Transport and Disability: The Facts DFI Factsheet - Transport

Issued on March 1 2017

Transport and Disability: The Facts

Almost 50% of people living with a physical disability have difficulty going out.[1]

UN CRPD

Once Ireland ratifies the UN CRPD, private transport companies will have to take into account all aspects of accessibility.[2]

Private Transportation

  • People with disabilities would prefer to use private transport but more than 24% of them can’t access it.[3]
  • The Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant were both abolished in 2013. There is still no replacement scheme in place. [4]

Public Transportation

1 in 4 people with a disability do not use public transportation because they don’t find it accessible.[5]

Buses

  • Only 63% of Bus Éireann’s Expressway bus fleet is accessible.[6]
  • Even on accessible bus routes, the bus stops themselves remain inaccessible.[7]

Trains

  • Many Iarnród Éireann stations remain inaccessible because of their reliance on foot bridges as the only means of crossing the tracks.[8]

Taxis

  • In 2015 only 5% of the state’s taxis were wheelchair accessible. This figure represents a decline of 36% from a peak of 1,600 vehicles in 2008.[9]

Most rail and bus providers require 24-hours notice if wheelchair users plan to use their service. Lifts frequently out of order, coupled with staff shortages, results in people with disabilities avoiding public transport rather than trying to cope with the numerous difficulties they have to encounter.[10]

 

[1] CSO (2006) National Disability Survey

[2] UN CRPD Article 9

[3] Watson, D. & Nolan, B. (2011) A social portrait of people with disabilities in Ireland. ESRI

[4] Kildarestreet.com comment by Finian McGrath March 2017

[5] Watson, D. & Nolan, B. (2011) A social portrait of people with disabilities in Ireland. ESRI

[6] Oireachtas Library and Research, March 2017

[7] Irish Wheelchair Association http://www.iwa.ie/information/iwa-articles/youth-articles/club-cafe-news/item/public-transport-2

[8] Irish Wheelchair Association http://www.iwa.ie/information/iwa-articles/youth-articles/club-cafe-news/item/public-transport-2

[9] NTA (2016) Taxi Statistics for Ireland. Statistical Bulletin Number: 01/2016

[10] Watson, D. & Nolan, B. (2011) A social portrait of people with disabilities in Ireland. ESRI