Investing in the UK transport network to make it accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by £176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report in The Guardian.
The article said the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) believes the current system is inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population.
IMechE highlighted a lack of lifts and ramps at stations, large gaps on platforms, and a lack of tactile paving and sensory-friendly environment and said people were being shut out of work, education and everyday life.
Its report found that almost half of disabled professionals have turned down job opportunities because of transport issues, leaving about 2.8 million people effectively locked out of the workforce, in part because of transport barriers.
Based on the Office for National Statistics’ estimate of an average worker’s annual contribution to economic output of about £63,000, IMechE said helping all of them into a job could add £176.4bn a year to the national economy.
The report said: “Inaccessible buses, trains and stations are not just a social failure, they are a massive economic own goal, holding back growth, productivity and the UK’s path to net zero.”
IMechE estimated the cost of investing in a “fully inclusive” rail network would be between £20bn and £24bn spread over a number of years. It called on the government to consider tax incentives for accessibility upgrades to unlock private investment, and a push to make inclusive design a core engineering requirement.
It said its £176bn figure could be a conservative estimate, because there were other ways the economy could benefit, including a potential £22.3bn-a-year boost to retail, leisure and tourism as a result of disabled people taking more trips using public transport to high streets and venues.
IMechE added that closing the accessibility gap could also generate between £10bn and £34bn in extra annual fare revenue for transport operators through increased passenger numbers.
IMechE’s director of engineering policy and impact, James Partington, said: “Britain does not have a transport problem. It has a growth problem disguised as a transport problem. Fixing accessibility is not just the right thing to do, it is one of the fastest ways to unlock jobs, boost the economy and future-proof the country.