Transport: disability and accessibility statistics, England: 2020 quality report
Published 22 September 2021
Applies to England
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About this release
This document supports the latest annual transport related disability and accessibility statistics. Detailed data tables are available from the website. For detailed commentary please see the annual statistical release. This publication covers England only.
About the Transport: disability and accessibility statistics
This statistical release presents information on transport related disability and accessibility statistics in England, drawn from a variety of data sources. Some of the datasets used in this publication are not official statistics. Official statistics are produced to the high professional standards set by the Code of Practice for Statistics, those that have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation as fully compliant with the Code of Practice for Statistics are designated as National Statistics.
Quality of the Transport: Disability and Accessibility data
This transport related disability and accessibility statistical release is produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
This report outlines some of the quality aspects of the data.
Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
These statistics include the 12 months following the government’s announcement of measures to limit the impact and transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In early March 2020, the UK government set out 4 phases in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus has had a wide impact on UK society and economic activity since March 2020. Some of the datasets used in this publication have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, this should be taken into account when comparing them with previous time periods. For other datasets it has not been possible to conduct them, therefore the most recent available data sets have been used.
Primary Data Sources
National Travel Survey
The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a continuous household survey which collects detailed information on personal travel within Great Britain. The data is collected via a face to face interview and a 7-day travel diary on a representative sample of private households in England. It is used to look at the travel patterns of different groups as well as long term trends.
In 2020, 2 fieldwork methods were used due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in an achieved response rate of 16% to 17%, and an achieved sample size of around 2,800 households.
Disability definition
From 2018, a person is considered to have a disability if they report any physical or mental health condition or illness that lasts or is expected to last 12 months or more, and which limits their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. This is consistent with the core definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 and complies with harmonised standards for social surveys published in August 2011. Some people classified as disabled and having rights under the Equality Act 2010 are not captured by this definition, such as people with a long-standing illness or disability which is not currently affecting their day-to-day activities.
Note that people living in care homes and other such as community living environments are not captured through the survey and it therefore may underestimate disability prevalence and the prevalence of different impairments, particularly in the older age groups.
Walking definition
The NTS definition of walking includes the use of non-powered wheelchairs but excludes powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Data from the NTS are designated as National Statistics.
National Highways and Transport Network Public Satisfaction Survey
The National Highways and Transport Survey (NHTS) is an annual survey of residents in local authorities across Great Britain. The survey was set up in 2008 to collect public perspectives on, and satisfaction with, highways and transport services. The number of areas which choose to participate varies from year to year, but for those which do participate a representative sample of private households is selected and sent a paper questionnaire in the Summer (June to August).
Disability definition
The disabled population in this survey are classified as those who have selected at least one of the following statements:
-
I have a long-term illness, disability, or infirmity which limits my daily activities
-
I am a Blue Badge Holder
People living in care homes and other such as community living environments are not captured through the survey, which may impact on the satisfaction rates for the disabled.
The 2020 survey was conducted in 109 local authorities, with a response rate of 24% and an achieved sample size of 95,704 households. Although the methodology used ensures the data should be representative at local authority level, because not all local authorities participate the results may not be representative at national level.
The 2020 survey covers 58% of local authorities in Great Britain. Map 1 and Table 1 shows the coverage of the survey from 2008.
Map 1: NHT coverage from 2008 Local Authorities, Great Britain, March 2020
Table 1: NHT coverage from 2008
| Survey year | Coverage Across Great Britain |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 16% |
| 2009 | 38% |
| 2010 | 45% |
| 2011 | 35% |
| 2012 | 36% |
| 2013 | 35% |
| 2014 | 38% |
| 2015 | 49% |
| 2016 | 52% |
| 2017 | 55% |
| 2018 | 55% |
| 2019 | 54% |
| 2020 | 53% |
Estimates from The National Highways and Transport Surveys are not National Statistics
Transport Focus
Transport Focus is the independent watchdog for transport users and as part of its work it carries out a series of event-based passenger satisfaction surveys, which measure passengers’ views of individual journeys that have taken place on the day they were given a questionnaire (or invitation to participate online). The areas and/or operators choosing to participate can vary from year to year.
