National statistics

Disability, accessibility and blue badge statistics: 2021 to 2022

Published 18 January 2023

About this release

This statistical release presents transport related disability and accessibility statistics in England, drawn from a variety of data sources. It combines the disability and accessibility and Blue Badge statistics that were published separately in previous years. The way in which information on disability is collected can vary by data source and a summary of the definitions used can be found in the ‘Background’ section of this report.

Blue Badge prosecutions statistics

In previous years Blue Badge statistics have included data on the number of people prosecuted for misuse of Blue Badges. In order to reduce the burden on local authorities and the Department for Transport of collecting these data, the data have not been collected for the year ending 31 March 2022. There have also been issues with the completeness and quality of these data in previous years, which in turn reduced their value to users. We would welcome feedback on this decision.

We are now providing our statistics releases in HTML format. As part of making this change to the release, we have also made some other changes to the format and content of the release. We would like to hear your comments on these changes. If you have any feedback, please contact the disability statistics team.

Headline statistics

Statistics on trips taken by disabled people are derived from the National Travel Survey (NTS).

In 2021:

  • disabled adults in England made 28% fewer trips than non-disabled adults. This difference was broadly in line with previous years
  • this difference was smaller amongst the 16 to 59 age range (18%) than amongst the over 60s (37%)
  • disabled adults in England made an average of 594 trips per person, compared to 821 for non-disabled adults

Statistics on parking badges for disabled people (‘Blue Badges’) in England are obtained from the Blue Badge Digital Service (BBDS) database.

As at 31 March 2022:

  • 2.44 million Blue Badges were held, an increase of 3.6% since March 2021
  • 4.3% of the population held a Blue Badge

Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022:

  • 1.04 million badges were issued, an increase of 212,000 badges (25.7%) on the previous year
  • this increase is likely to be at least in part due to the effects of the gradual easing of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions on local authority processes and staffing
  • 42% of these were issued without further assessment

National Travel Survey findings

About the National Travel Survey

The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a continuous household survey which collects detailed information on personal travel within Great Britain. The data is collected via a face to face interview and a 7-day travel diary on a representative sample of private households in England. It is used to look at the travel patterns of different groups as well as long term trends.

Fieldwork for the NTS 2021 survey continued to be impacted by the coronavirus restrictions from March 2020, with data collection combining the approach used in 2020 with interviews being conducted via telephone (push-to-telephone approach) instead of face-to-face, and to increase response rates, doorstep recruitment by trained interviewers with interviews being conducted over the telephone (knock-to-nudge approach). More details can be found on the National Travel Survey web pages.

NTS estimates are National Statistics.

National Travel Survey definition of disability

From 2018 a person is considered to have a disability in the NTS if they report any physical or mental health condition or illness that lasts or is expected to last 12 months or more, and which limits their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. This is consistent with the core definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, and complies with harmonised standards for social surveys published in August 2011. Some people classified as disabled and having rights under the Equality Act 2010 are not captured by this definition. This includes people with a long-standing illness or disability which is not currently affecting their day-to-day activities.

People living in care homes and other such as community living environments are not captured through the survey and therefore the survey may under estimate disability prevalence and the prevalence of different impairments. This is particularly true for older age groups.

NTS definitions - trips and main mode

The basic unit of travel in the NTS is a trip, which is defined as a one-way course of travel with a single main purpose. Trips consist of one or more stages. A new stage is defined when there is a change in the mode of transport.

Where a trip consists of multiple stages, the main mode is the transport mode for the stage with the longest distance travelled.

Number of trips taken in 2021 by age and disability status

Chart 1: Number of trips per person per year by disability status and age: England, 2021 - DIS0401

Chart 1 shows that in 2021 disabled adults (aged 16 years and over) in England made 594 trips on average per person per year, compared with 821 for non-disabled adults. The difference was smaller for those aged under 60, where disabled adults took 18% fewer trips (672 trips per person compared to 816). Disabled adults aged over 60 took 37% fewer trips than non-disabled adults over 60 (526 trips per person compared to 837). The differences between travel patterns for disabled and non-disabled adults have remained similar for the last few years.

