Research and analysis

Inclusive Transport Strategy scorecard: background information (text only version)

Updated 21 March 2023

The Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) sets out our plans to make our transport system more inclusive and travel easier for disabled people. Our vision is for disabled people to have the same access to transport as everyone else. They will travel confidently, easily and without extra cost.

We commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to carry out an evaluation of the ITS. This scorecard forms part of its overall evaluation and monitors change in metrics relating to disabled people’s travel.

The scorecard consists of a table of 23 different metrics. The scorecard consists of a table of 23 different metrics. You can find this on the homepage of this guidance. Here we provide background information on the latest scorecard year (2021 to 22). We also provide key context of each of the scorecard metrics. This is intended to be viewed alongside the scorecard table. The content presented on this page will receive its final update in 2024, to reflect figures from the final scorecard year (2022 to 23).

The data sources for each metric, as well as further information about the purpose and content of the scorecard can be found later in this document. Due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic^{[footnote 1]} and changes to survey content^{[footnote 2]}, data collection was not possible for all 23 metrics used in the scorecard. Because of this, the 2021 to 2022 scorecard does not display any data for metrics 7 to 10, 12, 15 to 16, 18 and 23.

Summary of changes

The average number of trips taken by disabled people across most categories sharply decreased in 2020 to 2021 but increased slightly in the last year. This trend is consistent with the average number of trips taken by non-disabled people and it is likely that the COVID-19 pandemic and following recovery contributed to these changes. There was an increase in the percentage of taxis that were wheelchair accessible, the number of blue badges held by people with non-visible disabilities and the proportion of buses with audible and visible information provided. Meanwhile, the percentage of those satisfied with the passenger assistance on trains was broadly consistent with previous years.

The detailed figures behind these trends for the 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 scorecard years are as follows:

• the mean number of trips taken annually by both non-disabled and disabled people increased across most categories.However, disabled people aged 60 and above took 4% fewer trips in 2021 to 2022 compared to 2020 to 2021. Across the board, disabled people continued to take fewer trips on average than non-disabled people, but the gap between disabled and non-disabled people aged 16 to 59 has reduced. In 2021 to 2022, disabled people aged 16 to 59 took 82% of the number of trips taken by non-disabled people, compared to 77% in 2020 to 2021.
• the percentage of bus passenger complaints that were accessibility-related decreased from 7% to 6%, while for train passengers, it increased from 0.8% to 1.2% to
• the percentage of taxis that were wheelchair accessible increased from 54% to 55%, while the percentage of private hire vehicles (PHVs) that were wheelchair accessible remained consistent, at 2%
• of all blue badges held, the proportion that were held by people with non-visible disabilities increased from 1.7% (39,702) to 2.6% (64,000)
• the percentage of buses on local services on which audible and visible information is provided increased from 45% to 46%
• the percentage of people who were satisfied with the whole Passenger Assist process on trains increased slightly from 86% to 87%

It should be noted that the observed changes cannot be attributed to ITS actions, although ITS actions may have played a role. NatCen’s final report in 2024 will provide a comprehensive assessment of how ITS may have contributed to any changes observed throughout the evaluation.

It should also be noted that where subjective measures such as passenger satisfaction have only increased by one or two percentage points, they may not represent a material improvement but rather marginal fluctuations between data collections.

Theme 1: access to transport

The ITS aims to create equal access to transport for all. Disabled people should have the same access to transport as everybody else, be able to go where everyone else goes and do so easily, confidently and without extra cost.

In 2021, on average, the overall number of trips taken by non-disabled people in England was 821 and for disabled people it was 594. When breaking this down by age group, non-disabled people aged 16-59 took 816 trips and disabled people aged 16-59 took 672 trips. Finally, non-disabled people aged 60 and above took 837 trips and disabled people aged 60 and above took 526 trips.

This data represents metrics 1 to 6 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard ^{[footnote 3]}.

Theme 2: travelling experience

The ITS aims to ensure disabled people receive a supportive travelling experience on all modes of transport. We believe budgets, training and resources should be directed to the areas and services that help provide the greatest improvements to the experience of disabled passengers.

When it came to road users, the percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with motorways and major ‘A’ roads in 2021 to 2022 was 70%. This represents metric 11 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard ^{[footnote 4]}.

Theme 2 also draws on the following metrics:

• metric 7: percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their bus journey (source: Bus Passenger Survey)
• metric 8: percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their train journey (source: National Rail Passenger Survey)
• metrics 9 and 10: percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their ferry or cruise journey (source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency Disabled Passenger Satisfaction Survey)
• metric 12: percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with motorway service stations (source: Motorway Services User Survey)

It was not possible to obtain data for metrics 7 to 10 and 12 for the 2021 to 22 scorecard due to the changes to data collection timeframes^{[footnote 1]} or survey content^{[footnote 2]} that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Theme 3: complaints

The ITS aims to raise awareness and enforcement of passenger rights so that disabled travellers know where to access information about their rights, the obligations of transport operators and how to raise complaints.

