On 24 April 2026, ncat convened an Accessible Transport Roundtable in Glasgow, Scotland, bringing together leaders and experts from across transport, policy, research, and the disability sector.
Members of ncat’s Independent Board and some of our Expert Panel, joined the conversations, bringing together professional, strategic, and lived-experience perspectives to the session.
At the heart of the discussion was a key question: how do we ensure accessibility is prioritised, consistently delivered, and shaped with disabled people?
Conversations explored the realities of delivering accessible transport across a complex and geographically diverse system.
Several key themes emerged:
• A lack of joined-up working across modes, where gaps between services can break the whole journey
• Inequalities in access across geographies, particularly for rural and island communities
• Increasing demand, with services under pressure and not always aligned to individual needs
• Accessibility not consistently treated as a core requirement
• The tension between digital innovation and the risk of digital exclusion
• A reliance on consultation, alongside the need to ensure lived experience is genuinely recognised, valued, and acted upon
Alongside these challenges, the session highlighted where progress is possible, from improving integration across modes to better understanding unmet demand, and strengthening the case for accessibility as both a social and economic priority.
There is a strong foundation to build on and these insights will directly inform ncat’s ongoing evidence programme and future engagement across the UK.
Thank you to everyone who contributed so openly and thoughtfully: Caledonian Sleeper, CalMac Ferries Limited, Community Transport Association, Disability Equality Scotland, Edinburgh Airport, Enable, Euan’s Guide, Glasgow Airport, IncluTech, Living Streets Edinburgh Group, Lothian Buses, Mobility & Access Committee for Scotland (MACS), Network Rail, NorthLink Ferries, RNIB Scotland, Sight Scotland, Transport Scotland, and welco-me.
The independent board: Keith Richards OBE, Anna Landre, Deborah Persaud MBA, Emily Rose Yates, Kay Inckle, and Sarah Rennie.
ncat consortium partners: Carl Perrin (Coventry University), Jamie Chan-Pensley (Connected Places Catapult), Matt Ford (Designability), Gurur Deniz Uyanık (Policy Connect), Gordon McCullough (RiDC – Research Institute for Disabled Consumers), and Melinda Matyas (WSP).
With thanks to our funder, the Motability Foundation.
1: Room-wide view of all the event delegates (around 30) with a close of a group of people are seated around a circular tables, having a discussion with more people sat on two more tables in the background.
