Transport: Disability

The Government wants everyone to have access to public transport and is committed to improving the system, so it is more inclusive and enables disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. We recognise the particular importance of accessible transport in rural and coastal communities, where disabled people can face additional barriers to making the journeys they want and need.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating disability awareness and assistance training for bus drivers and passenger-facing staff; and requiring local transport authorities to assess their bus networks and publish Bus Network Accessibility Plans. These plans will support authorities to take a holistic view of how well local bus networks meet the needs of disabled people and identify where improvements are needed.

We recognise that taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide a vital door-to-door service for disabled people, including in rural and coastal communities where other transport options may be limited. The Department is continuing to consider, holistically, how the regulation of taxis and PHVs could be reformed. We will be bringing forward a draft taxi and PHV bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. This will set out, amongst other measures, how we intend to deliver more accessible services for disabled passengers, by strengthening existing protections and removing barriers to travel.

We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers on rail services and that is why we published the Department’s roadmap to an accessible railway alongside the Railways Bill. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established.

The Railways Bill will also establish a Passenger Watchdog, protecting the rights of disabled passengers by setting consumer standards including on accessibility, monitoring passenger experience and service delivery, investigating persistent issues, and advocating for improvements. We are also continuing to install accessible routes at stations through our Access for All programme and have completed a programme to install platform edge safety tactiles on every platform in the country.

We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and support greater consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers, including in rural and coastal communities.