Scottish Government Equality Outcomes: Disability Evidence Review

8 Transport

8.1 This section considers variations in, and barriers to, the use of various modes of transport, presented in the order of most frequent use as reported in the Life Opportunities Survey for the UK in 2011^[49].

8.2 The most frequently used mode of transport reported in the UK Life Opportunities Survey was motor vehicles: of those adults (with or without a disability) who had continuous use of a motor vehicle, 97% reported using it. Motor vehicles also had the highest proportion of adults reporting using the mode of transport "as much as they would like" (70%). After motor vehicles, the modes of transport which were most frequently used by all adults were local buses and taxis/minicabs (both 60%). After trains and the Underground, the mode of transport used the least frequently was long distance buses (16% of all adults).

8.3 The report first outlines the extent to which each of these modes of transport is used, followed by a review of some of the barriers to greater use. The section closes with detailed comments from consultations in Scotland, addressing barriers and ways in which they could be overcome.

Motor vehicles

8.4 Broad demographic data are reported for Scotland in the High Level Summary of Equality Statistics^[50]. This reports that in 2006:

• Only 50% of adults aged 17 years and over who report a disability or long-term illness, and who possess a full driving licence, drive every day. This is compared to two thirds of those without a disability or long-term illness.
• 14% of adults with a disability or long-term illness possess a driving licence but never drive.

8.5 The Scottish Government reports that 6.1% of Scotland's adult population had a blue badge, in 2010^[51]. The Blue Badge scheme allows drivers of passengers with severe mobility problems to park close to where they need to go.

Barriers

8.6 The Life Opportunities Survey 2011 describes some of the barriers that contribute to the lower rate of driving among disabled drives compared to non-disabled drivers. The most common barrier experienced by all adults to using motor vehicles related to cost (50%), and being too busy or not having enough time. The latter was identified as a barrier by 13% of all adults and it was identified by a higher proportion of adults without impairment than adults with impairment (17% and 9% respectively), suggesting that it is related to factors other than disability. For 30% of adults with impairments, health conditions were also reported as a barrier to why they did not use motor vehicles as much as they would like to.

Local buses

8.7 The High Level Summary of Equality Statistics reports that, in Scotland in 2006, adults with a disability or long-term illness were more likely to use a local bus service than those with no disability or long-term illness: 56% of adults with a disability or long-term illness had used a bus service in the previous month compared to 42% of adults without.

8.8 Transport Scotland reports^[52] that, as at January 2012, 166,605 concessionary fare passes had been issued to disabled people (around 3% of the population) and 16,107 concessionary fare passes had been issued to visually impaired people (around 0.3%). Transport Scotland also notes that the percentage of buses in Scotland that are accessible or have a low floor has increased from 36% in 2004/05, to 81% in 2010/11.

Local buses - barriers

8.9 In terms of disabilities that hinder the use of local buses, the Scottish Government's Transport and Travel in Scotland report for 2010^[53] found that:

• 8.1% of the adult population have a long-standing illness, health problem or disability that means they find walking for at least 10 minutes difficult to manage on their own, and
• 4.6% of the adult population have a long-standing illness, health problem or disability that means they find using a bus difficult to manage on their own.

8.10 The Life Opportunities Survey 2011 found that 25% of all UK adults reported experiencing difficulty accessing local buses. A higher proportion of adults with impairment than adults without impairment experienced difficulty using local buses (34% and 21% respectively; see Table 11 below)^[48]. The most common barriers experienced by all adults related to the transport being unavailable, and to its cost: both were reported as a barrier by a higher proportion of adults without impairment than adults with, suggesting that the primary barriers are not in fact related to disability. The barriers that are experienced more by disabled adults include difficulty getting in or out of transport, difficulty getting to and from the stop or station, and anxiety or lack of confidence. Similar barriers were reported for long distance buses.

Table 11: Barriers to using local buses by impairment status, 2009/11 (Adults aged 16 and over who experienced barriers to using local buses) (Source: Life Opportunities Survey, 2011)

Barrier	Percentage of adults without impairment	Percentage of adults with impairment	Percentage of all adults
At least one barrier to using local buses	21	34	25
A health condition, illness or impairment	2	31	14
A disability	1	23	10
Transport unavailable	37	22	30
Cost	28	21	25
Difficulty getting in or out of the transport	3	18	9
Difficulty getting to stop or station	8	17	12
Difficulty getting from stop or station to destination	7	16	11
Anxiety/lack of confidence	2	12	6
Delay and disruption to service	16	11	14
Overcrowding	10	9	10
Lack of help or assistance	2	8	4
Too busy/not enough time	14	7	11
Attitudes of passengers	7	6	7
Lack of information	9	6	8
Fear of crime	5	6	6
Lack of space	5	5	5
Attitudes of staff	3	4	3
Caring responsibilities	2	4	3
Seeing signs or hearing announcements	-	2	1
Unable to book a seat	-	1	1
Other reasons	25	15	21
Sample size (=100%)	4,760	3,380	8,140

Taxis - barriers

8.11 The Life Opportunities Survey 2011 observes that disabled people who did use public transport experienced particular difficulties where they had to change buses, in terms of connection times and accessibility. For the alternative of taking taxis, the additional costs were seen as a barrier to being able to get out and about. This is despite the fact that 46% of taxis are wheelchair accessible, although only 2.4% of Private Hire Cars are wheelchair accessible^[54].

