It’s ‘Catch the Bus Month’ and we’re asking bus operators to pick up the pace of change in making their services accessible to all
Caroline Stickland is the CEO of Transport for All
Almost 30 years on from the laws that made buses accessible in the UK, let’s mark ‘Catch the Bus Month’ with a look at the past, present, and future of accessible transport.
Imagine it’s 1990…
It might seem like little has changed. The UK is still struggling financially. The England men’s football team has just gone out of another tournament.
But there’s one big difference – back in 1990, public buildings and public transport were inaccessible. No wheelchair user could get on a bus, and disabled people had no legal right to equality.
Politicians weren’t listening and after years of frustration, incredible disabled campaigners chained themselves to the very buses they couldn’t board. They held up traffic in cities across the UK, and held up placards demanding rights and access.
Finally politics paid attention. By 1995, the Disability Discrimination Act had been passed, and the first buses with ramps rolled into London.
Are we living the future dream?
Fast forward to today, and the 16 million disabled people in the UK use buses more than our non-disabled counterparts. Yet disabled people still make 38% fewer journeys each year than non-disabled people. The bus industry can, and must, take action to help close that gap.
Equality laws, and the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) introduced in 2000, have led to improved bus accessibility. However, even today, exemptions are still granted and regulations only apply to larger buses.
A review of the regulations which started in 2023 appears to have stalled. This means they still use outdated measurements that don’t reflect today’s sophisticated wheelchairs.
Operators who fail to consult disabled passengers before buying buses have bought unsuitable vehicles. As a result some companies refuse to let disabled passengers travel if they consider their modern wheelchair too big or heavy. Some companies leave eligibility unclear, meaning disabled passengers must call to check to see if they are allowed to use the bus.
The 16 million disabled people in the UK use buses more than our non-disabled counterparts
Almost all operators restrict access for people using mobility scooters. Some require scooter users to pass a size and driving assessment for their mobility aid – you don’t see pushchairs and wheelie suitcases subjected to that!
The outdated bus accessibility rules don’t apply to smaller vehicles, commonly used on hyper local or rural routes – or increasingly for Demand Responsive bus services. People who need buses most, because they can’t get to the main routes, might not be able to board their local bus.
For some, their bus no longer exists – around one in 10 local bus services were cut in 2022. In areas with reduced services, overcrowding on buses is preventing many disabled people travelling.
Vehicle design and information are only part of the picture. Bus drivers need Disability Equality Training, designed and delivered by disabled people. This means they can transport disabled passengers safely and respectfully. Bus Users UK found 89% of drivers have received disability awareness training, but there is no data on the quality or effectiveness of the training.
The pioneers
With the publication of the 2017 Bus Services Act, and the National Bus Strategy for England in 2021, some bus companies are forging ahead.
More and more operators are working in collaboration with disabled people during planning, vehicle purchase, and monitoring.
In Northern Ireland, Translink worked with a Disabled Person’s Organisation (DPO) on the launch of the Glider service. They involved disabled people in the bus design, ticketing and testing. After the buses launched there was a 25% increase in the number of disabled passengers using the route.
In Harrogate, Transport for All members recently reviewed buses with two wheelchair spaces. For the first time, local wheelchair users can catch the bus together – nobody should have to wait 40 minutes for separate buses to nip to the pub for a pint!
Yet, despite these areas of progress, the percentage of bus complaints that relate to accessibility increased between 2016/17 and 2021/2022, and barriers remain.
In the worst cases, drivers have abused disabled people asking for help
The road still ahead
Audio-visual displays will become a legal requirement in October 2026, but outside of London, over 70% of buses still don’t have them . Without them there can be disastrous consequences. One participant in our research (Are We There Yet?, 2023) offered an example: “The driver had shouted out if anyone needed the next stop, which as I am profoundly deaf, I didn’t hear and as a result it was not until a few stops later where I had no idea where I was that I realised something must have happened. The driver started shouting at me for not saying anything and left me at a bus stop where I had no idea how to get home. It made me feel angry, scared and excluded.”
Similarly, since 2017 bus drivers have had a duty to ask passengers to move shopping, luggage, and buggies out of wheelchair spaces, if a wheelchair user needs to get on the bus – and to act if that request is not followed.
Despite this, Transport for All’s latest research found over half of disabled people have been prevented from travelling because other passengers block the wheelchair space, or there are not enough priority seats.
In the worst cases, drivers have abused disabled people asking for help. Another participant in our Are We There Yet? research remarked: “My worst experience recently was when a bus pulled up with a buggy already on board. I went to the front of the bus to speak to the driver and to calmly remind him that wheelchairs have priority and to ask him to ask the person with the buggy to move.
“The driver became extremely angry and aggressive, and got out of his booth and stood up to yell down at me. He shouted in my face that I don’t have any right, and that ‘we are all equal’ so I don’t take priority. He then sped off. It was very frightening and made me cry, and damaged my confidence.”
Asking for a seat on a bus should never lead to abuse by a public official, and operators
who fail to address abuse like this are liable to face legal action.
We’re still waiting for the bus
Transport for All is working constructively with the bus sector to ensure disabled people’s experiences are truly influencing decisions – from the boardroom to the driver’s seat.
Every year, our disability equality training and consultancy help hundreds of transport staff make sure everyone is on board.
We’re asking bus operators to pick up the pace of change, and work in partnership with disabled people to create bus travel that’s safe and accessible for us all.
And if you can’t manage that? The 90’s are back in fashion, and we still have the handcuffs to chain ourselves to your bus!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caroline Stickland is the CEO of Transport for All, the disabled-led charity transforming the transport system so disabled people can travel with freedom, dignity, ease and confidence.
www.transportforall.org.uk
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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The post Transport should be for everyone first appeared on Passenger Transport.