In 2021 to 2022, 6% of all complaints made by bus passengers and 1.2% of all complaints made by rail passengers were accessibility related. This data represents metrics 13 to 14 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard ^{[footnote 5]}.

Theme 4: interactions with transport staff

The ITS aims to ensure that staff interactions become more consistent. Feedback from the Government’s Accessibility Action Plan consultation in 2017 suggested that providing effective training to transport staff is likely to improve the travelling experience of disabled passengers. Positive interactions with staff can help build the confidence of disabled people to travel.

Theme 4 draws on the following metrics:

• metric 15: percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with the helpfulness and attitude of the bus driver on their journey (source: Bus Passenger Survey)
• metric 16: percentage of disabled people who thought the helpfulness and attitude of staff on their train was very/fairly good (source: National Rail Passenger Survey)

It was not possible to obtain this data for the 2021 to 22 scorecard due to the changes to data collection timeframes^{[footnote 1]} that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Theme 5: assistance

The ITS aims to ensure assistance is provided if physical infrastructure remains a barrier. Providing timely and high-quality assistance services to disabled travellers, including those with less visible disabilities, is vital to ensure disabled people can travel with confidence.

The percentage of people in Great Britain who were satisfied with the whole Passenger Assist process on trains in 2021 to 2022 was 87. This data represents metric 17 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard ^{[footnote 6]}.

Theme 5 also draws on metric 18, which reports the percentage of people who were satisfied with the assistance they received on their last plane journey (source: Civil Aviation Authority Aviation Consumer Survey). It was not possible to obtain data for metric 18 for the 2021 to 22 scorecard ^{[footnote 2]}.

Theme 6: accessible vehicles

The ITS aims to ensure that vehicles are designed, built and operated using guidance and regulations, so that they are easy to use for all.

As of the 31 March 2022, the percentage of taxis in England that were wheelchair accessible was 55% and for Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs), this was 2%. This data represents metrics 19 to 20 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard^{[footnote 7]}

As of 31 March 2022, in England, the number of blue badges held by people with non-visible disabilities was 64,000. This data represents metric 21 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard^{[footnote 8]}

Theme 7: information

The ITS aims to ensure that that transport operators provide travel information in formats that all passengers can easily access and understand, before and during a journey. We want disabled people to have equal access to transport information.

On local services in Great Britain, 46% of buses provided audible and visible information in 2021 to 2022. This data represents metric 22 of the 2021 to 2022 scorecard^{[footnote 9]}

Theme 8: interactions with other passengers

The ITS aims to create an inclusive travelling experience for disabled people. This will involve improving the attitude and behaviour of other passengers to ensure disabled people feel confident taking journeys.

Theme 8 draws on metric 23. It was not possible to obtain this data for the 2021 to 22 scorecard due to changes in survey content ^{[footnote 2]}.

Information about the purpose of the scorecard

An initial review of all data sources covering disabled people’s transport habits within Britain found over 75 relevant metrics. The 23 metrics included in the scorecard were chosen based on:

• data availability – metrics were only included if data was originally (pre-COVID) expected to be available on an annual basis and likely to be collected up to 2024. However, data was only collected for 14 out of 23 metrics in 2021 to 2022 due to changes in data collection timeframes^{[footnote 1]} or survey content ^{[footnote 2]} that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.
• coverage of different transport types – to accurately reflect the aims of the ITS, it was important that the scorecard included a range of transport types including multiple metrics for trains, buses, private cars, taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs), cruise ships, ferries and planes
• coverage of different data sources – it is important for the scorecard to present both objective measures of change (for example, number of blue badges) and subjective experiences of these changes for passengers. A range of data sources is used in the scorecard, including official statistics and survey data

The 23 metrics have been split into 8 different themes based on the logic model developed by the Department for Transport (DfT) as part of its monitoring and evaluation framework. Logic models are evaluation tools that can be used to explore whether expected changes have occurred. They involve breaking a policy down into its constituent elements.

The metrics associated with each theme are detailed in the infographics. The metric number can be viewed in the first column of the scorecard table. The 8 themes cover specific aspects of the original logic model.

