Member News
By Lisa Nandy MP - 12th October 2011
Lisa Nandy MP says government must urgently use its procurement power to press for change and improve disabled access to public transport.
This year I was appalled to hear from a group of my constituents who have been subjected to indignity and humiliation when trying to travel on trains, buses and in taxis.
Despite real improvements in access to transport, nearly half of the 12 million people with disabilities in the UK cite it as a concern.
More worryingly 15 per cent told an independent survey for the charity Scope they had been subjected to high level abuse on public transport, and in a recent report on the issue Trailblazers struggled to find young people to take part because they found the prospect of engaging with public transport too distressing.
That's why I have initiated a debate in Parliament to try to force a spotlight onto this issue and bring about the changes that were promised with the passage of the Disability Discrimination Act 16 years ago.
Successive reports highlight difficulties accessing train station platforms, lack of help to get on and off trains and a lack of wheelchair spaces. In one appalling example one of my constituents was forced to travel in the guards van.
On the buses people fare little better. In more than half of all journeys problems arise, whether it's drivers who refuse to stop, lack of space for wheelchairs or no audio information about stops, the stories are endless. They are not just restricted to physical access, but concerns also surround access for those with mental health problems.
The government must urgently use its procurement power to press for change. The West Coast Mainline franchise is up for renewal next year and I am seeking commitments that this issue will be a priority as part of that process.
All companies receiving public funds should be required to train staff, and conduct mystery shopper exercises which they should report on annually to Parliament.
These are just a few of the commitments I and my colleagues will be calling for in the debate. There is a serious risk that, with the abolition of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, cancelled station upgrades and cuts to concessionary fares, that we will go backwards, not forwards.
We cannot allow this to happen. In 2011 it is simply unacceptable that a significant portion of the population are excluded from the everyday activities the rest of us take for granted. Ultimately this is a question about the sort of society we want to live in; do we allow exclusion to go unchallenged, or do we take action urgently to make sure the stories of humiliation and indignity that I will highlight in the debate are consigned to history, where they belong.
Lisa Nandy has been Labour MP for Wigan since 2010
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