Harrogate meeting puts transport leaders on the spot about 'hit and miss' experiences of disabled passengers

Organised by Harrogate-based charity, Disability Action Yorkshire, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones chaired the Transport Round Table which was attended by transport leaders including:

Vincent Hodder, CEO at Leeds Bradford Airport; Charlie Woodhead, Accessibility & Integrated Travel Manager at LNER; Darren Allsopp, Stakeholder Manager at Northern; Richard Isaac, Community Manager (Eastern Area) at Northern; Henri Rohard, Managing Director at Transdev; Gareth Bentley, Licensing Manager at North Yorkshire County Council; and Paul Thompson, Assistant Director at North Yorkshire County Council.

The aim of the event was to allow disabled passengers to express concerns about their daily travel challenges and regional operators to outline their plans to improve accessibility.

Jeremy Dunsford, a member of Ripon Disability Forum, said: “There’s no doubt that travel across the region can be somewhat of a ‘hit and miss’ experience.

"The key thing is connectivity. Operators need to work together to use information in an intelligent way, so the entire passenger journey runs smoothly.”

One attendee expressed concern that, while she regularly travelled to London on business with no challenges, the journey was the opposite when she travelled with her 13-year-old disabled son.

She said there had been times when there was no support getting him onto and off trains, and the pair were once stranded when the train terminated before its planned destination.

Jackie Snape, Disability Action Yorkshire’s CEO, added: “The experience of disabled people on public transport is an ongoing issue and one which we focus on in a lot of our activities across the region.”

In response, travel company chiefs explained what progress they were making on access for passengers.

Darren Allsopp, Stakeholder Manager at Northern, said: “We recognise the importance of connectivity and I firmly believe things are getting better.

"For example, train operators are working more closely with bus operators and it’s only a matter of time before passengers will start to see the improvements which are vital for a seamless journey.

Henri Rohard, Managing Director at Transdev, said: “We provide a vital service to many people across the district but accessibility is something we need to improve.

"We need to understand where ‘touch points’ aren’t working with our customers.

"We have some ‘quick wins’ planned and then over the longer term we are starting to invest in new buses.”

Vincent Hodder, CEO at Leeds Bradford Airport, explained what changes have been made at the airport since he took the helm three years ago.

He said: “When I arrived, the airport had suffered from a lack of investment over a long period of time which resulted in reduced accessibility and poor infrastructure.

"It’s essential that the passenger journey is the same experience for everyone, with the same rights and benefits.

“In summer 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority assessed the airport as ‘poor’ for people with reduced mobility.

"By the following year, this had improved to ‘very good.’”

Harrogate MP Andrew Jones said afterwards the forum had been “lively and valuable.”

"I hope the dialogue will continue between all parties to ensure the important issue of passenger accessibility remains at the top of the transport agenda,” he said.