepted
Aside from the structural legal issues, it is clear from the evidence that myriad specific practical issues need to be addressed, across all transport modes and relating to all kinds of disability, to improve compliance and practice on a daily basis. We will seek to hold the Department for Transport, …
Government Response Summary
The government states it will act on the practical accessibility issues raised by the inquiry and will ensure operators and regulators treat accessibility as a fundamental and prioritised expectation.
2
Conclusion
Accepted
The 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy set a goal of “creating a transport system offering equal access for disabled people by 2030”. Regardless of the status of individual actions set out in that Strategy, it is evident that the overall goal will not be achieved on that timescale. A positive direction …
Government Response Summary
The government accepts that its strategic approach to accessibility needs improvement and will embed it as a 'golden thread' within the forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy (INTS), focusing on a clear action plan and milestones.
8
Conclusion
Accepted
The seemingly routine, everyday nature of assistance failures on the rail network is unacceptable. Accessibility must not be viewed through the same lens as customer service, where less than 100 per cent performance is considered normal. Accessibility failures should be vanishingly rare, not commonplace, but too few actors in the …
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the need to improve its strategic approach to accessibility, committing to embed it as a 'golden thread' within a forthcoming Inclusive Transport Strategy (INTS) which will include a clear action plan and milestones.
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Despite all the mechanisms in place to safeguard accessibility, proposals which risked significantly damaging disabled people’s access to the rail network by closing hundreds of ticket offices were published in 2023 and only withdrawn after a huge response to public consultation. This was a waste of time and resources and …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that effective governance, transparency, and meaningful consultation are fundamental aspects of accountable government, acknowledging the principles behind the committee's observation regarding ticket office closures.
12
Conclusion
Accepted
We welcome the aspiration expressed by the Department in the last Parliament to involve the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee more thoroughly in the policy-making process beyond policy specific to accessibility. This was long overdue, considering that DPTAC was established in 1985. (Conclusion, Paragraph 76)
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) already plays a key role across all aspects of policy development and has agreed to enhance its public reporting by publishing regular updates and meeting minutes.
15
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Operators are at pains to emphasise the complexity of the systems they work within, especially when it comes to journeys involving multiple organisations or modes. But people are entitled to expect to be able to make complicated journeys to get where they need to go; disabled people are no different. …
Government Response Summary
The government states it has already begun developing an Integrated National Transport Strategy focused on delivering seamless and accessible journeys for all users. This strategy aims to make transport user-focused, safe, inclusive, and reliable.
18
Conclusion
Accepted
We welcome the focus in the Government’s rail reform consultation paper on streamlining, consolidating and strengthening powers for protecting passenger interests, resolving complaints and monitoring rights and standards. However, the focus on accessibility in the consultation document appears relatively weak in comparison to the severity of the problem. It will …
Government Response Summary
The government confirms the forthcoming Railways Bill will create a new passenger watchdog, which was proposed to have an explicit duty on accessibility for monitoring and advocating improvements, with the full consultation response due later this year.
19
Conclusion
Accepted
An unreasonable burden is currently placed on disabled people themselves in holding transport operators and authorities to account for fulfilling their duties. Legal action is rarely a practical option for most individuals, so it is especially important that complaints processes are made more accessible and effective. The user should not …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the complexity of complaints processes and is already working with disabled people's groups to improve information. It will undertake further work to explore simplifying complaints processes and escalation routes across modes, starting with assessing bus complaints pathways.
23
Conclusion
Accepted
The landscape of legislative and regulatory requirements for transport accessible is overly complicated and fragmented and needs to adapt to changing uses of transport. This prevents both operators and travellers readily understanding rights and obligations, and makes redress harder to access. (Conclusion, Paragraph 123)
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the conclusion that transport accessibility legislation is complicated and commits to having the Law Commission undertake a review of the framework to provide clearer standards.
26
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The confidence that regulators evince in informal methods of enforcement and its deterrent effect on other operators is not justified by the experience of travellers. We recognise that reputational incentives such as performance rankings have a part to play, as do informal collaboration and education, but failure to adhere to …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of regulators fulfilling their accessibility duties and will reiterate this in annual leadership letters. It intends to establish a collaborative forum to identify practical steps to improve accountability and strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and to co-produce an accessibility charter.
27
Conclusion
Not Addressed
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 Summary
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.