Everyone should be able to research and book a trip online regardless of disability, yet unfortunately for many people across the country this is not a straightforward task. It’s estimated that around 24% of people in the UK have a disability that can make accessing information online challenging. The Inclusive Transport Leadership Scheme is an initiative that seeks to address this very issue and drive change to create a more accessible transport system for all.
What is the Inclusive Transport Leadership Scheme?
The Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme aims to improve disabled people’s access to the transport system. It promotes good practice and provides a framework for transport operators to make services more accessible. The scheme also offers operators the opportunity to earn accreditations that acknowledge and celebrate their inclusive work.
The scheme is a Department for Transport initiative and is part of the government’s ambition to ensure equal access to the transport system by 2030.
Who is Eligible for the Scheme?
The transport operators eligible for the scheme are:
- Local and scheduled bus operator
- Local and scheduled coach operator
- Train operating company
- Airport operator
- Airline operator
- Port operator
- Ferry or cruise operator
Where does Website Accessibility Fit in?
The scheme sets out 3 levels of accreditation: Inclusive Transport Committed, Inclusive Transport Operator and Inclusive Transport Leader. Each of these accreditation levels represents a step on the journey to becoming a leader in inclusive travel and requires a consideration for digital accessibility.
Committed – Laying the Foundations with an Accessibility Statement
At the first level, organisations must establish the foundation for providing a more inclusive customer experience. One key requirement is the publication of a Website Accessibility Statement that aligns with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines exist to make websites or apps, and other emerging technologies more accessible for people with disabilities.
Using WCAG travel providers must review their website for accessibility problems, make a plan to fix any accessibility issues you find (unless it would be a disproportionate burden to do so) and publish an accessibility statement to explain how accessible your website or app is. Download a free accessibility check of your website’s homepage here.
Generate Your Free Accessibility Statement
Including an accessibility statement on your website is essential to demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity and accessibility.
Receive your tailored accessibility statement ready for you to upload to your website immediately!
Operator – Availability of Journey-Planning Information
This theme builds on the requirement of publishing a website accessibility statement. ‘Organisations looking to progress to operator level might consider making improvements to their online platform inline with WCAG to make it easier for customers to purchase tickets online ahead of their journey.’ This could include a wide range of actions from using accessible forms to adding ALT text to images. To get started building an inclusive website check out 10 Website Design Tips for an Accessible Website.
Inclusive Transport Leader
To be awarded the highest accreditation of the scheme an organisation must demonstrate that they have led the way, and can continue to lead the way, in making transport more accessible to disabled people. Being an Inclusive Transport Leader encompasses so many aspects of inclusion. With a focus on an organisation’s digital landscape website accessibility and usability are a fundamental element of the goal of making transportation accessible to disabled people. A well-designed, accessible website acts as a bridge, connecting passengers with vital information and services, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and user-friendly transport system.
Why Should you Support Disabled Customers Online?
First and foremost providing an inclusive experience for disabled customers online is the right thing to do. But of course, there’s more to it than that.
Equal Access
People go to online train provider’s websites for multiple reasons, including:
- Researching a trip
- Comparing prices
- Assessing facilities
- Booking tickets
- Checking timetables
Everyone should have the same opportunity to decide whether a particular destination or service is right for them. That means having equal access to information and reservation processes.
“How do I do this? I cannot cope with the forms. And I don’t know if I can just book a flight and if accessibility is a given. It is not barrier-free. You usually still need a seeing person to help.”
Revenue
There’s a significant financial incentive to become inclusive because the spending power of people with online access needs is £24.8 billion – around 15% of the UK’s total online spending. A digital marketing strategy that provides inclusive customer journeys is therefore essential, because:
- 24% of disabled travellers say they have problems with the searching, shopping, or booking processes(Amadeus).
- 82% of users with access needs would spend more if there were fewer barriers (ClickAwayPound).
- 75% of disabled people and their families have walked away from a business because of poor accessibility or customer service (We Are Purple).
Your Reputation
Your brand is everything and the way potential customers perceive you can be critical to them choosing you over your competitor. Customers favour brands that care about helping others, and in a world where consumers are increasingly value-driven, any company that actively promotes inclusivity in its operations will gain a more positive brand identity.
How can you tackle Inclusion on your transport website?
Recite Me’s innovative suite of accessibility on-demand tools makes websites accessible and inclusive for a diverse range of people:
Website Accessibility Checker
Our accessibility checker takes care of accessibility considerations for you, and in doing so, tackles several usability issues. It audits back-end and front-end web development processes by running 396 separate compliance scans in line with WCAG 2.1 and breaks down the issues you should be working to fix. The methodology follows a simple four-step process to help you increase your accessibility score.
Run a Free Check of Your Homepage
Assistive Toolbar
Our accessibility toolbar promotes online inclusion by allowing end users with sight loss, cognitive impairments, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, and varying linguistic needs to access your website per their individual needs and preferences. Users can make styling changes to the page, translate the content into over 100 on-screen languages, have content read aloud and much more.
Hovertravel is Leading the Way with Inclusion
Hovertravel was the first cross-Solent ferry company to provide Recite Me accessibility and language tools on their website and is also an accredited Inclusive Transport Leader. Mark Carter, Head of IT at Hovertravel commented,
“Hovertravel’s aim, through its accessibility initiative HoverCare, is to provide hovercraft travel for all and with our online bookings varying between 50% and 70% of all bookings, it is essential that our technology is fully inclusive.
Our research revealed that while there were several systems which provided the bare minimum of tools, it was Recite Me which demonstrated a full understanding of the challenges faced by some customers and who had developed a suite of customisable options to suit the widest variety of abilities.”
What the Data Says
By embedding Recite Me software on their websites, several leading transport organisations have already made significant progress in supporting disabled customers online. With inclusive online access, it is much easier for everyone to check timetables, book tickets and access travel updates.
Results from our 2023 annual report show that last year:
- The Recite Me toolbar was active on over 5000 websites
- Individual toolbar usage increased by 59% to over 5.5 million users.
- We made 34.4 million pages of web content inclusive.
- On average, Recite Me toolbar users viewed 6.33 web pages per session – more than double the internet average of 2.8 pages per session.
For a complete breakdown of how the Recite Me toolbar can be utilised on travel and transport websites download our Inclusive Transport Guide.
Get a Free Accessibility Check of your Website
Run a scan to identify WCAG issues on your website's homepage. Then, use our recommended changes to achieve compliance with the latest accessibility standard.
