Transport keeps disabled from jobs

By Dominic Casciani
BBC News Online community affairs reporter

Disability campaigners are calling on the government to publish long-awaited plans to force buses, trains and taxis to provide better access, saying public transport obstacles are preventing people taking jobs.

Buses: Campaigners say access worsens outside of cities

Almost a quarter of those questioned in a survey by charity Leonard Cheshire said they had turned down work because a double-whammy of transport logistics and expense meant it was not worth it.

Six out of 10 people using wheelchairs said they had been restricted in what jobs they could go for simply because they could not rely on transport to get them there. Almost nine out of 10 people with visual impairments experienced the same barrier.

Some 20% of those interviewed said they had deferred medical treatment because of inaccessible transport - almost three times more than among the general population.

Draft bill expected

In January, the government promised to publish a draft disability bill by the end of the year. Ministers said it would "advance the rights and opportunities" of disabled people across the country.

It makes no sense that places like the cinema or workplace have to be fully accessible by law if disabled people can't get there in the first place John Knight, Leonard Cheshire

It has already pressed ahead with its New Deal for Disabled jobs programme which aims to provide intensive support for participants trying to get from welfare into work.

But campaigners say this drive is being hindered because anti-discrimination measures still do not apply to public transport.

The Disability Rights Commission is lobbying government to announce the draft bill in November's Queen's Speech.

It says transport discrimination has become a "matter of urgency" given that it is eight years since the landmark Disability Discrimination Act was passed.

Rural isolation

Richard Pearn, 43, is a wheelchair user who lives in the Cornish village of Kehelland. He runs a business from home developing company websites.

The French just seem to have thought about it and been more positive - provision for the disabled here always feels like it's been an afterthought Richard Pearn

Mr Pearn does not drive because of epilepsy and says his ability to meet clients and grow his business is being restricted because of poor public transport.

Mr Pearn believes that should he need to return to his previous career as a lecturer, he would be forced to abandon village life and move to a city.

"Buses are very difficult for a start," said Mr Pearn. "First you have to actually find a bus that services our village.

"Then you need to find one with wheelchair access. But because the rural routes aren't seen as a priority, the buses tend to be older and all the wheelchair access buses in the towns.

"I effectively have to rely on trains, which means that I can't meet clients unless they are in towns with train stations.

"Trains have to be booked well in advance because of the limited number of wheelchair spaces," he said.

'Vicious cycle'

John Knight, head of policy at Leonard Cheshire, said: "Adequate transport is at the heart of people being able to participate in our society at every level.

"We need to break this vicious cycle of inaccessibility.

"It makes no sense that places like the cinema or workplace have to be fully accessible by law if disabled people can't get there in the first place.

"We're asking the government to stop delaying and to introduce the promised disability bill, addressing the transport gap as a priority."

"What people like me need is for bus companies to make sure they have a standard system which works for all wheelchairs everywhere," said Richard Pearn.

"In rural Brittany you will find buses with seats which swing out which are far easier to use for both the staff and the passenger.

"They just seem to have thought about it and been more positive. But here provision for the disabled always feels like it's been an afterthought.

"It's bad enough if you live in a city but very, very difficult in the country."