Chart 2: Number of trips per person per year by disability status: England, 2018 to 2021 - DIS0401

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to have had a continued effect on travel patterns in 2021 due to the national and local restrictions in place in England at various points during the year. As a result, Chart 2 shows that the average number of trips taken per person remains well below pre-pandemic levels, for both disabled and non-disabled adults. Figures for 2021 are more similar to those observed in 2020 than those seen in 2019 and 2018.

Despite the reduction in the average number of trips taken as a result of the pandemic, the difference between disabled and non-disabled adults has remained similar over the last few years. Before COVID-19, disabled adults took 25 to 30% fewer trips on average than non-disabled adults. This remained largely unchanged during the pandemic. This suggests that on the whole, the pandemic did not lead to a greater reduction in travel for disabled adults compared with non-disabled adults.

Mode of travel

Chart 3: Percentage of all trips by main mode and disability status: England, 2021 - DIS0402

Chart 3 shows that compared with non-disabled adults, disabled adults took a higher proportion of their total trips (19% compared with 12%) as car passengers, while taking fewer trips as car drivers (42% compared with 48%). Both disabled and non-disabled adults made over half of all trips by car in 2021. On average disabled adults took a larger proportion of their trips by bus (5%) compared with non-disabled adults (3%).

Purpose of travel

Chart 4: Percentage of all trips by trip purpose and disability status: England, 2021 - DIS0403

As Chart 4 shows, disabled adults generally made a higher proportion of trips for shopping and personal business reasons, and a lower proportion of trips for commuting and education compared with non-disabled adults. In 2021, some of the most common trip reasons for disabled adults were shopping (27%), visiting friends (14%) and personal business (14%). Disabled adults under 60 made around 60% fewer trips for commuting purposes compared with non-disabled adults.

Work status

The difference between the average number of trips taken per year varied considerably depending on the individual’s work status. In 2021, disabled adults in full time work took 10% fewer trips than those who were not disabled. For those disabled adults who were retired or permanently sick, this figure was 39%.

Car access

On average, disabled adults in households with access to a car, and where they were the main driver, took more trips per person per year (753) than those in households without access to a car (497 trips), or those with access but who were a non-driver (424 trips). Disabled adults were more likely than non-disabled adults to live in households without access to a car, with 28% of disabled adults being in this position compared with 15% of non-disabled adults.

Driving licence holding

Chart 5: Percentage of adults holding a driving licence, by age and disability status: England, 2021 - DIS0407

Chart 5 shows that 61% of disabled adults aged 17 or over held a full driving licence in 2021, compared with 80% of non-disabled adults in the same age group. Amongst both disabled and non-disabled adults, those with a full driving licence made more trips on average than those without one.

Public satisfaction with local transport

National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction Survey

The National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction Survey collects public perspectives on, and satisfaction with, highway and transportation services on behalf of several local authorities to inform performance management and local transport plans.

The survey was launched in 2008, and is carried out in July to August of each year. The latest data available are for 2021 and covered 109 local authorities in England.

The data at local authority level is captured through a randomly selected postal survey of households. However, because not all local authorities participate the estimates may not be fully representative of the national picture. We have excluded London from the analysis because the coverage in London is low.

The disabled population in this survey are classified as those who have reported that they have a long-term illness, disability, or infirmity which limits their daily activities.

People living in care homes and other such as community living environments are not captured through the survey, which may impact on the satisfaction rates, particularly for the disabled population.

The figures in this section are not National Statistics.

Chart 6: Percentage of people satisfied with various aspects of public transport, by disability status: England outside London, 2021

As Chart 6 shows, in 2021, compared with non-disabled people, disabled people:

  • had similar levels of satisfaction with the provision of public transport information (52% compared with 54%)
  • were more likely to be satisfied with taxis (73% compared with 68% amongst those who use taxis at least once a month)
  • were less likely to be satisfied with pavements (45% compared with 54%), both in terms of provision and condition
  • had similar levels of satisfaction with cycle routes and lanes (52% compared with 49%)

These findings have been consistent across the last few years of the survey. Overall levels of satisfaction with local transport and highways services were broadly in line with previous years.

Blue Badge statistics

About Blue Badge Statistics

Blue Badges are disabled parking cards issued by local authorities to help people with mobility issues park closer to the goods and services they need to use. In August 2019, Blue Badge scheme eligibility criteria were extended to include more people with non-visible and neurological disabilities that may affect their ability to access goods and services.

