The Government has today, 29th March, announced a £2.5 million package of measures to help disabled people travel more confidently on the transport network as it reopens after Covid.
Included in the funding is £1.5m to support all of England's 13 Mobility Centres to roll out a ‘Hubs Mobility Service'. These services help people stay mobile after they have been advised to stop driving, or if they cannot learn to drive because of their disabilities. They offer advice on alternatives such as powered wheelchairs, community transport, and local services.
Seven of the Centres have successfully piloted the hubs over the last two years and have already helped over 4,000 people regain and keep their confidence to travel. Real-life benefits of staying mobile were highlighted in the Inclusive Transport Strategy, which sets out the link between reduced mobility and access to transport with loneliness and social isolation.
The Department of Transport (DfT) has also announced that it will provide £1 million to ferries and seaports serving the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly to improve accessibility and improve access to services for passengers with disabilities.
As part of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Government committed to audit all 2,565 rail stations in Great Britain to highlight existing areas of excellence and identify scope for improvements. The audits will enable a new public database to be produced so people can better plan their journeys in advance; using input from disabled passengers will shape future investment in accessible rail travel. The Government has also confirmed that the 1,000th accessibility audit has recently been conducted at Oban station in Scotland.
Ahead of the announcement, Accessibility Minister Wendy Morton visited Queen Elizabeth's Foundation (QEF) for Disabled People's Mobility Centre in South London Thursday, 24 March, where she met people who had benefitted from the Mobility Centre's services.
The visit coincided with QEF's 40th anniversary and celebrated the opening of the UK's first Mobility Centre and the first Mobility Open day since the pandemic. The Minister saw some of the DfT-funded assessments carried out at Mobility Centres, including for people interested in using wheelchair accessible vehicles, adapted cars, and powered wheelchairs.
Wendy Morton, Accessibility Minister, said: “This funding will help people travel with confidence and comes just in time as our nation rebuilds from Covid.
“We want to help everyone to be mobile and these vital Hubs Mobility Services will provide life-changing travel advice keeping people connected to their friends, work and support networks.
“I was delighted to meet people benefitting from this service, and to hear about the difference this important work has made to their lives.”
Karen Deacon, QEF's Chief Executive, said: “We were delighted to welcome Minister Wendy Morton to QEF's Mobility Service to discuss how important it is to support people to improve their independent mobility and access public transport, to enable people to live the life they choose. Whether that be for young children through the fantastic Bugzi powered wheelchair or people with a life-long disability or who have had a life-changing medical event.
“Independent mobility and public transport should be equally accessible to everyone, and it was great to see the Minister personally experiencing the challenges some face when re-learning to drive in an adapted car and listening to the day to day travel challenges disabled people face on public transport.”
