Public transport ‘locks out’ millions of disabled people, according to new research

Millions of disabled and older people are excluded from public transport systems due to inconsistent accessibility across the UK, according to new research from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The report, En route to inclusive public transport, calls on the Government to redirect funding towards fixing stations, vehicles and interchanges that actively block travel, rather than announcing new schemes that leave old ones untouched.

It adds that ‘shiny new trains’ alone won’t fix the broken transport system, as millions are still locked out by outdated stations and networks. What is needed is to integrate the retrofitting of stations and disabled access points directly into the procurement process.

Invest in infrastructure to make public transport accessible

James Partington, Director of Engineering Policy and Impact from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “Most of today’s transport system was never designed to be inclusive — and that is where the biggest failure lies. Accessibility will not be achieved by new projects alone. The greatest need is in the infrastructure people are using right now, it needs to be made fit for purpose and available to all. It doesn’t matter how many wonderfully accessible new trains are commissioned, if it remains impossible for everyone to get to the platform unaided.

“There needs to be a total reset in how transport success is judged — away from box-ticking and towards real-world outcomes. People with disabilities need to be included in developing transport system from the very start of any project.

“Accessibility is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It is the test of whether public transport is fit for purpose. If people cannot complete a journey safely and independently, the system is broken.”

Accessibility gap costs £72 billion

In new research, the Institution states that inaccessible transport is excluding millions from work, education, and healthcare – and slowing economic growth as a result.

The National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat) reported that over 90% of disabled people encounter barriers on at least one mode of transport. This can restrict access to education, employment, volunteering, health, leisure, and tourism opportunities. All of these help our communities and economy to thrive. A 2022 Motability report estimates that the annual economic benefit from closing the transport accessibility gap is £72 billion.

Public transport that excludes people is not a functioning public service, according to the report, as it keeps talented people out of the workforce and training for tomorrow’s skills, weakening the economy.

The research argues that the government cannot build its way out of this crisis with impressive new projects while old barriers remain embedded across the network.

Integrating station retrofitting and disabled-access points directly into the procurement process will ensure accessibility is built in from the start. This ‘disability smart procurement’, mandating tactile paving, lifts and accessible signage into the initial tender, is significantly cheaper than trying to put things right after a project is completed.

It adds that retrofitting must be treated as core infrastructure investment, not a discretionary extra, with funding going first to the places that cause the greatest exclusion, not the places that are easiest to upgrade.

The report warns that delay comes at a cost — to individuals and to the economy — and that a country cannot build an inclusive future on an inaccessible past, with new projects meaning little if old ones still exclude.

“If transport works for the people who struggle most to use it, it will work better for everyone,” it concludes.

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today.

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