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Accessibility and Equality Action Plan:
Progress Update
January 2015
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Contents
Foreword
1.Improving physical accessibility
Buses & Coaches
Community Transport
Local transport in rural and isolated communities
Wheels to Work (W2W)
Rail Vehicles
Access for All Programme
Crossrail
Train Station Design for Disabled People: Code of Practice
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles
Mobility scooters
Tactile Paving Guidance review
Inclusive Mobility Guidance review
Cycling Delivery Plan
2.Information & Communication
Transport Direct
Audio-Visual (AV) Technical Solutions for Buses
Smart ticketing
Mobility Centres Review
Travel training
3.Improving Attitudes & Behaviour toward vulnerable categories of passengers
Reducing conflict in the shared space area on public transport
Disability Equality Awareness Training
Code of Conduct on treatment of passengers/staff on buses
Passenger Assist Evaluation research
Improving the tools for reporting, recording and analysis of crime and anti-social behaviour incidents on public transport
Door to Door safety
Road safety
4.Monitoring & Engagement
The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC)
Building our Evidence Base
Working with Young People
Equality information
Transport and Disability Statistics
New Guidance on Consultation
Working with Civil Society
Family Tests
Cross Government working:
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Foreword
We are working toward a fairer society by improving equality and reducing discrimination and disadvantage for all, at work, and in people’s life chances. It is not only the right thing to do, but there is also a strong economic argument for equality. We must all reach our full potential for a stronger and fitter economy.
In December 2012, the Department for Transport published two action plans: “Transport for Everyone: an Action Plan to improve Accessibility for All” and “Transport for Everyone: an Action Plan to promote Equality”. When the Action Plans were published, the Department made it clear that these would be living documents that would be reviewed and amended as appropriate.
This second annual update sets out progress made and demonstrates that we remain committed to delivery. In addition this report provides evidence of how the Department for Transport has worked to comply with the equality duty during 2014 and is a reaffirmation of the Department’s commitment to its equality and accessibility objectives.
We have already made a lot of progress in providing a more accessible and fair transport system. However we are not complacent. There is more to do, and that is why we are committed to deliver further accessibility improvements to vehicles and transport infrastructure, making better use of developing technologies, open transport data and changing the attitudes and behaviour toward vulnerable categories of passengers.
THE RT HON. THE BARONESS KRAMER
1.Improving physical accessibility
Buses & Coaches
1.1According to the Department’s most recent Annual Bus Statistics (published in September 2014), 95% of buses in England now have low floor designs, while 84% of the total bus fleet holds a Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Certificate (PSVAR) compared to 78% last year. The Government welcomes efforts by bus and coach operators to run fully accessible services before the relevant compliance deadlines.
1.2From 1st January 2015, all single decker buses weighing under 7.5 tonnes and carrying 22 or more passengers that are used on local or scheduled services have been required to be fully PSVAR compliant. The Department for Transport provides the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) with a specific fund to enforce the requirements outlined in PSVAR and we will work with DVSA colleagues to ensure that PSVAR compliance continues to be monitored closely and that any bus operator found to be in breach of these Regulations is dealt with accordingly. We will also write to all bus companies who have indicated that they operate a vehicle in this category to remind them of their accessibility obligations and to explain that operating a non-accessible vehicle of this kind is now against the law.
Community Transport
1.3The Government recognises that Community Transport can provide a wide range of people with vital access to public services, employment, education and training. In order to support the important contribution made by the Community Transport sector, the Department for Transport has created a £25 million Community Bus Fund. This fund has allowed community transport operators, who meet the necessary criteria, to bid for a new minibus to replace or expand their existing fleet.
1.4The Secretary of State for Transport formally launched the fund on 17th November 2014 and we have worked with the Community Transport Association (CTA) to ensure that details of the fund reached as many operators as possible. The bidding process for the Community Bus Fund closed on 15th January 2015 and Department for Transport officials will assess all bids received, before confirming those who have been successful.
1.5This fund will assist the community transport sector in continuing to deliver vital services to those communities who may not be served by conventional local bus services. It is aimed primarily at existing voluntary and third sector organisations that already have a permit to run not-for-profit services of benefit to their local community. We will look to prioritise smaller community transport providers who rely on volunteer drivers, as well as those operating in rural areas.
