Why accessible bus stops matter

Well-designed and maintained bus stops are fundamental to ensuring bus services are accessible, not only for those with disabilities, but also older, younger and less mobile users. As mentioned, a quarter of the UK population have some form of disability. Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over make up 19% of England’s population, and this figure is predicted to increase to 26% over the next 40 years.⁷ We must design our infrastructure fit for the future, today.

Making transport more accessible is critical for enabling access to educational, employment and social opportunities. Yet disabled people’s travel options are more limited, which means they make an average of just 5.84 journeys per week – a third of the national average.⁸ Many rely on private cars, both as a driver and a passenger, but 29% of disabled adults live in households without access to a car, compared with 16% of non-disabled adults.⁹ Buses, alongside other accessible transport options like community transport, are therefore essential for increasing independent mobility.

Inaccessible bus stops play a major role in restricting access to bus services and inhibiting transport independence for disabled people.¹⁰ Transport for All’s 2023 report into the accessibility challenges experienced by disabled people revealed:

• 40% have experienced inadequate bus stops, with lack of seating, lack of shelter leaving people exposed to the rain and cold, inaccessible surrounding street space and street clutter
• 21% found the information provided was not available in both audio and visual format
• 37% experienced a lack of real-time information while using buses, with live updates such as delays, cancellations, diversions, and vehicle faults (e.g. broken ramps) not clearly communicated.¹¹

Despite some progress in these areas, a substantial gap in transport experience between disabled and nondisabled passengers remains. Disabled passengers consistently report lower satisfaction, particularly with boarding, bus stop conditions and value for money.¹² Support for disabled passengers’ needs is necessary across the whole journey experience. Addressing inadequacies in the physical infrastructure, information provision and human experience in and around bus stops will be fundamental to address gaps which persist for disabled people.

References

7. Centre for Ageing Better (2026), Our Ageing Population: The State of Ageing 2025 (back to text)

8. Transport for All (2023) (back to text)

9. DfT (2025) (back to text)

10. DfT (2017), Disabled people’s travel behaviour and attitudes to travel (back to text)

11. Transport for All (2023) (back to text)

12. Transport Focus (2026), Your Bus Journey: 2025 results (back to text)