Human interactions

Interactions with bus drivers and the public play an important role in shaping bus user experiences. Three in five (59%) of disabled people report experiencing negative attitudes or behaviours when travelling.⁴⁷

Regulation on the rights of bus and coach passengers requires drivers and other operator staff to complete disability-awareness training. There are many examples of good-quality training materials developed for bus and coach drivers, including:

• The Department for Transport’s REAL disability equality training programme;⁴⁸
• The Welcome Aboard! Disability Awareness, Diversity and Customer Service Training developed by Disability Together and accredited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency;⁴⁹
• Training materials on how best to support blind or partially sighted passengers developed by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and its network of volunteer-led UK Sight Loss Councils;⁵⁰
• A national training programme designed to help tackle violence against women and girls led by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).⁵¹

How other passengers behave can also shape a disabled individual’s journey, positively and negatively. Passengers may not be aware of how, or when, to respond to disabled individuals’ needs in and around bus stops. Bus stops are effective spaces to deploy outreach and communication campaigns which spread awareness about disabled passengers’ experiences and encourage other passengers to support when appropriate. Enhancing cooperation between law enforcement and transport authorities can improve disabled people’s confidence while travelling. An example of this approach is the Safer Travel Partnership between Transport for West Midlands, West Midlands Police and British Transport Police working to prevent and respond to anti-social behaviour as well as to provide advice for bus users.⁵²

References

47. ncat (2025), Invisible Barriers – how public attitudes affect inclusive travel (back to text)

48. DfT (2020), REAL training: bus and coach modules (back to text)

49. Disability Together (no date), DVSA accredited training for bus drivers (back to text)

50. Sight Loss Councils (2026), Bus and coach driver training materials (back to text)

51. CPT (17 March 2026), Bus and coach industry launches national training programme to help tackle violence against women and girls (back to text)

52. West Midlands Safer Travel Partnership (back to text)