§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent changes have been made to public transport in the United Kingdom to ensure better access for disabled people. [74471]
§ Mr. JamiesonWe are using the powers in Part V of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to introduce regulations which will ensure that public transport is accessible to disabled people, including those who need to travel in a wheelchair.
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 were the first to be made and affect all new passenger rolling stock entering service since 1 January 1999. Those regulations apply not only to rolling stock on mainline services, but also to light rail systems and underground systems.
713WSimilar regulations—the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000–apply to new buses and coaches with a carrying capacity of more than 22 passengers which are used on local and scheduled services. Those regulations have applied since 31 December 2000. Different dates for compliance with the wheelchair access requirements have been set for different vehicle types, ie
- For full size single and double deck buses—31 December 2000
- For smaller buses and all coaches—1 January 2005
Separate dates have also been set for all vehicles to comply with the regulations, ie
- For full size single deck buses—1 January 2016
- For double deck buses—1 January 2017
- For smaller buses—1 January 2015
- For coaches—1 January 2020
The Act also makes provision for accessibility regulations to be made for licensed taxis. We are currently considering how best to take forward those provisions. In the meantime we have already introduced a requirement for taxi drivers to accept assistance dogs accompanying a disabled person and to carry those dogs free of charge. That requirement came into force on 31 March 2001.