Transport Committee pledges to hold Government’s feet to the fire on accessibility

The Department for Transport (DfT) has promised a review of the legislative framework relating to disabled people’s access to all transport services, as part of the department’s response to the Transport Committee’s Access Denied report published in March.

The Transport Committee’s report highlighted widespread discrimination due to failures by transport operators to support disabled people to use services, and difficulties that disabled passengers experience when trying to complain or seek redress.

In response DfT says it will ask the independent Law Commission to carry out a review, with the eventual outcome of new “universal and clear” standards being recommended to the Government.

One of the Committee’s major recommendations was for DfT to produce an Inclusive Transport Strategy within 12 months. And while DfT’s response says that accessibility will be made a “key area of focus” in its forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy, but it is unclear when this will be published.

Furthermore DfT’s response does not fully answer the Committee’s call for a road map for achieving independent accessibility across the rail network.

The Government has also rejected the Transport Committee’s recommendation that transport regulators should immediately be given a mandate, with new resources, to proactively identify and enforce against breaches of accessibility law, and for regulators to report annually on their inspection and enforcement activity.

The report’s recommendations that the Government should establish single unified bodies to handle complaints and carry out enforcement regarding accessibility failures, across all modes of transport, are also both rejected.

Commenting on DfT’s response, Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury MP said, “There are warm words and some promising signs. But taken together, there is a disappointing lack of urgency to deliver real, lasting progress and improve the daily lives of disabled people – to close the gap between rights and reality. This can’t go on. 

“We need a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and inadequacies in our transport services. Straightening out the law, on its own, is unlikely to prompt the cultural transformation that makes a difference to people’s experience on the ground. A root and branch change in attitudes and more effective, user-friendly complaints and enforcement processes will all be needed, backed up by real incentives to improve and genuine penalties for failure.

“We are putting the Government on notice that we will be watching closely to see if they deliver for disabled travellers. Accessible transport is a theme this Committee will return to throughout this Parliament, expecting to see robust plans and progress. We will hold this Government’s feet to the fire and not let accessibility be forgotten about.”

Disabled-led campaign group Transport for All branded the Government's response to the Transport Committee investigation into accessibility as “weak, late, and inaccessible”.