Systems and infrastructure
The theme of systems and infrastructure includes parts of the transport system such as the design of train carriages and the layout of stations, how well legislation is enforced, and how easy and effective it is to make a complaint.
Our review found that there are multiple elements of public transport systems that prevent equitable access for deaf people and people with hearing loss.
The physical organisation and design of signage and information systems is a key issue. Poor or confusing signage and broken visual and audio information systems prevent people accessing information required to organise their travel (Davis and Qazi 2025, Natcen 2020).
The layout of public transport infrastructure, such as seating arrangements, also affects access. Inadequate access to priority seating can be a problem for people who have assistance dogs such as hearing dogs (Nielsen and Landa-Mata, 2025). Access to forward-facing seating can support deaf people and people with hearing loss by preventing nausea and improving their view of visual information systems (Bromley et al. 2024).
Using public transport as a deaf person often feels like navigating a system that wasn’t designed with you in mind.” A deaf person (quoted in RNID Clear Signals report, 2026)
Inaccessible infrastructure may be particularly challenging for people who have additional accessibility needs, such as people who are deafblind, wheelchair users, and people with learning disabilities.
The complexity of the UK public transport system contributes to the difficulty of addressing these problems. A single journey may involve transport operated by a wide range of providers, increasing uncertainty as each provider may have different approaches to accessibility. Faults, planned engineering work, changes to timetables, and unpredictable staff numbers and attitudes, all contribute to uncertainty for deaf people and people with hearing loss (House of Commons 2025, Nielsen and Landa-Mata, 2025).
Legislation and regulation are also fragmented and complex, making it hard for users to fully understand their rights. Research suggests that the burden of holding transport operators accountable for access problems often falls on disabled people themselves, with insufficient enforcement of regulation by the relevant authorities (House of Commons 2025). 48% of disabled people feel that national governments and local authorities are not doing enough to ensure accessibility is a priority (Sustrans 2025).
Our review also identified a need for more data about whether complaints systems are accessible or effective. In general, 82% of people who made complaints about accessibility in public transport once, and 63% of those who had complained more than once, had never received a satisfactory result, which made them less motivated to make complaints in future (House of Commons 2025).
More research is needed to understand how these problems affect deaf people and people with hearing loss. A Polish survey of deaf people and people with hearing loss reported that 45% of respondents found it difficult to understand regulations and information regarding public transport (Młodystach et al. 2023). Equivalent data from the UK is needed to fully understand the scale and impact of inaccessible infrastructure and systems.
Moreover, the UK transport system is currently changing, with progressively nationalised railways and legislative change such as the Bus Services Act 2025. However, at the time of writing the impact of these changes remains unknown. It will be necessary for future research to explore how changing systems impact accessibility.