Themes:

• 1 and 2 explore the impacts and objectives of the ITS
• 3 to 8 explore the outcomes, outputs and activities of the ITS

The scorecard table presents figures for 3 baseline years, where data for those years was available (2016 to 2017, 2017 to 2018, 2018 to 2019). These baseline figures are displayed to provide a reference point for data collected since the ITS was published in July 2018. The table also presents figures for the first 3 ITS scorecard years (2019 to 2020, 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022). Subject to any further changes in survey methodology, this table will receive its final update in 2024 so that we can monitor changes in these metrics over time.

It is important to note that any change that is observed may not be directly attributed to the ITS and associated activities. It is likely that the COVID-19 pandemic and following recovery contributed to some of the observed changes since 2020.

Information about the content of the scorecard

The scorecard’s years are in financial years (April to March). We have attempted to ensure that all figures follow this structure. However, this was not possible for metrics 1 to 6 due to data availability.

Where annual figures are displayed, figures from:

• 2016 are used for scorecard year 2016 to 2017
• 2017 are used for scorecard year 2017 to 2018
• 2018 are used for scorecard year 2018 to 2019
• 2019 are used for scorecard year 2019 to 2020
• 2020 are used for scorecard year 2020 to 2021
• 2021 are used for scorecard year 2021 to 2022

Baseline data (data from before ITS publication) was not available for some metrics. This is indicated by cells containing the text ‘No data’. This might be due to specific data not being collected that year, or because of methodological changes to surveys which meant comparison of figures was not possible.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that data will continue to be unavailable for certain metrics in the final scorecard publication, if data collection for the surveys they draw on does not resume within the 2022 to 2023 financial year, or if further changes are made to their content. It is also possible that the data drawn on by metrics 7 to 10, 12 and 15 to 16^{[footnote 10]} will be collected using a new methodology, so results prior to and from 2021 to 22 may not be directly comparable. This may mean we will have to reconsider how we monitor the ITS in future years.

1. Certain surveys were paused following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to significant reductions in the numbers of people using public transport or because it was not safe enough to conduct face-to-face interviewing. For one of these surveys (metric 11), data collection resumed in the 2021 to 22 financial year. For other surveys, data collection has not yet resumed or did not resume until after the 2021 to 22 financial year. For this reason, the 2021 to 2022 scorecard does not display any data for metrics 7 to 8, 12 and 15 to 16. This is indicated by cells containing the text ‘No data’. It is to be confirmed whether this detail will be available again in the final scorecard year. Surveys which did not run in the 2021 to 2022 financial year are the Bus Passenger Survey, the National Rail Passenger Survey, and the Motorway Services User Survey ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Certain surveys either did not feature or report on the relevant questions drawn on by the scorecard during the 2021 to 2022 financial year. For this reason, the 2021 to 2022 scorecard does not display any data for metrics 9 to 10, 18 or 23, which draw on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Disabled Passenger Satisfaction Survey, the Aviation Consumer Survey and the National Travel Attitudes Survey. This is indicated by cells containing the text ‘No data’. It is to be confirmed whether this data will be available again in the final scorecard year. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Metrics 1 to 6 represent data taken from the National Travel Survey. The survey ran between January and December 2021. It was conducted in England and published by DfT. For metrics 3 to 6 the age split was used on the basis that 60 is the age at which it is possible to start claiming free and discounted travel. ↩

4. Metric 11 represents data taken from the Strategic Road User Survey. The data was collected in England between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. The survey restarted in April 2021 with a new methodology. This means that results prior to March 2020 and from April 2021 are not directly comparable. ↩

5. Metrics 13 to 14 represent data taken from Bus Users UK (not in the public domain) and the Office of Rail and Road consumer report. Both datasets were collected in Great Britain between 2021 and 2022. ↩

6. Metric 17 represents data taken from the Office of Rail and Road. The data was collected in Great Britain between 7 July 2021 and 31 April 2022, with with those who had users Passenger Assist between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. ↩

7. Metrics 19 to 20 represent Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Statistics. The data was collected in England and published by DfT as at 31 March 2022. ↩

8. Metric 21 represents blue badge statistics published by DfT. The data was collected in England and published by DfT as at 31 March 2022. ↩

9. Metric 22 represents local bus operator data held by DfT, as at 31 March 2022. The data was collected in Great Britain. ↩

10. In the final scorecard years, it is possible that the data drawn on by certain metrics will be collected using a new methodology, so results prior to and from 2021 to 22 may not be directly comparable for metric 7 (percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their bus journey), metric 8 (percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their train journey), metric 9 (percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their ferry journey), metric 10 (percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with their cruise journey), metric 12 (percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with motorway service stations), metric 15 (percentage of disabled people who were satisfied with the helpfulness and attitude of the bus driver on their journey), and metric 16 (percentage of disabled people who thought the helpfulness and attitude of staff on their train was very/fairly good). ↩