Attitudes and awareness
The final theme relates to social aspects of accessibility, such as the attitudes and awareness of transport staff and the public.
Negative behaviours and attitudes from staff, and lack of awareness of how to support people with sensory impairments, are a key determinant of the experiences of deaf people and people with hearing loss using public transport (Almoshaogeh et al. 2025, Fürst and Vogelauer 2011, House of Commons 2025, Mindell et al. 2024).
Inconsistencies in staff presence and attitude can reduce confidence when asking for help. Different staff may have different skill and comfort levels when communicating with deaf people or people with hearing loss, especially if there is high turnover of staff (Bigby et al. 2019).
I have to build up my confidence to ask for help, and the response you get depends on who you ask and how patient they are. Sometimes, I’ll just get a really quick reply and they’ll march off to the next thing they need to do. They don’t want to spend that time to make sure I’ve understood. It can be quite stressful and scary in those busy situations when things change quickly.”
– RNID storyteller Suzie
For example, research focused on bus users suggests that the attitudes of bus drivers is a key factor in enabling or preventing access (Bromley et al. 2024. In one case, a bus user reported being “yelled at” by drivers because they did not know to get off at the last stop (Nielsen and Landa-Mata, 2025).
In some cases, bus drivers challenged the validity of hidden disabilities and associated communication and access needs (Das Neves et al. 2022). In a survey of UK bus users, disabled people recalled negative experiences with bus drivers happening when they most needed support (BusUsers 2024). More severe hearing loss is associated with increased bus travel for older people, suggesting this is a key mode of travel for this group (Yarde et al. 2020).
The driver got very nasty. I couldn’t understand what he was saying and he sort of tutted and said, ‘oh there’s always people like you on the bus’. I just got off.” – Person with hearing loss and tinnitus (quoted in RNID Clear Signals report 2026).
These issues can be systemic. Research into the perspectives of bus drivers reported problems with lack of training and knowledge on disability, negative attitudes of passengers, and conflicting demands from employers and passengers, such as keeping to timetable versus stopping to help a disabled person (Duri and Luke, 2022, Tessier et al. 2024).
This suggests a need to commit to improving attitudes and awareness at an organisational level, and making system-wide efforts to ensure this commitment is met by individual drivers.
In relation to other members of the public, negative attitudes can cause a barrier through issues such as receiving verbal abuse for accessing a priority seat, or being unable to ask other transport users for help when information is inaccessible (Innovate UK 2023).
As with the other themes identified here, there is a need for research that supports exploration of the scale of these issues, and the effect on people’s use of and access to public transport across different modes.