Bus Passenger Survey
The Autumn 2019 survey was completed in 50 sampling areas (31 local transport authority areas and 19 bus operators’ operating divisions) in England outside London between September and December, with an achieved sample size of around 44,000. The 2019 survey covers 83% of local authorities in England outside of London. Map 2 shows the coverage of the survey from 2014.
Map 2: Transport Focus coverage from 2014 Local Authorities, England, March 2020
Table 2: Transport Focus coverage from 2014
| Survey year | Coverage Proportion of England (outside of London) LAs included in the sample |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 54% |
| 2015 | 69% |
| 2016 | 80% |
| 2017 | 79% |
| 2018 | 87% |
| 2019 | 83% |
Rail Passenger Survey
The National Rail Passenger Satisfaction Survey is completed twice a year (Spring and Autumn). It provides a network-wide picture of customer satisfaction with rail travel. The Spring 2020 wave was completed between February and March, with an achieved sample size of around 19,850.
Motorway Services User Survey
The 2020 Motorway Services User Satisfaction Survey was completed for all motorway service areas in England between February and March, with an achieved sample size of around 9,800.
Tram Passenger Survey
The 2018 Tram Passenger Satisfaction Survey covered tram services in Manchester, Birmingham, Blackpool, and Sheffield. It was completed between September and December, with an achieved sample size of around 5,000.
Travel during COVID-19 Survey
Throughout the pandemic, Transport Focus have been speaking to people to understand the impact of Covid-19 on transport use and future travel plans. Their regular Covid-19 tracking research captures the behaviours, experiences and attitudes of people during the pandemic, including disabled people. Weekly sample size is around 2,000.
Accessible transport
Transport Focus asked disabled and non-disabled members of their Transport User Panel to complete an online survey asking about public transport use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was completed between 14 to 19 April 2021, with achieved samples size of 473 disabled and 3160 non-disabled respondents. Data was not weighted. This survey does not claim to be representative of the population.
Estimates from the Transport Focus passenger satisfaction surveys are not National Statistics.
Family Resources Survey
The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a continuous household survey which collects detailed information on income from all sources as well as detailed personal and household characteristics. The data is collected via a face to face interview on a representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom. The FRS is considered to be one of the main data sources for information on disability prevalence.
The 2019 to 2020 FRS survey had a response rate of 50%, and an achieved sample size of around 19,000 households.
Disability definition
A person is considered to have a disability if they report any physical or mental health condition or illness that lasts or is expected to last 12 months or more, and which limits their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. This is consistent with the core definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 and complies with harmonised standards for social surveys published in August 2011. Some people classified as disabled and having rights under the Equality Act 2010 are not captured by this definition, such as people with a long-standing illness or disability which is not currently affecting their day-to-day activities.
People living in care homes and other such as community living environments are not captured through the survey and it therefore may underestimate disability prevalence and the prevalence of different impairments, particularly in the older age groups.
Data from the FRS are designated as National Statistics.
Other data sources
The National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS)
The National Travel Attitudes Study collects data on the attitudes of individuals aged 16 and over across England. These surveys are designed as small snapshots, and as such there is the possibility of multiple “waves” throughout a year. Individuals who have completed the National Travel Survey (NTS) and have consented to taking part in the NTAS panel, are contacted with an offer of completing the wave of NTAS questions.
The NTAS is a random probability sample with respondents drawn from the NTS, and responses are weighted to take account of the mode of delivery, and to reflect the population. Initial contact is via letter and email, and by SMS text message (where the information is available). If no response is received within 2 weeks, this is pursued via a telephone call.
Wave 4 of the 2020 NTAS survey was offered to individuals who had completed the NTS in 2018 or 2019 and agreed to be contacted for further studies. In total, 5,299 individuals completed the Wave 4 questionnaire.