Local transport in rural and isolated communities
1.6On 14 January 2015 the Government announced that up to £4 million is being made available to pilot new and better ways of delivering joined-up local transport in rural and isolated areas.
1.7The Department for Transport fund aims to promote a better coordination and utilisation of all available transport services in local communities. Around £2 billion of public funding for transport services is currently provided each year by a number of agencies. However, this funding is often not coordinated or integrated at a local level, resulting in duplication and potential waste of public funding. The pilot funding will allow local authorities to show how transport resources can be used more efficiently by bringing organisations together, improving vital transport services in local areas.
1.8It is common sense that we ensure that rural and isolated areas have vital transport services that meet the needs of local communities. The funding will provide the essential first step for local authorities to implement service integration. The pilots will fund the costs of feasibility studies and other groundwork to identify the scope for service integration in individual areas exclusively for rural and isolated urban areas. Successful bidders will be announced in March 2015. Further details can be found on GOV.UK.
Wheels to Work (W2W)
1.9W2W schemes provide transport vehicles (usually mopeds, motorcycles, electric bikes or bicycles), subsidised driving lessons and general transport advice to people who are unable to access training, employment or education, due to a lack of suitable public or private transport. These schemes are particularly beneficial to young people living in isolated rural communities and those seeking employment.
1.10There are now 36 schemes and the W2W Association estimates that some 3,000 people per year are assisted by the schemes.
1.11A government grant of £40,000 for 2014/15, funded jointly by Department for Transport and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, provides for a National Co-ordinator for the Wheels to Work Association. This is the third year of such government support to the Association.
1.12Key deliverables of the W2W Association for 2014/15 include:
- Development of a strategy for the Wheels to Work Association to become financially self-sustaining from March 2015 when Government funding will end;
- Collecting comprehensive data to provide evidence of the impact of W2W schemes (user profiling, outcomes, accident data, training information); and
- Increasing the number of new schemes and places on schemes.
Rail Vehicles
1.13As of November 2014, over 9,100 rail vehicles are now in service that were built, or fully refurbished, to modern access standards (Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations and the Technical Specifications for Interoperability for Persons with Reduced Mobility). This is over half of the national fleet.
1.14Officials work closely with rolling stock operating companies to ensure rectification work is planned and delivered by the legal deadline of 1 January 2020.
Access for All Programme
1.15The rail industry was invited to nominate stations in November 2013 for the additional £100m funding that was made available. 278 stations were nominated from which the Department have been able to select 42. These were selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the local area. We also took into account the preferences of the train operating companies and other factors such as proximity to a local hospital or the availability of third party match funding. The successful stations were announced in April 2014. In December 2014, an extra 26 stations were selected from the remaining nominations, this followed an announcement of further £60m.
1.16Delivery of the current Access for All programme is progressing well and more than 150 stations will have an accessible route for passengers by 2015. 139 of these are already complete. In addition, more than 1,100 stations have received smaller scale access improvements.
Crossrail
1.17The Crossrail project will now be ‘step free’ following a £14 million investment announcement by the Rt Hon. the Baroness Kramer Minister of State for Transport on 18 November 2014.
1.18The government’s investment at Langley, Taplow and Iver stations will make it easier for passengers with reduced mobility to access Crossrail platforms when full services begin in December 2019.
1.19The government’s investment package builds on Transport for London’s announcement in October 2014 that it would fund step-free access at Seven Kings, Maryland, Manor Park and Hanwell stations. Now each of the 40 Crossrail stations will be ‘step free’.
1.20In addition to the improvements at stations, the new Crossrail fleet will be built to the latest accessibility standards. This includes audio-visual information systems, dedicated priority seats and spaces for wheelchairs.
Train Station Design for Disabled People: Code of Practice
1.21We are updating the ‘Accessible Train Station Design for Disabled People: A Code of Practice’ to reflect the revised European Standards in the Persons with Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability (PRM TSI), which came into force on the 1st January 2015.
1.22We have taken this opportunity to improve the best practice guidance in the Code, based on consultation with various stakeholders. These include Network Rail, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), Transport Scotland, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and accessibility managers from the train operating companies.
1.23We aim to publish the revised Code of Practice, which will be renamed ‘Accessible Design Standards for Railway Stations’, by April 2015.
