As part of its review of how accessible London’s public transport network is for people with reduced mobility[1], the Assembly’s Transport Committee will tomorrow hear from people who sometimes struggle to use Tubes, buses and trains in the capital.

The Committee is examining how the experience of people with reduced mobility – including people with disabilities, older people, and parents with buggies - could be improved, and whether current accessibility measures are actually working.

After hearing from the following guests from representative organisations the Committee will hand over the floor to the audience so people can share the everyday challenges they face when using public transport.

  * Tanvi Vyas, Trailblazers, Muscular Dystrophy UK
      o Pamela Moffat, Age Concern London
      o Anne Fox, National Childbirth Trust
      o Geraldine O’Halloran, Inclusion London
      o Nicholas Russell, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
      o Faryal Velmi, Transport for All

Transport for London (TfL) representatives Richard Parry, London Underground Strategy and Commercial Director and Mike Weston, Operations Director for Surface Transport have been invited to hear the discussion and contribute as required.

The Committee’s investigation will take a ‘whole journey’ approach to the experience of passengers with reduced mobility, from journey planning through travelling on different forms of transport like Tubes, buses, trains, trams and the DLR and navigating the interchanges between them.  With pressures on budgets seeing initiatives like step-free access scaled back, the Committee is looking for ways accessibility could be improved without a big capital outlay.

The Transport Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, 23 June from 10am in The Chamber at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).