Accessible transport: legal obligations

Transport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 2 Feb 2023 Closed: 4 Mar 2026 Parliament page
A variety of legal obligations to ensure accessibility apply to transport operators and local licensing authorities across different modes of transport, and the Transport Committee has conducted an inquiry into these legal obligations and whether they are being met. The Committee published their report on Thursday 20 March 2025 Read … Read more
18 Recommendations
11 Conclusions
4 Reports
5 Oral sessions
19 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 37 events
21 Jan
2026
Correspondence
2 Jul
2025
Correspondence
13 Jun
2025
Report published
13 Jun
2025
Report published
13 Jun
2025
Report published
13 Jun
2025
Report published
13 Jun
2025
Correspondence
20 Mar
2025
Report published
20 Mar
2025
Report published
20 Mar
2025
Report published
20 Mar
2025
Report published
21 Feb
2024
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
13 Dec 2023
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Anthony Browne · Department for Transport Guy Opperman · Department for Transport Huw Merriman · Department for Transport John Kirkpatrick · Equality and Human Rights Commission Liz Wilson · Department for Transport
22 Nov 2023
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Anna Bowles · Civil Aviation Authority Councillor Linda Taylor · Local Government Association Jacqueline Starr · Rail Delivery Group Karen Dee · Airport Operators Association Loveday Ryder · DVSA Mr Keith McNally · Confederation of Passenger Transport Ms Alison Smith · Network Rail and Great British Railways Transition Team Rob Griggs · Airlines UK Stephanie Tobyn · Office of Rail and Road
25 Oct 2023
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Caroline Stickland · Transport for All Catherine Casserley · Cloisters Chambers Doug Paulley, Accessible transport campaigner Professor Anna Lawson · School of Law, University of Leeds Stephen Brookes MBE · Disability Rights UK
13 Sep 2023
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Accessible transport: ticket office closures
Andy Mellors · Avanti West Coast Anthony Smith · Transport Focus Christopher Brooks · Age UK David Horne · London and North Eastern Railway Company Katie Pennick · Transport for All Louise Rubin · Scope Mick Lynch · National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT) Richard Allan · Chiltern Railways Simon Moorhead · Rail Delivery Group Stephanie Tobyn · Office of Rail and Road
14 Jun 2023
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Alan Benson MBE Christiane Link Stephen Anderson The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Mandate adequately funded and planned involvement of disabled people in developing transport accessibility solutions.
Aside from the structural legal issues, it is clear from the evidence that myriad specific practical issues need to be addressed, across all transport modes and relating to all kinds of disability, to improve compliance and practice on a daily … Read more
Government Response
The government states it will act on the practical accessibility issues raised by the inquiry and will ensure operators and regulators treat accessibility as a fundamental and prioritised expectation.
Department for Transport
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2 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Inclusive Transport Strategy's 2030 equal access goal will not be met on current trajectory.
The 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy set a goal of “creating a transport system offering equal access for disabled people by 2030”. Regardless of the status of individual actions set out in that Strategy, it is evident that the overall goal … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts that its strategic approach to accessibility needs improvement and will embed it as a 'golden thread' within the forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy (INTS), focusing on a clear action plan and milestones.
Department for Transport
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4 Recommendation Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Establish accessibility as a non-negotiable policy goal for all government decision-making.
Decision-makers too often deem accessibility to be in conflict with, and less important than, other policy goals, technical requirements or cost pressures. The Government’s starting point must be that accessibility has to be delivered, not that it will only be … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts that accessibility must be a "golden thread" in transport system design and operation, committing to embedding it within the forthcoming Integrated Transport Strategy with clear action plans and milestones to ensure it is not sidelined.
Department for Transport
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8 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Routine rail assistance failures are unacceptable and must become vanishingly rare occurrences.
The seemingly routine, everyday nature of assistance failures on the rail network is unacceptable. Accessibility must not be viewed through the same lens as customer service, where less than 100 per cent performance is considered normal. Accessibility failures should be … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the need to improve its strategic approach to accessibility, committing to embed it as a 'golden thread' within a forthcoming Inclusive Transport Strategy (INTS) which will include a clear action plan and milestones.
Department for Transport
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9 Recommendation Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Embed accountability for accessibility failures and collect comprehensive data on occurrences.
The Government’s new strategy for inclusive transport should set out what practical measures it will take to embed the principle that every instance of not meeting accessibility obligations constitutes a serious failure for which operators and service providers will be … Read more
Government Response
The government commits to embedding accountability measures and a clear action plan within its forthcoming Inclusive Transport Strategy to address accessibility obligations and failures.
Department for Transport
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11 Recommendation Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Change processes to build accessibility into departmental decision-making and internal checks.
The Department must set out in response to this report how it will change its processes in order to build accessibility into decision-making processes both internally and at agencies overseen by the Department, and how it will ensure that internal … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to integrate accessibility into decision-making, stating it will review business case guidance and associated processes to better reflect impacts on people with disabilities. It has also expanded its People and Equalities Centre of Excellence (PECoE) team to drive internal culture change.