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles
1.24The Department welcomes local initiatives to enhance taxi and private hire vehicle driver training. Our Best Practice Guidance highlights to local licensing authorities the importance of training. We are still considering the case for imposing on drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) duties to assist passengers who use wheelchairs. If we do impose the duties we shall need to consider how best to ensure that drivers are fully aware of the nature and extent of these duties.
1.25Following its three year review of taxi and PHV legislation, the Law Commission published its final report and draft Bill in May 2014. Among the recommendations for reform are a number of proposals to promote equality and accessibility, including requiring all taxi and PHV drivers to undergo disability awareness training. The Government is currently considering both the report and draft Bill in their entirety and will respond to the Law Commission in due course. However, there will not be a dedicated Taxi Bill in the final session of this Parliament.
Mobility scooters
The Use of Invalid Carriage Regulations 1988
1.26The Department remains committed to amending restrictions on the weight limit for what are known in legislation as ‘invalid carriages’ (mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs) for those users whose clinical needs mean they require heavy equipment on their vehicle to meet medical and nursing requirements. DfT officials have drafted an amendment to the Regulations, and will be laying it before Parliament by March 2015.
Eyesight pilot
1.27The Department is instigating in association with the Federation of (Ophthalmic and Dispensing) Opticians and the London Borough of Camden a mobility vehicle users – eyesight screening pilot, commencing in 2015.
Training
1.28There is currently no legal requirement for training and testing mobility scooter users. A number of local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and retailers provide training and advice to enable people to choose a vehicle that best suits their needs, and to be able to use it safely. NHS wheelchair services are required to assess the needs and abilities of their patients before prescribing a wheelchair, and to provide basic training to ensure that they can use them safely.
Insurance
1.29While we have no plans to introduce mandatory requirements for insurance cover, the government is keen that public safety concerns are addressed and strongly recommend it in advice issued by the Department for Transport (See Mobility Scooters and Powered Wheelchairs: the Rules). This advice is reinforced in the guidance ‘Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs on the road – some guidance for users’ which is intended to help people who use mobility vehicles. It is available online at:
1.30Aside from anecdotal incidents, there is limited evidence that the current status presents a safety risk that justifies introducing these requirements given the additional costs for users and concerns that it would unfairly penalise older or disabled people by posing a barrier to encouraging greater mobility for disabled people. Police forces have begun to collect data on the involvement of invalid carriages in collisions, but it will be some time (late 2015) before a baseline dataset is available. Without the evidence there may be little confidence in the policy or public support for it. This could lead to confusion and resentment, and a lack of evidence may affect the availability and price of insurance.
Tactile Paving Guidance review
1.31The Department remains committed to review and update ‘Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces’. Following corporate changes it has not been possible to meet the 2014 deadline. We have met stakeholders to identify a number of priority amendments to the existing guidance and we plan to carry out further consultation on the proposed layouts.
Inclusive Mobility Guidance review
1.32The Department remains committed to review and update ‘Inclusive Mobility - a Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure’. In March we will be meeting with stakeholders, including representatives from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to assess how we might improve the guidance and how it would support practitioners and users by offering practical advice to enable more inclusive door to door journey.
Cycling Delivery Plan
1.33The Cycling Delivery Plan published in draft by Department for Transport on 16 October 2014 sets out the Government’s 10 year strategy on increasing and improving cycling in England.
1.34The draft Delivery Plan incorporates a number of government commitments and actions to increase levels of cycling, as well as walking, across England. Specifically, the Delivery Plan recognises the contribution this government has made to cycling already and issues a call to action to local authorities, to build on this progress by offering the opportunity to establish partnerships with central government that will open up access to a range of incentives. In forming a partnership with government, we are asking local authorities to demonstrate, amongst other things:
- that their walking and cycling plans include steps to meet the needs of people from hard to reach groups – including disabled people, older people and others – where those needs are different from the needs of other people.
1.35Since the publication of the draft, we have consulted extensively by organising a series of six events across England during October and November, giving stakeholders the opportunity to engage with the Department on our plans and consider how best to normalise walking and cycling so that it is accessible and safe for all.
2.Information & Communication
Transport Direct
2.1Although the Transport Direct service has now closed, Traveline continues to provide the capability for users to plan national accessible journeys. This can currently be found in the Traveline South East and Anglia, Traveline East Midlands, and Traveline South West journey planners.
2.2The Department continues to maintain the data needed to support accessible journey planning, and this is available to use under the Open Government Licence at We are working with Traveline and local authorities to further expand the coverage of this data.