The new funding will include £1.5 million allocated to support all 13 Mobility Centers across England to roll out a ‘Hubs Mobility Service’. These vital services help people stay mobile after they have been advised to stop driving or if they are unable to learn to drive due to their disabilities, offering them advice on alternatives such as powered wheelchairs, community transport, and local services.
The hubs have been successfully piloted at 7 of the centers over the past 2 years and have already helped over 4,000 people regain and retain confidence to travel. The real-life benefits of staying mobile were highlighted in the Inclusive Transport Strategy, which sets out the link between reduced mobility and access to transport with loneliness and social isolation.
Ahead of the announcement, Accessibility Minister Wendy Morton visited Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation to celebrate opening the UK’s first Mobility Centre and their first Mobility Open Day since the pandemic.
The Minister was able to see and experience some of the assessments funded by the Department for Transport and carried out at Mobility Centers, including for people interested in using wheelchair-accessible vehicles, adapted cars, and powered wheelchairs.
Karen Deacon, QEF’s Mobility Service discusses how important it is to support people to improve their independent mobility and access public transport, to enable people to live the life they choose. Whether that be for young children through the fantastic Bugzi powered wheelchair or people with a life-long disability or who have had a life-changing medical event.
Independent mobility and public transport should be equally accessible to everyone, and it was great to see the Minister personally experiencing the challenges some face when relearning to drive in an adapted car and listening to the day-to-day travel challenges disabled people face on public transport.
DfT has also announced that it will provide £1 million to lifeline ferries and seaports serving the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly to improve accessibility. The funding will improve access to services for passengers with disabilities.
The government has also confirmed that the 1,000th accessibility audit has been conducted at Oban station in Scotland. As part of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the government committed to audit all 2,565 rail stations in Great Britain.
This 1,000th audit is a huge milestone as we highlight existing areas of excellence and identify the scope for improvements. They will help produce a new public database, so people can better plan their journeys and, along with input from disabled passengers, will shape future investment in accessible rail travel.