Self-driving taxis that are not accessible will be allowed pilot scheme licenses, government suggests

Companies will be allowed to launch self-driving taxis and minibuses in pilot schemes in England as early as next spring even if the vehicles are not accessible to disabled people, the government has suggested.

A disabled peer who raised concerns about the issue in the Lords last year, Baroness [Sal] Brinton, said yesterday (Wednesday) that she was “very, very concerned” and planned to question the government about its position.

She spoke out after the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that it had brought forward the launch of pilot projects of self-driving vehicles to next spring, subject to a consultation on regulations later this summer.

But the press release announcing the move said the “key priorities” of the pilots would be “cutting-edge innovation, regulation and road safety”.

It made no mention of accessibility, including access for wheelchair-users, the need for on-board audio-visual announcements, the accessibility of apps used to book journeys, and physical infrastructure such as kerbs and drop-off points.

DfT said firms would be able to pilot small-scale “taxi- and bus-like” services without being monitored or controlled by a human for the first time, before a potential wider rollout when the Conservative government’s Automated Vehicles Act is implemented in the second half of 2027.

The act, which became law last year, provides a legal and safety framework for the introduction of automated vehicles.

The government believes self-driving vehicles could help reduce deaths and injuries on the roads, add new public transport options in rural areas, and have the potential to improve mobility, accessibility and independence for those who cannot drive, including many disabled and older people.

But there were only two fleeting mentions of accessibility in this week’s DfT announcement.

Last year, two disabled peers – Liberal Democrat Baroness Brinton and Conservative Lord [Chris] Holmes – warned that the act must not be allowed to create new access barriers for disabled people.

When asked this week by Disability News Service (DNS) why the key priorities of the pilot schemes did not include accessibility, and what measures ministers were taking to ensure that the pilots would be accessible to all disabled people, DfT initially declined to produce a statement.

DfT did say that operators had taken a range of different approaches to ensure accessibility in trials with a safety driver, but it did not say what those approaches were.

The government also said that conditions – which can include references to accessibility – can be attached to the permits that will be needed to operate automated passenger services.

And once the permit has been granted, the transport operator will have to publish reports showing the steps taken to meet the needs of older or disabled passengers.

But these reports will only be published after the permit has been granted.

The department claimed it was working with a range of stakeholders and experts, including the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, and would carry out further engagement with disabled people and representative groups through a consultation this summer.

After DNS asked why there was no obligation for the pilots to be accessible and why reports on accessibility will only be completed after a permit is granted, DfT produced a statement.

A spokesperson said: “Before pilots deploy a passenger carrying service, the secretary of state must consider, in deciding whether to grant a permit, how the service will help lead to improving understanding of how these services should best be designed and operated for older and disabled people.

“Improving transport for disabled and older people is one of our key priorities, and self-driving vehicles will help boost mobility, accessibility and independence for those unable to drive.

“We will learn from these pilots to better understand what good accessibility looks like for these services.”

DfT also said that more details on guidance for the pilots – including accessibility expectations – would be published in due course.

Baroness Brinton said she and Lord Holmes had failed in their efforts to persuade the Conservative government to amend the automated vehicles bill before it became law to ensure that accessibility was built in from the beginning of any schemes.

Baroness Brinton told DNS, before DfT issued its statement: “I am very, very concerned because the whole point of our amendments was to make sure that accessibility was built in from the start.”

She said the government’s admissions suggested this was now not going to happen.

And she said Labour had followed the last government in appearing to say that they “cannot stop the tech companies” because they are so important to growth.

She will now try to put an emergency question to ministers in the Lords about the government’s announcement.

She said: “I am extremely frustrated because our argument was that now, before they do anything, is the best time to describe what these vehicles must have, because if it’s built in from the start, like with black cabs, then everybody just knows that it has to be accessible.”

Transport for All (TfA), the disabled-led campaigning organisation, said it was concerned by the government’s apparent failure to put accessibility right at the heart of these new pilots.

Emma Vogelmann, TfA’s head of policy, public affairs and campaigns, said: “Department for Transport statistics show only 61 per cent of disabled people hold a full driving licence.

“Our own research found that a lack of a driver is a key barrier to many of us travelling by car.

“Autonomous vehicles are an incredible opportunity to create a transport system that includes disabled people from the start and is accessible to everyone.

“The last government excluded disabled people from the development of self-driving vehicles.

“We refuse to be shut out of yet another transport system.

“It’s imperative that the trials being planned include disabled people, to ensure we can all travel easily and confidently now and in the future.”

Picture: A Waymo self-driving vehicle being used in the USA

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