Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the design of buses to include (a) clear and accessible destination boards; (b) consistent (i) placement, (ii) shape and (iii) colour contrast of card and travel pass readers; and (c) a consistent, clear, highlighted gap in the assault shield to make payments.

The Government wants blind and partially sighted people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity and we understand the importance of accessible bus services in supporting people to live their lives the way they want to. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops and mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff. In addition, we are requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We are also continuing the implementation of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations (AIR), which will require audible and visible destination and next stop information on board most local bus services in Great Britain by October 2026.

Working with disabled people, operators, and regulators, we are designing an Accessible Travel Charter. This will set clear expectations for transport providers to implement accessibility best practice and commitments for accessible, barrier-free transport, that every passenger-focused operator should meet.

We cannot achieve this alone however, and I welcome the industry’s leadership in improving accessibility beyond minimum standards. For instance, in 2024 bitesize training modules were published by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and its visually impaired Sight Loss Council volunteers, developed collaboratively with Brighton and Hove Buses and Bus Users UK, to strengthen drivers’ understanding of the needs of blind and partially sighted bus passengers.