Data collection from the first sample ran from 26 May 2020 until 20.July 2020. Respondents from the second sample were surveyed from 1 August 2020 until 17 September 2020. Travel restrictions were in place when data collection started and gradually lifted on 1 June 2020 and 4 July 2020. This means that not all study participants completed the survey under the same conditions, which should be kept in mind when interpreting results.
Wave 3 was conducted during January and February 2020 and had a sample size of 2,694 individuals.
Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
Disabled Persons Railcards (DPRC) enable disabled passengers to get a discount of a third off adult travel on the National Rail network in Great Britain. ORR collect this data as part of their Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) compliance monitoring.
Passengers assists and passenger assistance booking are made through the National Passenger Assistance Booking System managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). ORR collect this data as part of their Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) compliance monitoring. These statistics do not include unbooked assistance such as ‘Turn up and Go’ assists.
Office of Rail and Road statistics are designated as National Statistics.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency disabled passenger satisfaction survey
This is an annual survey carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to find out from disabled passengers and those of reduced mobility, their experience of transport using ships and how effective the provision of assistance has been when using ferries or cruise ships, as required by regulation EU1177/2010.
The disabled passenger survey ran for 3 months between 1 August 2019 to 31 October 2019. This is the second year the survey has been carried out. The MCA received 173 returns, of these 62 had only travelled on a cruise, 86 only on a ferry, while 25 had travelled on both a cruise and a ferry in the last 12 months. Only passengers that have travelled in the last 12 months have been included in the analysis of the survey in order to track year on year changes.
Data from the MCA disabled passenger satisfaction survey are not National Statistics.
Bus statistics
Bus statistics are derived from a number of sources, with the main source being the DfT annual Public Service Vehicle (PSV) survey of over 500 local bus operators which provides data on passenger journeys, vehicle miles, revenue and costs, and vehicles and staff.
Concessionary travel statistics are derived from a DfT survey of Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) undertaken in June 2019, covering 90 areas: the 89 TCAs outside London, and London Councils. It provides the most up to date statistics on the number of older and disabled concessionary passes, the number of concessionary bus journeys, and the payments made by Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) to reimburse bus operators for concessionary fares.
Bus statistics are designated as National Statistics
Taxi and PHV Statistics
The taxi and private hire vehicle statistics are put together from responses to the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle survey. The survey is issued to all licensing authorities in England and Wales. The survey asks authorities to provide data on their licensed vehicles, their licensed drivers and their licensed operators. The survey also captures details on the number designed to be accessible for disabled people. Statistics relating to the use of taxis are available from the National Travel Survey.
Prosecutions under the Equality Act 2010: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) captures data on prosecutions, including offences committed by taxi and private hire vehicle drivers and operators in relation to sections 168 and 170 (assistance dog refusals by taxi and PHV drivers), and section 165 (wheelchair user discrimination by taxi and PHV drivers) in England and Wales.
Taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) statistics are designated as National Statistics.
Labour Force Survey
The Labour Force Survey is run by the Office for National Statistics. It is a household study which collects data on the employment circumstances of the UK population. The Labour Force Survey is used in the statistical release to provide information on the profile of taxi or private hire vehicle drivers and their working patterns.
Data from the Labour Force Survey are designated as National Statistics.
Blue Badge statistics
Blue Badges are parking badges, issued by local authorities to disabled individuals with severe mobility conditions. Badges can also be issued to organisations who care for and transport people with disabilities. The main Blue Badge statistics are obtained from the Blue Badge Digital Service (BBDS) database.
Blue Badge statistics are designated as National Statistics.
Population
Population data is from Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates.
Disability benefits
There are 3 main types of benefits you might be able to receive if you have a disability and live in England, the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Attendance Allowance. More information is available from the Department for work and pensions (DWP)
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Contact details
Transport: disability, accessibility and blue badge statistics
Email localtransport.statistics@dft.gov.uk
Public enquiries 020 7082 6602
Media enquiries 0300 7777 878