Guidance

Introduction to Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme accreditation

Updated 23 March 2020

Earning an Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme accreditation

The purpose of the Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme (ITLS) is to improve the inclusivity of the transport system. The scheme can make this difference by:

• providing a framework that you can use to make your services more accessible to disabled people
• recognising and promoting the work you undertake to make your services more inclusive
• establishing a community of Inclusive Transport Leaders, members of which will produce and share examples of inclusive practice

Why you should participate in the ITLS

An inclusive transport system should enable all of us to access transport whenever we like, without extra cost and with confidence, regardless of our personal characteristics.

But we know that for the 1 in 5 people in the UK who are disabled, it is not as easy as it should be to access education, employment, social and leisure activities.

Households with a disabled person in them have an estimated annual spending power of £212 billion.

Everyone will benefit from a more accessible transport system.

19% of working age adults identify as disabled. This figure alone represents a significant portion of transport operators’ potential customer market.

But it only tells part of the story. The figure rises to 45% in state pension age adults. This means that, with the UK’s population ageing, the market of disabled customers is likely to grow.

Currently, transport operators are missing out on these customers. For example, people with mobility impairments make 39% fewer trips on public transport compared to those without mobility impairments.

The Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme can help you to provide for this market.

How the ITLS is structured

There are 3 levels of accreditation in the Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme:

• Inclusive Transport Committed
• Inclusive Transport Operator
• Inclusive Transport Leader

Each of these accreditation levels represents a step on the journey to becoming a leader in inclusive travel.

Some operators will benefit from joining the scheme at the level of Inclusive Transport Committed before progressing to the levels of Inclusive Transport Operator and Inclusive Transport Leader. Other operators will be ready to join the scheme at a higher level of accreditation. Where possible, this is encouraged. However, operators must be able to demonstrate that they have met the criteria for each tier of accreditation up to and including the one for which they are applying.

Each level of accreditation has a maximum duration. After this time period has elapsed, participating operators must re-apply for accreditation. However, the accreditations have no minimum duration; operators may choose to apply for a higher level of accreditation before the expiration of their current award, if they feel that they are able to demonstrate the required progress.

Inclusive Transport Committed

To be recognised as Inclusive Transport Committed, you must have laid foundations for a more accessible service provision in the long-term.

You will have done this by:

• assigning responsibility for accessibility at senior levels of governance and management
• delivering disability equality training to staff, including senior management
• establishing a proactive approach to ensuring passengers’ rights are fulfilled
• publishing a web content accessibility statement in line with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1
• committing to involving disabled people in all future design projects/vehicle acquisitions
• proactively engaging with disabled people, leading to an action that improves accessibility

Find out more about how to be recognised as Inclusive Transport Committed.

Apply for Inclusive Transport Committed accreditation.

Inclusive Transport Operator

To be recognised as an Inclusive Transport Operator, you must have taken significant steps to improve the accessibility of your services.

You will have done this by:

• fulfilling all Inclusive Transport Committed criteria
• achieving ‘Disability Confident Committed: Level 1’ in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident Scheme

• proactively engaging with disabled people, leading to actions which improve (at least 2 per theme):

  • the ‘disability confidence’ of staff
  • disabled passengers’ awareness of their rights and their means of seeking redress
  • the journey-planning information available to passengers
  • the physical accessibility of vehicles and/or transport infrastructure

Find out more about how to be recognised as an Inclusive Transport Operator.

Apply for Inclusive Transport Operator accreditation.

Inclusive Transport Leader

To be recognised as an Inclusive Transport Leader, you must have:

• fulfilled all Inclusive Transport Committed and Inclusive Transport Operator criteria
• pledged to act as a leader in inclusive travel
• demonstrated your capacity for leadership by highlighting leadership work you have already undertaken (eg sharing good practice with other transport operators)

Find out more about how to be recognised as an Inclusive Transport Leader.

Apply for Inclusive Transport Leader accreditation.

Principles of the ITLS

Transport is for everyone

Whether or not you identify as a disabled person, it is extremely likely that you or somebody you travel with will, at some point, suffer a physical injury, experience reduced mobility associated with ageing, become pregnant, or undertake a journey while carrying heavy luggage.

A more inclusive and accessible transport system will benefit everyone.

No two transport operators are the same

The Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme’s accreditation criteria have been designed with a diverse range of operators in mind. Whether you are an international airport or a local bus provider, you can earn an accreditation by fulfilling the scheme’s requirement in a manner that fits the size and scale of your service provision.

Participants engage openly and constructively with disabled people

You are not expected to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure overnight in order to be accredited.

Instead, you are expected to embrace a culture of inclusive customer service, with accessibility at its heart.

This means that you must communicate openly and constructively with disabled people through a range of channels. You must ensure that opportunities to improve accessibility are identified, implemented and evaluated in partnership with disabled people.

Read more about constructive engagement with disabled people.

Participants innovate

You will be creative in your pursuit of new ways to make your services accessible to disabled people.

Participants share good practice and collaborate

Participation in the scheme equates to participation in a community that is committed to improving accessibility across the transport system.

As such, you will share good ideas and tell other operators about ways in which you’ve improved accessibility.

You will be correspondingly open to ideas, especially from operators in other modes of transport.

Working with other operators and with local authorities, you will look for opportunities to provide joint or standardised accessible services.