COVENTRY University has received a £20million grant to help revolutionise transport for people with disabilities by creating the UK’s first evidence centre for accessible and inclusive transport.
Research conducted by disability transport charity Motability, which has made the grant available to the university, shows disabled people in the UK make 38 per cent fewer journeys than non-disabled people, and this figure hasn’t changed in the last decade.
This poor availability of accessible transport impacts disabled people’s access to healthcare, employment, education and social activities.
The evidence centre will conduct research and undergo projects to influence policy and transport providers by showing that accessible transport can be achieved.
This research will be led by people with disabilities and will build on the user-centred approach developed at the university’s National Transport Design Centre (NTDC), where the evidence centre will be based.
The university will lead a consortium representing several organisations including RiDC and Designability, Connected Places Catapult, Policy Connect and WSP UK.
The professor of transport design at the centre for future transport and cities at the university, Paul Herriotts, said: “We need to better understand people who have disabilities’ lived experiences, needs, and wants in relation to transport.
“The funding from Motability enables us to undertake innovative applied research that puts those people impacted with disabilities at the heart of the process.
“We will look to disabled people to help guide and inform us and to help shape the future of public and private transport in the UK.”
