A report from the Commons transport select committee is calling for a new enforcement regime to uphold their right to travel.
The report was published today, Thursday 20th March, and outlines the experience of people with disabilities using British transport services. The findings, it’s safe to say, were far from satisfactory – some wheelchair users were discovered to have been left on planes and some taxi drivers were found to refuse customers with a guide dog.
To give context, over two thirds of disabled respondents to the committee’s call for evidence said they encountered problems using public transport either ‘most of the time’ or ‘always’. In an even more depressing turn of events, a mere 2% said they have faced any issues.
Meanwhile, a vast number of respondents also said that provisions put in place for disabled travellers – designated wheelchair spaces on buses and passenger assistance on train services – were often ineffective or unavailable when needed, sometimes due to a lack of staff.
‘It should be a source of national embarrassment that our country’s transport services effectively treat disabled people as second-class citizens, denying them access to jobs, leisure, support networks and essential services – denying them their rights,’ Ruth Cadbury, chair of the committee said.
‘And yet, those who have been let down and want to redress or compensation face a spaghetti junction of complaints processes that either fob them off or lead them on a road to nowhere. Even when complains are resolved, lessons aren’t learnt, changes aren’t put in place, and it’s tempting to think that the small and occasional penalties for failure are accepted by providers as a mere cost of doing business.
‘Failures must go from being an everyday occurrence to vanishingly rare. In its reforms to transport services over this parliament, the government must ensure people with access needs no longer go unseen, unheard and unacknowledged. This should be underpinned with a new inclusive transport strategy, backed by long-term funding.’
In a bid to try and reform the current situation, MPs are calling on the government and transport regulators to provide better support. The report said: ‘A change of mindset is needed at all levels among providers, regulators and enforcers.’
A Department for Transport spokesperson added: ‘It’s clear that accessibility has been an afterthought in developing transport services and there is more to do to ensure everyone can travel easily and with dignity.
‘We continue to work closely with a range of people, including disabled people, to help us develop our policies, and we will consider these recommendations carefully and respond as soon as possible.’
Photo by AbsolutVision via UnSplash
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