Accessibility of transport in London

The accessibility of public transport services across Greater London is incomplete. Much of the rail network in London (including the London Underground and London Overground) was built before accessibility was a requirement. Unlike in the United States, Underground stations built in the 1960s and 1970s made no provision for the disabled, with wheelchair users banned from deep level Underground lines until 1993.

From the mid 1980s onwards, accessibility improvements began to be made, with the opening of the accessible Docklands Light Railway in 1987 and wider consideration of accessibility needs. Further improvements followed, with the introduction of low floor buses in 1993, the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 and the opening of the Jubilee Line Extension in 1999 – which provided step-free access at 11 new Underground stations. From 2000, all London taxis were accessible, able to take wheelchair passengers. In late 2005, the iconic, high floor AEC Routemaster buses were withdrawn from service, making London one of the first major cities in the world to have an accessible, low floor bus fleet – 10 years ahead of the national requirement.

Since 2000, Transport for London (TfL) has made substantial efforts to improve accessibility, with station upgrades and new infrastructure such as the Elizabeth line increasing the number of step-free stations on the TfL network. 92 Underground stations (33%) and 62 London Overground stations (54%) have step-free access^[a], with all new Underground stations since 1999 opened as accessible stations. Work to increase the number of accessible stations further is underway. Other transport services such as Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink and the Elizabeth line are fully accessible, with step-free access at every stop or station.^[a]
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