Carers should fly free of charge when assisting disabled people, ministers claim

The Government has been warned it needs to work harder to improve accessibility for disabled people across the UK’s transport networks.

The Department for Transport has been told that improvements must be made after a report has found a fifth people living with a disability have experienced difficulty accessing transport networks.

There are currently an estimated 11.5 million people living with a disability in the UK.

Launching the report by the Transport Committee, Louise Ellman, chair said: “Changes made ahead of the 2012 Paralympic Games delivered access for disabled people to significantly more parts of the public transport network for the first time and highlighted the immense value of such improvements for all.

“Yet a year later, there is a risk that some of the momentum from London 2012 is being lost because further key accessibility improvements planned by the Department for Transport are been watered-down or abandoned.”

The Committee has called for a change in EU rules so that carers can receive free travel when assisting a disabled person to fly where the airline has judged they are incapable of flying independently.

A focus has also been placed on a possible reform of rules controlling how compensation is paid by airlines if a disabled person’s mobility equipment is damaged in transit.

The report criticised the Government’s decision not to require all bus drivers to have basic training in disability awareness and has called for a public national awareness campaign to ensure that bus users respect bus space intended for wheelchair users.

Ms Ellman said: “On buses, the Government’s decision not to require all drivers to have basic training in disability awareness is unacceptable.”

“Penalties should also be imposed on bus operators who claim to offer accessible routes but then fail to provide accessible buses, and ministers should require the phased introduction of audio-visual information systems on all buses over the next ten years as part of the DfT’s Accessibility Action Plan.”

Leonard Cheshire Disability’s head of policy and campaigns, Guy Parckar, also comments: “Today’s report highlights that action is still needed to make transport accessible for disabled people.

“As the report states, all too often disabled people find that inaccessible transport prevents them from enjoying the same opportunities as anyone else. It can mean people turning down jobs, missing medical appointments, ending up trapped and unable to get out and about.

“In our evidence to the committee, Leonard Cheshire Disability set out some proposals to improve access to transport for disabled people. We have seen some change for the better, but we should be looking to make the UK the world leader in access for disabled people. A transport system that really is accessible for everyone must be at the heart of that.”

A nationwide programme of disability training for taxis and private hire vehicle drivers has also been recommended to the Department for Transport.