Enabling access to public transport
Most of the research reviewed identified problems preventing access to public transport. However, there were examples of how systems and infrastructure, information and communication, and attitudes and awareness can instead support access.
The primary enabler of access to public transport is consistency and predictability (Bigby et al. 2019, Motability 2025). Deaf people and people with hearing loss need to be able to trust that information will be accessible, staff will be present, deaf aware, and helpful, and journeys will be predictable, with any changes communicated promptly and in accessible formats. Journey planner tools that incorporate accessibility information can help, as is the case for the Transport for London Journey Planner app (Almoshaogeh et al. 2025).
Information provided in accessible formats and of good quality is a key enabler (Almoshaogeh et al. 2025, Mindell et al. 2024, Orczyk and Młodystach 2022). This includes providing real time updates about service changes and clear information about routes, offered in multiple formats, and written using accessible language.
Translations of service information into British Sign Language (BSL), real-time updates, and emergency alerts are also a key access need for deaf sign language users, enabling equitable access to public transport. However, there were very limited examples of BSL transport information within the included studies, or the experiences of BSL users, representing a key evidence gap.
Staff presence is “consistently one of the most important factors in safe and accessible travel across all modes” (Innovate UK 2023). Knowledgeable, deaf aware staff improve access to public transport for deaf people and people with hearing loss (Bigby et al. 2019, Mindell et al. 2024, Tessier et al. 2024).
For example, a survey of UK Bus Users found that, if people did receive the support needed from drivers, it compensated for other problems they’d experienced (BusUsers 2024). Disability and deaf awareness training contributes to improving this aspect of accessibility, but training levels will vary depending on the policies of the specific transport operator.
There is limited evidence as to the current level of satisfaction with staff presence and attitudes on UK public transport. For example, one survey found that 76% of disabled people were satisfied with the helpfulness and attitudes of train staff in Scotland (Transport Scotland 2023b), but there is a need for more robust data on this issue across different modes of transport, locations, and operators, and specifically pertaining to deaf people and people with hearing loss.
Technological interventions can enable greater access to public transport. Apps provide service information, real-time updates, and journey maps (Davis and Qazi 2023). For example, Euston train station in London has visual displays with information written by staff during rail disruptions, translated into British Sign Language within a set amount of time. Tools such as CitiMapper, Google Maps, and Bus Times London can allow deaf people and people with hearing loss to circumvent difficulties communicating with staff or accessing information displays at stations and stops (BusUsers 2024).
I’d like to see more visual displays on public transport so that I’m not relying on tannoy announcements. Another improvement would be staff having more deaf awareness. That way, if you go to someone and say, ‘I’m deaf,’ they’ll have an understanding of how to support you.
I think there’s a lot that can be done with technology. It’s great to see stations that use BSL video boards, but there’s so much more than can be done – and in this day and age, needs to be done.”
– Charlotte
However, access to technology is inconsistent and cannot replace staff presence or having general access to information while travelling (BusUsers 2024, TfL 2019), and there is a need for more research to understand how deaf people and people with hearing loss use technology while travelling. Accessible communication, technological solutions, and consistent staff presence and attitudes are all necessary elements of creating an accessible public transport system in which deaf people and people with hearing loss can travel independently and with confidence.
People’s recommendations for change
Within the included studies there were numerous suggestions made by people with lived experience for improving access to public transport. Whilst untested, these offer a starting point for considering how to improve transport systems. A general theme was the need for accessibility to be built into the entire system. Journeys needed to be accessible door-to-door, with user needs considered at the design stage (Aarhaug and Elvebakk, 2015, Sze and Christensen, 2017).
Suggestions related to systems and infrastructure (BusUsers 2024, Cirella et al. 2019, House of Commons 2025, Innovate UK 2023, Motability 2020b, Motability 2025, Natcen 2024, Transport for All 2024):
- Create discreet support mechanisms
- Improve reliability of transport services
- Avoid overcrowding
- Improve maintenance of existence infrastructure
- Improve enforcement of transport accessibility legislation, including by improving complaints systems and handling.
Suggestions related to information and communication (Bromley et al. 2024, Motability 2020b, Motability 2025, Zhang and Yang, 2024):
- Ensure consistent access to visual and auditory information systems, including in stations, on board transport, and online
- Create a single point of access to information about full journeys, inclusive of multiple modes of transport and different transport operators.
Suggestions relating to attitudes and awareness (BusUsers 2024, Das Neves et al. 2024, Motability 2025, Tessier et al. 2024, Transport for All 2024):
- Increase and improve training for staff
- Offer disability awareness training designed and led by people with lived experience
- Increase staff presence
Many of these suggestions arose from research focused on disabled people in general, without specifying which recommendations were made by deaf people and people with hearing loss. There is therefore a gap in the evidence related to the changes that deaf people and people with hearing loss would like to see.