Press release: New regulations come into force to improve accessibility on local buses and coaches

Published: 01 October 2024
By Chris Haycock

• improvements to make bus travel a better experience for disabled people
• regulations come into force today for newer local bus and coach vehicles to have audio and visual information
• part of government’s bold ambitions to improve transport accessibility

Passengers on local bus and coach services will have more accessible journeys, thanks to new regulations coming into force today (1 October 2024).

The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 require operators of local bus and coach services to provide information on the route, direction of travel and each upcoming stop.   

The regulations will boost confidence for travelling passengers, including those with sight and hearing impairments because route information will be clearly displayed and announced.  

This government is committed to delivering improvements to transport accessibility and has an expectation that transport operators and local authorities play their part in making this possible. 

Buses are the country’s most used form of public transport, and having audible and visual information available plays an important part in allowing people to use local transport to make the journeys they want, how they want.

Today’s regulatory deadline (1 October 2024) means newer vehicles (those first used on local services since 1 October 2019) must now be compliant. There is a staggered deadline for older vehicles through to 2026, with partially compliant status vehicles needing to be compliant by 2031.