Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of barriers to transport faced by disabled people across the UK on disabled people; and what steps are being taken to deliver transport equity for disabled people.

The Government recognises that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all, and we are committed to delivering change as part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We want to see passenger transport services that are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to address some of the barriers faced by disabled people when using local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff and requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We also know disabled passengers often face barriers when travelling by rail and we are committed to improving this experience. That is why we published the Department’s roadmap to an accessible railway. 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 to protect the rights of disabled passengers by monitoring service delivery, investigating persistent issues, setting minimum standards and advocating for improvements. We are also continuing to install accessible routes at stations through our Access for All programme.

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 create consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.