En Route to Inclusive Transport; improving the world through engineering

Document summary

While everyone has the right to access public transport in the UK, many are currently unable to. Women, disabled people, older adults, neurodivergent people, families, those living in rural areas, and members of the LGBTQ+ community may experience barriers to using public transport. With an ageing population, people who are not currently affected are likely to need an inclusive transport network at some point in the future.

The transport accessibility gap is more than a health, safety and inclusion problem; it is also an obstacle to economic growth. Inaccessible transport has been shown to be harmful for the mental and physical wellbeing of disadvantaged groups. It also means many people are unable to access employment, volunteer, take advantage of health, leisure and tourism opportunities or to actively participate in their communities, dampening economic activity.

There are several physical barriers to accessible transport that need to be addressed. These include step-free access and level boarding, space on vehicles and platforms, and station or stop design (e.g. a lack of respite areas and accessible or changing places toilets). There are also informational, attitudinal and systemic barriers limiting the development of a truly inclusive public transport network in the UK.

Engineers play a key role in designing and running public transport services, from rolling stock manufacture to infrastructure and asset maintenance and more. While there are pockets of excellence in the UK and global transport networks, there are also many barriers to widespread adoption of accessible and inclusive practices.

The purpose of this report is to explore the role of engineering in making public transport more inclusive, understand the challenges faced by the sector, and to ask what can be done to reduce physical and systemic barriers that disadvantaged groups face when using public transport in the UK.