Blue Badges are issued according to need of the applicant and are not related to any specific condition. Anyone may be awarded a Blue Badge if they meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria. Badges can also be issued to organisations who transport people with disabilities. Upon issue, a Blue Badge is valid for a period of up to 3 years. Data on the number of Blue Badges held refers to the situation as at 31 March 2022.

Please refer to the quality report for more details.

Blue badges issued in the year ending March 2022

The number of badges issued includes both new badges, and renewals of existing badges (which usually last three years). As Chart 7 shows, there were 1.04 million Blue Badges issued in the year ending March 2022, an increase of 212,000 badges (25.7%) on the previous year. This increase is likely to be at least in part due to the effects of the gradual easing of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions on local authority processes and staffing.

Of the badges issued, 2.5% (26,000 badges) were issued under the new eligibility criteria for people with non-visible disabilities (introduced in August 2019). This is higher than in the year ending March 2021, when 2.2% (18,000) of all badges issued were for people with non-visible disabilities.

Chart 7: Blue Badge issued annually: England, since the year ending March 2009 - DIS0111

Out of the 1.04 million Blue Badges issued in the year ending March 2022, 593,000 (57%) were subject to further assessment, 436,000 (42%) were issued without further assessment and 7,000 (1%) were issued to organisations.

Out of the badges issued without further assessment, 94% were issued to those who met the relevant criteria under Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The remaining badges were issued to those registered blind (5%) and those on War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement or Armed Forces and Reserved Forces Compensation scheme (1%).

Blue badges held as at 31 March 2022

Chart 8 shows that there were 2.44 million valid Blue Badges held as at 31 March 2022, an increase of 3.6% (84,000 badges) when compared with the previous year. This is similar to levels seen in March 2020. Of the badges held, 2.6% of all badges (64,000) were held by people with non-visible disabilities. This was an increase from 1.7% (39,000) in the year ending 31 March 2021.

Chart 8: Blue Badge held: England, annually since March 1998 - DIS0101

As Chart 9 shows, on 31 March 2022 4.3% of the population in England held a valid Blue Badge, up slightly from 4.2% the previous year.

Chart 9: Percentage of population that hold a Blue Badge: England, annually since March 1998 - DIS0102

As at 31 March 2022, 2.43 million people (4.3% of the population in England) were entitled to a Blue Badge without further assessment (previously known as automatically entitled). The number and proportion of people automatically eligible for a Blue Badge has been rising since 2015.

Out of the 2.43 million people who were eligible for a Blue Badge without further assessment, 41% held a Blue Badge. This shows a decreasing trend over recent years – the equivalent figure was 60% in 2015.

The region with the most Blue Badge holders as a proportion of their population was North East (5.1%). The region with the lowest proportion was London (2.9%), which also had the lowest regional proportion of retired people. Similarly, metropolitan areas such as Birmingham (3.5%) and Manchester (3.1%) also had comparatively low proportions of Blue Badge holders.

More detail on the number of Blue Badges held at region and local authority level can be found in the associated tables.

Lost and stolen badges in the year ending 31 March 2022

In England, 6,183 badges in the year ending March 2022 were reported to be lost or stolen. Of these, 76% were reported to be lost, and 24% were stolen.

Other useful information

Vehicles and cars

Mobility centres

The key figures for the year ending March 2022 were as follows:

  • there were 13 mobility centres across England in March 2022, with 52 satellite hubs

  • 13,131 driving assessments were provided in the year ending March 2022. This was a large increase from the previous year, which was heavily affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and a similar number to the year ending March 2020

  • 987 passenger assessments were provided in the year ending March 2022, a large increase from the previous year, and a 13% increase since the year ending March 2020

  • 717 wheelchair or scooter assessments were provided in the year ending March 2022, a large increase from the previous year, and an 11% fall since the year ending March 2020

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the centres had to cease conducting assessments during the three national lockdowns. Some centres were also affected by the Tier 4 restrictions and staff needing to isolate.

Vehicles in the disabled tax class

Disabled Tax Class

Drivers in receipt of certain disability related benefits can claim exemption from paying road tax. This can either be because the vehicle is used by a disabled person, or the vehicle is used by an organisation providing transport for disabled people.

1.2 million vehicles were in the disabled tax class in the UK at the end of 2021, which represented 3% of all licensed vehicles. These figures were both very similar to 2020, although since 2015 there has been a fall in the number of vehicles in this tax class, and a corresponding fall in the proportion of all licensed vehicles that these vehicles represent.

