Thank you for contacting me about access for disabled people.
It is important for all people to have equal access to transport so I am proud of the Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy, which was published last year. The ambition is for disabled people to have the same access to transport as everyone else and to be able to travel confidently, easily and without extra cost by 2030, with assistance if physical infrastructure remains a barrier.
I am pleased that progress has been made. 99 per cent of buses either had an accessibility certificate or had low-floor access by March 2018, compared to only 81 per cent in March 2010. In summer 2018, Ministers consulted on proposals to require accessible on-board information provision on local bus services throughout Great Britain, recognising the importance of such information in helping bus passengers to travel with confidence. I understand that the Department for Transport expects to announce the next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.
The Department for Transport has ensured that all bus drivers on local and scheduled services are legally required to undertake disability equality and awareness training, helping to ensure that they can provide every passenger with the assistance they require. I understand that the Department is continuing to develop a monitoring and enforcement framework for mandatory bus driver disability awareness training, which will include identifying a body to ensure compliance by bus operators with legal requirements. As I understand, the aim is to have this in place by spring 2019. Rates of compliance with mandatory bus driver disability awareness training now appear in the annual bus statistics survey and I am encouraged that the 2018/19 bus statistics show high rates of compliance.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