Department for Transport
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12 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Overdue aspiration to involve DPTAC more thoroughly in wider transport policy welcomed.
We welcome the aspiration expressed by the Department in the last Parliament to involve the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee more thoroughly in the policy-making process beyond policy specific to accessibility. This was long overdue, considering that DPTAC was established … Read more
Government Response
The government states that the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) already plays a key role across all aspects of policy development and has agreed to enhance its public reporting by publishing regular updates and meeting minutes.
Department for Transport
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18 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Government’s rail reform consultation document shows weak focus on transport accessibility for disabled people.
We welcome the focus in the Government’s rail reform consultation paper on streamlining, consolidating and strengthening powers for protecting passenger interests, resolving complaints and monitoring rights and standards. However, the focus on accessibility in the consultation document appears relatively weak … Read more
Government Response
The government confirms the forthcoming Railways Bill will create a new passenger watchdog, which was proposed to have an explicit duty on accessibility for monitoring and advocating improvements, with the full consultation response due later this year.
Department for Transport
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19 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Disabled people face an unreasonable burden when pursuing transport accessibility complaints.
An unreasonable burden is currently placed on disabled people themselves in holding transport operators and authorities to account for fulfilling their duties. Legal action is rarely a practical option for most individuals, so it is especially important that complaints processes … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the complexity of complaints processes and is already working with disabled people's groups to improve information. It will undertake further work to explore simplifying complaints processes and escalation routes across modes, starting with assessing bus complaints pathways.
Department for Transport
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23 Conclusion Accepted
1st Report – Access denied: rights…
Transport accessibility legislative and regulatory framework is overly complicated and fragmented.
The landscape of legislative and regulatory requirements for transport accessible is overly complicated and fragmented and needs to adapt to changing uses of transport. This prevents both operators and travellers readily understanding rights and obligations, and makes redress harder to … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the conclusion that transport accessibility legislation is complicated and commits to having the Law Commission undertake a review of the framework to provide clearer standards.
Department for Transport
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Government Response AI assessment · 29 of 18 classified
Accepted 10
Accepted in Part 5
Acknowledged 7
Deferred 4
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 1
Total 18 recs + 11 conclusions
Correspondence 19 letters
21 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from the Minister for Rail relating to accessibility at stations, dated 15 January 2026
Parliament page
2 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from the Secretary of State for Transport relating to the Government response to accessible transport report, dated 26 June 2025
Parliament page
13 Jun 2025 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Secretary of State for Transport relating to the Government's response to the Committee's report on accessible transport, dated 11 June 2025
Parliament page
21 Feb 2024 Correspondence from the Minister for Maritime International and Security relating to maritime accessibility, dated 31 January 2024
Parliament page
21 Feb 2024 Correspondence from the Deputy Chief Executive, EHRC relating to accessible transport evidence, dated 13 January 2024
Parliament page
21 Feb 2024 Correspondence from Chair to Minister for Maritime International and Security, Department for Transport relating to maritime accessibility, dated 11 January 2024
Parliament page
24 Jan 2024 Correspondence from the Operations Director, Confederation of Passenger Transport relating to accessible transport follow-up evidence, dated 18 December 2023
Parliament page
17 Jan 2024 Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport relating to oral evidence session follow-up from 13 December 2023, dated 12 January 2024
Parliament page
17 Jan 2024 Correspondence from the Traffic Commissioner relating to Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000, dated 19 December 2023
Parliament page
22 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the Minister for Rail, Department for Transport, relating to rail ticket office closures, dated 14 November 2023
Parliament page
15 Nov 2023 Correspondence from the Managing Director, Chiltern Railways relating to rail ticket office closures, dated 8 November 2023
Parliament page
23 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Chair of the Committee to the Minister for Rail relating to proposals for rail ticket office closures, dated 20 October 2023
Parliament page
20 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Chief Information Officer, Rail Delivery Group relating to rail ticket office closures, dated 9 October 2023
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20 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Managing Director, Chiltern Railways relating to rail ticket office closures, dated 11 October 2023
Parliament page
20 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Managing Director, LNER relating to rail ticket office closures, dated 11 October 2023
Parliament page
20 Oct 2023 Correspondence from the Managing Director, Avanti West Coast Railways relating to rail ticket office closures, dated 11 October 2023
Parliament page
19 Sep 2023 Correspondence from the Chief Executive, LNER, relating to Accessible transport - rail ticket office closures, dated 19 September 2023
Parliament page
12 Sep 2023 Correspondence from Chair to the Rail Minister relating to rail ticket offices, dated 27 July 2023
Parliament page
12 Sep 2023 Correspondence from the Rail Minister relating to rail ticket offices, dated 11 September 2023
Parliament page