Buses

DfT’s annual bus and concessionary travel statistics contain information on the accessibility of buses, prevalence of disability awareness training, and concessionary bus passes.

Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs)

DfT’s annual taxi and PHV statistics contain information on the number of vehicles that are wheelchair accessible, disability awareness training requirements, and wheelchair policies.

Surface rail

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes a range of statistics, including on Disabled Persons Railcards and Passenger Assistance.

Data are published by the Department for Transport on accessible rail vehicles.

Transport Focus also published some findings on the experiences of disabled rail passengers in summer 2019.

Maritime

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency publishes findings on the experience of disabled passengers via its disabled passenger satisfaction survey. The latest survey was carried out in 2019.

Aviation

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) publishes findings on the experiences of disabled passengers via its Departing Passenger Survey. The latest survey was carried out in 2019.

Additional information on the behaviour and attitudes of those with disabilities towards flying can be found in the CAA’s Aviation Consumer Survey.

London

Transport for London (TfL) publishes information on step free access to TfL stations.

Contextual information - the disabled population

The Family Resources Survey (FRS)

The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a continuous household survey which collects detailed information on income from all sources as well as detailed personal and household characteristics. The data is collected via an interview of a representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom. The FRS is considered to be one of the main data sources for information on disability prevalence.

As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the year ending March 2021 survey was conducted via telephone rather than face to face, and achieved a smaller sample size of around 10,000 households rather than the usual 19,000 to 20,000 households. The response rate was lower than previous years at 23%. The FRS background and methodology note contains more information on the effect of the pandemic on the survey.

FRS estimates are National Statistics.

The Family Resources Survey (FRS) disability definition

A person is considered to have a disability if they report a long-standing illness, disability or impairment which causes substantial difficulty with day-to-day activities. This is consistent with the core definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. Some people classified as disabled and having rights under the Equality Act 2010 are not captured by this definition, such as people with a long-standing illness or disability which is not currently affecting their day-to-day activities.

People living in care homes and other such community living environments are not captured through the survey and therefore may underestimate disability prevalence and the prevalence of different impairments, particularly in the older age groups.

Family Resources Survey Findings

In the year ending March 2021, 22% (14.6 million) or around one in five people reported a disability. This was an increase of 3 million since the year ending March 2011, when 19% of people reported a disability.

Further information on the number of people reporting disabilities, including breakdowns by impairment type, gender, and by region of the UK, can be found in the Family Resources Survey publication, which is published by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Background information

Data sources

More information on the data sources used can be found in the Background Quality Report

Uses and users of these statistics

Within the Department for Transport, these statistics are used to understand the impact of policy changes on the disabled population, for ministerial briefing, and to answer public enquiries. For example, the data within this publication will be used as part of a wider project to monitor and evaluate the Department’s Inclusive Transport Strategy, published in July 2018.

National Statistics

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) assessed Transport Disability and Accessibility statistics against the Code of Practice for Statistics in 2022, and published its findings on the OSR website. The review identified several positive areas, and also made some helpful suggestions for further improvement.

The OSR also published a more wide ranging review of transport accessibility statistics across the UK in 2022. This resulted in a range of recommendations.

We are making several changes following the recommendations from these reviews:

  • promoting the statistics more proactively to a range of interested users, and compiling a list of these. This will be done via existing organisations such as the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC)
  • working with the National Travel Survey (NTS) team in DfT to assess whether we can present information to users on uncertainty around survey estimates in future statistical releases
  • working with the National Travel Survey team to assess future options to focus on specific groups of the population, such as young disabled adults. The proposed increase in the NTS sample size will mean more detailed analysis should be possible in some areas

Blue Badge statistics were designated as National Statistics in June 2012. The continued designation was confirmed in February 2013. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

Details of ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found in the pre-release access list.

Feedback

We welcome any feedback on these statistics, to ensure future releases best meet user needs. If you wish to provide feedback, please contact the bus statistics team.

Next release

The next disability and accessibility statistics release is due to be published in winter 2023 to 2024.

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Contact details

Transport: disability, accessibility and blue badge statistics

Email localtransport.statistics@dft.gov.uk

Public enquiries 020 7082 6602

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878