Attitudes of disabled people to public transport:
Research study

How important is transport to disabled people?

• Transport at a local level is a key concern for disabled people
• Pavement and road maintenance are major concerns
• The design of transport vehicles and transport services is recognised as a major problem

Transport in the Local Context

When asked unprompted about their local concerns, transport issues head disabled people's list (48%). Crime also features highly (22%), as does the environment (16%) and social services/facilities/ community (16%).

Whilst transport is also the most important local concern for the general public^[1], disabled people are rather more likely to mention it (48% compared with 39%).

In fact, transport takes on even greater importance among disabled people aged 35-44, workers, those who live in rural areas and in London especially. It is also of greater importance to rail users. Transport is also slightly more of an important priority for wheelchair users and visually impaired people.

Specific transport concerns include:

• difficulty in using public transport (16%)
• frequency of public transport (16%)
• unreliable buses/trains (10%)
• traffic congestion (8%)
• the speed of motorists (8%)
• shortage of car parking (7%)
• traffic noise (3%)
• the level of road accidents (2%)

With the exception of difficulty of using transport, these issues are similar to the general public.

The importance of transport resonated in the focus groups:

It's so important. Transport is the main bugbear for disabled people. It's a big problem.

Levels of Satisfaction with Services

Disabled people are generally dissatisfied with the conditions of roads and pavements. Sixty-five per cent are dissatisfied with pavement maintenance, including 34% who are very dissatisfied. For road maintenance , 58% are dissatisfied, including 27% who are very negative.

Visually impaired people are rather more likely to be dissatisfied with roads and pavements.

From a range of different transport modes, disabled people are most satisfied with the service provided by taxis and minicabs. Sixty-three per cent of disabled people are satisfied with taxi/minicab services, rising to 80% among users. This may be partly explained by the personal service some disabled people receive from local taxi/minicab firms - as commented by a few focus group participants.

As for the general public as a whole^[2], disabled people's reactions towards transport services generally contrast with attitudes towards services they receive from local supermarkets, high street banks and building societies.

Apart from taxis/minicabs, transport services are not rated very highly at all compared to other service sectors. Buses and trains receive mixed reaction. For example, 42% of all disabled people are satisfied with local bus services, whilst 38% are dissatisfied. Amongst bus users, attitudes are more positive (55% satisfied, 34% dissatisfied).

Train services are even worse, overall only 20% are satisfied with local trains and 13% with long distance and inter city rail services. However, rail users are more positive (44% satisfied with local trains and 38% with long distance/inter city services).

Considerations Made for Disabled People in Designing Transport Services

When disabled people are asked to rate the design of a number of transport services, reactions are largely negative. Black cabs receive the best rating, with just under half of all disabled people (48%) believe they have good design for disabled people (although nine per cent disagree)^[3].

Thirty-six per cent believe that buses are well designed for disabled people, although slightly more (42%) disagree. Attitudes towards bus stations are also, on balance, negative with 25% rating them as good and 31% saying they are poor. As expected, users are slightly more positive than non-users.

The considerations made for disabled people in designing trains and train stations are also thought to be poor. The design of rail carriages came in for some criticism in the qualitative research:

Gaps between the train and platform are the worst problem. I get my stick out first and make sure I'm steady before I step my leg out. But sometimes my stick's gone between the gap and vanishes

Wheelchair users tend to be significantly more negative in their attitudes about design, particularly in relation to buses and trains, and less positive about the design of taxis.

New trains and buses have to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, with design requirements to ensure access for disabled people^[4]. As more new vehicles are introduced DPTAC can expect perceptions to improve in relation to buses and trains. However, while older vehicles are still being phased out, there is currently a perception that vehicles are badly designed.

The design of airports tends to be viewed most favourably by wheelchair users - 51% rate them as good, compared with 31% overall. Interestingly, this might be as in this type of environment designers and operators expect people to be travelling with heavy luggage or using luggage trolleys and accommodate their needs.

Streets and pavement design receive the worst rating. Only twenty-three per cent say streets and pavements are well designed for disabled people, whilst at least twice this proportion - 57% - disagree.

Visually impaired respondents are significantly more likely to rate streets and pavements poorly - 73% do so - compared with 67% of wheelchair users, 63% of those with an ambulant disability, 48% with a learning disability and 47% with a hearing impairment. The survey did not investigate the reasons for this although previous studies have identified street furniture, uneven and cracked surfaces, lack of tactile surfaces, road crossings and overhanging vegetation and litter as problems^[5].