Bus Users UK, the leading charity campaigning for passengers’ rights, has published a revealing new study entitled ‘Why are we waiting? Disabled people’s experiences of travelling by bus’.”

Through first-hand, personal accounts, the report captures the lived-experiences of disabled bus passengers across England, Scotland and Wales. The findings highlight a stark reality: while buses are essential for enabling people to lead full and independent lives, currently they are not accessible to everyone.

Key findings:

• Infrastructure: Many bus stops lack essential facilities such as seating or shelter, making it exhausting and painful for some disabled participants to wait for a bus. Obstacles such as heightened kerbs, bins, and bike stands pose difficulties and dangers in accessing and boarding buses. 
• Bus design: Wheelchair spaces often face away from information displays and there can be competition between passengers for space.
• Information: Inconsistent and outdated timetables, contradictory information on apps and at bus stops,  and poor and inaccessible or missing audio and visual information on buses have left passengers stranded or forced them to abandon their journeys.
• Bus drivers: The behaviour and attitude of bus drivers significantly impacts the journey, and in some cases even the ability, of a disabled person to travel.
• Passengers: The behaviour and attitude of other passengers can also make or break a journey.

Claire Walters, Chief Executive of Bus Users UK (pictured) said: “At some point in our lives, we are all likely to need more accessible transport and buses can provide that, offering independence and enabling people to lead active and fulfilling lives. However, despite many recent advances in legislation, staff training and vehicle design, buses are still far from fully accessible and this research highlights, in their own words, the many challenges facing disabled passengers.

Bus Users UK has made a raft of recommendations in the report, emphasising the urgent need for collaboration between Government, transport industry stakeholders, local authorities and disabled people.  

Claire Walters continued: “Why are we waiting? makes a vital contribution towards understanding barriers to travel and demonstrates the importance of working with disabled passengers to overcome them. What we need now is a sustained commitment, collaboration, and funding to ensure that bus travel offers a genuinely reliable, accessible and environmentally friendly option for everyone.”

The study was funded by the Motability Foundation through one of their user research grants.

Chelsea Fleming, Innovation Manager at the Motability Foundation said: “This is an eye-opening piece of research from Bus Users UK, highlighting the lived-experience of disabled people when travelling by bus. At the Motability Foundation we want to help break the barriers that disabled people face when using public transport, and we hope that the recommendations made in this report help to bring about improvements to the accessibility of bus travel.”