Disabled children and young people
and access to transport
NCB and Young NCB Briefing for Westminster Hall debate on
‘Disabled Access to Transport’
12 October 2011
Contact:
Sally Cole, Senior Policy Officer tel: 020 7843 6013; email scole@ncb.org.uk
1. Introduction
Lisa Nandy MP has secured a Westminster Hall debate on ‘Disabled Access to Transport’
on 12 October. Access to transport is a major issue and barrier for children and young
people, and even more so for disabled children. Because of this, Young NCB have
prioritised transport as an area of work for a number of years. This briefing summarises
some of the key issues around access to transport for disabled children and young
people, and provides a first hand account from a Young NCB member of why the issue
is so important.
2. Access to transport for disabled children and young people
“I used to be able to travel whenever I wanted to, as long as a service was
running, but now time restrictions have been implemented. The amount of
services has been reduced, meaning that now a simple journey that I could do
with the help of a friend now requires a carer, because I have to swap buses.”
Jhon, Young NCB member
NCB believes that transport services:
 Are central to children and young people’s lives and those of their families
 Provide access to education, employment, leisure and volunteering
opportunities
 Help develop social and life skills to nurture confidence and motivation to be
independent
 Are key to a more sustainable way of living – reduced private car use will
reduce pollution and congestion/ use fewer resources/ improve health etc.
 Often do not meet needs of children and young people and restrict their
choices due to cost, availability, accessibility and safety1.
1
See for example British Youth Council and NCB (2010) Survey of under 18s on transport safety, UK Youth
Parliament (2008) Fares Fair or National Foundation for Educational Research (2008) Barriers to
Participation in Education and Training.
In EDCM’s ‘Disabled Children’s Manifesto for Change’ report, disabled children
and young people stated that they want Government to make changes to
tackle the barriers they face when using the public transport system. These
barriers include:




poor availability and accessibility
high costs
feeling intimidated by how busy public transport is
staff attitudes
NCB wants to see:
 Children and young people’s lifelong commitment to sustainable travel and
transport services
 Transport not being a barrier to learning, employment or leisure
 Transport not being a barrier to any child or young person’s inclusion
Disabled children and young people are particularly reliant on transport services
but they feel strongly that these services often do not meet their needs2.
NCB wants to make sure the disabled young people are involved in discussions
around transport both for disabled people and for young people.
NCB believes this should be done by:

Ensuring that disabled children and young people’s voices are included in the
work of the successor body for DPTAC. Work such as Council for Disabled
Children’s Going Places and Disabled Children’s manifesto for change
demonstrates disabled children and young people’s commitment to taking
action.

Involving disabled children and young people in decisions concerning their
travel and transport at a local level. As ‘the customers of tomorrow’ they
should be involved in today’s decisions.

Sharing good practice. There are examples of good and innovative practice
but they are isolated and often not lost or replicated. For improvements to
happen across the country, good practice needs to be disseminated and
acted upon.
3.
Disabled young peoples voices on access to transport
See for example Council for Disabled Children resources If I could change one thing … and Disabled
Children’s Manifesto for Change
2
Young NCB member Jhon, aged 14, recently spoke at a fringe meeting organised
by the Campaign for Better Transport at the Liberal Democrat party conference. In
his speech he illustrates the barriers that many young people face accessing
transport and, as a disabled young person, the particular impact of the recent cuts
to services in his area:
“Hello, my name is Jhon. I’m 14 and I live in a town called Coalville, in
Leicestershire. I am a Young National Children’s Bureau member.
Young people are the customers now and in the future for public transport. We
use it to see our friends, to get to the library to do our homework, and to
generally get to where we need to be.
But for one person in rural Kent, it’s not that easy. He said “its 3 miles to my
nearest bus stop.” Would any of you want to walk this on a daily basis? Just as I
thought, none of you.
Concessionary fares meant that we could use the buses without breaking the bank
– making life a lot easier and less stressful for all young people.
But the cost is rising, and the routes are being reduced. Concessionary fares are
being slashed, and the cost of a standard ticket is also rising. What will happen to
that price with the cuts to the Bus Service Operators Grant? Will the price rise
even further?
One young person spoke to us about the problems she’s facing. She has a part
time job in rural Lincolnshire, and to get there she needs to use either a train or a
bus. But, the Sunday service has been cut for both modes of transport. Her only
other option would be to catch a taxi there. But, not only does she want to be an
economically active citizen, she would also spend that entire days wages just on
taxi fares anyway!
As a disabled young person, I haven’t felt the full effect of those cuts, but of cuts
to the services that helped make me independent. I used to be able to travel
whenever I wanted to, as long as a service was running, but now time restrictions
have been implemented. The amount of services has been reduced, meaning that
now a simple journey that I could do with the help of a friend now requires a
carer, because I have to swap buses.
The cuts that we are at risk of facing also aren’t as simple as they look on paper.
A 20% cut here and a 15% cut there means less study time, or a disabled young
person not getting to spend time with friends, because the route they would have
took has been stopped.
We hear a lot of negative stories in the news about young people not getting
involved in community groups, extracurricular classes and volunteering
opportunities – but we were told by one young person that life is a lot harder now,
because the bus she needs to get to her drama group doesn’t run on Sundays
anymore. It takes her an hour and a half to go one way.
NCB have heard this story a lot – another Young NCB member who lives in rural
Cambridgeshire told us that the lack of services in her area is one of the causes
for young people resorting to vandalism and underage drinking to keep them
entertained.
It’s now more important than it ever was before for young people to be consulted
on the bus service as a whole, including the cuts – simply to ensure that they
have some hope of getting the service they need to continue to live an
independent life. The National Children’s Bureau also has the same vision, with an
end goal to ensure that young people’s needs are met and that they develop
positive travel habits.
Remember – youngpPeople are the customers of tomorrow. Thank you for
listening.”
4.
About NCB
The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) is the leading support and development
body for the children and youth sector in England. We bring together
organisations from across the voluntary, statutory and private sectors through our
membership scheme, and through the sector-led specialist networks and
partnership programmes that operate under our charitable status. As part of this
role, NCB hosts the Sex Education Forum, the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Play England,
the Council for Disabled Children, the Early Childhood Forum and the Childhood
Bereavement Network.