Advances in Transport Policy and Planning - Chapter 2: Disability and travel

This chapter summarises 12 recent reviews examining persons with disabilities and travel. Clear differences in travel behaviour between transport users with and without disabilities are evident. People with disabilities make 10–30% fewer trips than people without disabilities. Travel time is often longer, and transport mode and journey length differ. These significantly influence the ability of individuals with disabilities to travel within their communities or elsewhere. People with disabilities encounter a plethora of barriers that vary with the type and severity of their disability, their socioeconomic status, and the quality of local and national transport infrastructure. With an increase in disability severity, transport becomes more difficult, particularly affecting travel mode options. People with disabilities often use specific routes for familiarity and comfort. In addition to individual factors, systemic obstacles include unreliability of public transport services (e.g. long waiting times); maintenance issues; accessibility and affordability; difficulty scheduling paratransit; and lack of access to technology and information. The chapter ends by discussing potential solutions to these barriers and highlighting gaps in the existing evidence. Policies should focus on the needs of travellers with disabilities and be integrated during the transportation planning process, before procurement and implementation.