Press Release (04 December 2006):
Disabled peoples' new transport rights welcomed
Neil Betteridge, Chair of the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee, today welcomed new rights for disabled people on transport.
He said:
"From today it will be illegal for transport operators to discriminate against disabled people using buses, trains, taxis, car hire and vehicle recovery services. Operators must also make reasonable adjustments to their services so that disabled people can use them. I welcome this long awaited extension of disabled people's service rights to land based transport."
Neil added:
"DPTAC also looks forward to the day that the same rights are extended to those travelling by air and by sea. There remains more to do to ensure that transport services are accessible to disabled people. Public transport has to go where disabled people need, when they need it, and to offer affordable and accessible vehicles, services and information."
Bert Massie, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission, welcomed the new legislation:
"This is an important legal change - having no right to be treated fairly on public transport has been a major loophole in the law. Disabled people have felt frustrated at having no legal redress to poor treatment - a common feature of calls to the Commission."
"I'm hopeful the new law will encourage disabled people to feel more confident about using public transport. For transport operators, the new legislation will mean ensuring staff provide good customer care. If they get it right for disabled people, then all their customers benefit."
"Making transport more user-friendly will open up many more work and social opportunities and help bridge the divide that many disabled people experience."
Notes for editors:
1. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) was set up under the Transport Act 1985 to advise the Government and industry on the transport needs of disabled people. The committee has a maximum of 20 members (of whom at least half must be disabled people), representing a wide range of transport interests, provides expert advice on a broad range of transport issues aimed at improving access for disabled people. Members are appointed by Ministers and are unpaid. Neil Betteridge was reappointed Chair of DPTAC in 2006.
2. Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act already requires that all public transport buildings such as train and bus stations and air and ferry ports must be accessible to disabled people. It also means that any services provided at these places or offered by these companies must also be accessible to disabled people, for example travel information and ticket booking services.
3. Services provided on the vehicles themselves were exempt, but the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 gave the government the power to lift the exemption. The regulations that come into force today mean that vehicle recovery services, trains, trams. buses, coaches, taxis and other cabs and hire cars must be made accessible to disabled people. This applies to the service and not to the vehicle (apart from some adaptations to hire cars). There are separate vehicle accessibility regulations for train, bus, trams and coach services and the government has announced plans to regulate taxi design.
4. The 2005 regulations do not remove the current exemption from aircraft and shipping vessels, although airline and shipping operators still have a duty to avoid discrimination against disabled people and to make reasonable adjustments for them in respect of matters such as timetables, booking facilities and waiting rooms at airports and ferry terminals.
5. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has published "Code of Practice: Provision and use of transport vehicles", a guide to the new provisions, which is only available on line at: www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publicationsandresources/Disability/Pages/Transport.aspx. With support from DPTAC, the DRC is also developing less formal guidance for each mode of travel.
6. To interview DPTAC members and for further information on DPTAC, contact the Secretary, Andy Kirby on 020 7944 8012 (Fax 020 7944 6998) or email: dptac@dft.gsi.gov.uk.
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