Our Innovation Team has undertaken a major priorities review to investigate what the biggest current issues are in accessible transport that we should be addressing.
The team researches the evolving transport needs of disabled people, and develops new ways to improve transport accessibility.
After three years we felt that it was the right time to reflect and look at what we should be focusing on.
Who supported our review?
The review was informed by:
- Insight from disabled people including: key contributions from an expert by experience panel
- A major evidence review conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy (PDF 683.6 KB)
- Interviews with key stakeholders
- Extensive internal engagement with our employees and governors
Key insight from disabled people
During the review, disabled people told us:
- Their ‘Plan A’ for travel is having enough information to make informed consumer choices, travelling independently and safely, and having accessibility as a ‘given’ rather than a ‘nice to have’
- Existing modes of transport still aren’t getting the basics right for disabled people
- There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to transport accessibility
- The emergence of new modes and transport technologies and their impact on disabled people is still not very well understood
- They are sometimes excited about potential future ways of transport and technologies, particularly for journey planning, but this seems a long way off
Our new innovation priorities
Following this review, we have decided our two new innovation priority areas for 2023 to 2026, which are:
- Finding solutions to improve existing transport in the areas of greatest opportunity
- Ensuring accessibility is a key part of future transport modes and technology
In response to feedback received, our Innovation Team will be taking a broader approach, working on a wide range of projects covering different transport types and disabilities.
They will focus on areas where there is the strongest evidence of need.
Next steps
The team is dedicated to involving and co-creating with disabled people to ensure that their actions result in a truly inclusive and accessible transport system.
The team will be open and approachable with its projects, inviting early collaboration with stakeholders.
You can find out more about the Innovation Priorities Review here.
