Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Accepted
Disabled people face persistent barriers to bus use due to inaccessible information and infrastructure.
Recommendation
Disabled people face persistent barriers to bus use, including lack of accessible travel information at bus stops and on-board, inaccessible ticketing systems and bus doors, as set out in evidence submitted by Transformative Transport Service Design Initiative.59 Further evidence from Later Life Ambitions explains how cuts to bus services have contributed to older people losing their independence.60 We asked the Department about the accessibility of wider bus infrastructure beyond vehicles, for example how easy it is to get to bus stops, and on or off the bus. The Department told us it is developing bus network accessibility plans and that it will build its accessibility data into its outcomes framework to drive improvements. We also heard that it is exploring whether it can include information on the accessibility of bus stops in journey planning data.61
Government Response Summary
The department will write to the Committee with a further update on its understanding of the barriers preventing concessionary travel within six months, and details of its plans to address them.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6a. PAC recommendation: The department should, within six months, write to the committee setting out the specific barriers preventing elderly and disabled passengers getting back on buses and its plans to address them. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2026 6.2 Concessionary bus journeys have been increasing year-on-year since Covid but remain below pre-Covid levels. As is often the case for behavioural changes, the evidence base underpinning this can be difficult to interpret and variable. 6.3 Available evidence, including feedback from local transport authorities, suggests that the key factors include: • more journeys made by concessionary passengers being discretionary – with any changes in bus service frequency or connections made to adjust to new post-COVID travel patterns potentially having a disproportionate impact; • the cost of living resulting in less disposable income and reduced leisure trips for some passholders; and • partial movement to online for shopping and medical appointments. 6.4 The Bus Services Act 2025 introduced key legislative measures aimed at improving local bus services and accountability, which the department anticipates will help to remedy any impact of service stability on concessionary travel. 6.5 The department will write to the Committee with a further update on its understanding of the barriers preventing concessionary travel within six months, and details of its plans to address them.