8.12 The Life Opportunities Survey states that 17% of all UK adults reported experiencing difficulty using taxis/minicabs. A higher proportion of adults with impairment than without experienced such difficulty (24% and 14% respectively). The most common barrier experienced by all adults was cost - again, the barrier is not determined by disability alone. For adults with impairment, cost was by far the most common barrier (79%), followed by reasons associated with their health condition, illness or impairment (13%).

Underground - barriers

8.13 For Scotland, this will be relevant only to the Glasgow Subway. The Life Opportunities Survey 2011 finds the most common barrier experienced by all adults was the transport being unavailable, which was reported more often by adults without impairment than adults with impairment (76% and 64% respectively); the second most common barrier was cost, which was experienced fairly equally by adults with and adults without impairment (8% and 9% respectively). Again, these barriers do not relate solely to disability. Anxiety or lack of confidence was identified as a barrier more often by adults with impairment than adults without impairment (8% and 3% respectively). For adults with impairment, reasons related to a health condition, illness or impairment (14%) and a disability (9%) were given as to why they did not use the underground as much as they would like to.

Local trains - barriers

8.14 According to Transport and Travel in Scotland 2010^[55], 3.6% of the adult population in Scotland have a long-standing illness, health problem or disability that means they find using a train difficult to manage on their own.

8.15 The Life Opportunities Survey 2011 reports that 21% of all UK adults reported experiencing difficulty using local trains. Again, cost and availability were the most commonly-reported barriers for all adults. For disabled adults, anxiety and reasons related to a health condition, illness or impairment explained why they did not use local trains as much as they would like to. The same barriers were reported for long-distance trains.

Consultations in Scotland

8.16 The findings of these consultations shed more light on the actual barriers experienced by disabled people, and suggested actions to overcome them.

8.17 The Scottish Government's user consultation for the National Transport Strategy^[56] reported separately on the views of passengers with physical and learning disabilities. A large range of issues were put forward by disabled respondents, some of which did not relate to particular types of disability, for example, the general need for better staff training, and issues with cost and frequency as reported above.

8.18 Most issues that were raised in the consultation for the National Transport Strategy, however, related to the needs of those with particular types of disability. In terms of public transport needs, wheelchair users felt that taxi companies were often not able or willing to be responsive to their needs, while visually and auditory impaired respondents focussed on a need to receive information both verbally and visually. In addition, most disabled respondents had a particular concern over personal safety when travelling as many felt in a potentially vulnerable position. Some issues raised by individuals with learning difficulties were similar to those raised by other disabled respondents, for example the need for improved staff training on public transport - staff need to appreciate that some customers might take longer to say what they need or to respond to questions. However, those with learning difficulties tended to be more outwardly positive about the benefits that transport brought them and how it enabled them to experience new opportunities: for this reason, concessionary travel was particularly appreciated. Despite feeling positive about the potential benefits of transport, actually using transport was frequently difficult, confusing and scary. Many issues that other respondents took for granted or did not notice were raised. The noise of traffic, the chaotic nature of transport and congestion were all issues of particular concern.

8.19 The Consultation on initiatives related to the ScotRail franchise extension^[57] reports very similar issues to those reported above for the National Transport Strategy. Many disabled people feel that rail travel is largely inaccessible to them, citing the low percentage of railway stations with disabled access, an insufficient number of ramps for wheelchair users, and the availability of appropriately trained staff as reasons for not using trains. A lack of integration with other modes also makes it less likely that disabled people living in rural areas will travel at all. Personal safety is a major issue for disabled people, both on trains and at stations.

8.20 The Equalities Impact Assessment for Scotland's cycling strategy^[58] acknowledges that cycling may be a more difficult form of travel/leisure for many disabled people, and warns that - due to sample size issues - there are no statistical data on cycling among disabled people in Scotland. However, qualitative research undertaken with disabled cyclists in London^[59] found that those who cycled for leisure felt that cycling offered emotional and health benefits, and was a way of socialising, while those who cycled as a means of transport felt that cycling gave them independence; however, perceived vulnerability when cycling on busy roads was a key barrier. We know that adapted bicycles (e.g. tricycles, tandems, recumbent bikes, handcycles) are available which enable some disabled people to cycle; however, these are often more expensive than a basic bicycle. In response to an earlier consultation, the authors noted that limits on the value of bikes purchasable through employer salary-sacrifice schemes could sometimes exclude disabled people who wanted to cycle.