There is no doubt that on EU-level we have made progress over the past years regarding transport accessibility. Not only do we have Passengers’ Rights in all transport modes, along with requirements to make railways accessible and some obligations on the accessibility of buses. Most recently, the European Accessibility Act has introduced legal standards for websites, apps, and self-service terminals used in transport.
We also have the annual Access City Awards of the European Commission which award good practice examples of accessible cities, including a strong transport component. While this is an important awareness raising tool and shows that accessible urban transport infrastructure is possible, we also know that this is unfortunately not the case for all the cities in the EU.
In reality, using public transport is still often a struggle, limiting the freedom of persons with disabilities to go where they want when they want. Cities purchase a new, electrified bus fleet but are missing basic accessibility features. New tram stops are being built but they do not match the old tram fleet , leaving the service inaccessible to wheelchair users. These are only a few examples and you probably have many more of your own to share.
What are we still discussing such a basic element of accessibility in spite of all the progress made over the years? Here are a few thoughts:
- Lack of EU-wide rules on accessibility of urban transport vehicles and infrastructure including metro, light rail, trams, and bus stops. While buses are partly covered by EU rules [1] , this is not sufficient and there are no EU-wide requirements or rules at all on how to make the other transport modes accessible. The result is a patchwork of national, regional, and local solutions which often result in lacking accessibility. It is extremely frustrating that some cities and municipalities still purchase vehicles and construct bus stops that are not accessible, even though other cities clearly have managed before.
- Lack of expertise on accessibility of public authorities and/or industry. According to the EU’s Public Procurement Directive, cities or municipalities that want to purchase new urban buses can include accessibility in their tenders and favour good accessibility in the winning contract over price. However, in reality the technical specifications accompanying the tenders are sometimes not clear enough because municipalities lack the expertise on accessibility. Vehicle manufacturers on the other hand, or construction companies, also sometimes lack this expertise to implement those specifications.
- Lack of clarity on how EU funding on infrastructure projects is being spent. The Connection Europe Facility (CEF) is the EU’s funding instrument for transport infrastructure. The Regulation governing the funding instrument explicitly states that funding for making infrastructure accessible is eligible, and accessibility is included in the award criteria for proposals. However, there is no concrete data on how much funding has actually gone toward accessible infrastructure. The Regulation does not prevent new, inaccessible infrastructure from being constructed either.
With all these challenges, there are of course also solutions. We have specified a few of these to ensure that in the future, urban mobility can become more inclusive and accessible:
- Revise existing EU legislation or develop new legislation on the accessibility of transport infrastructure and vehicles, including urban transport. This could for example be included in the European Accessibility Act, or in other existing legislation focusing on specific modes. More information can be found in our position paper on the next actions for the European Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from 2025 onwards.
- Establish a new decentralised regulatory European agency for accessibility, based on and building upon the work of the AccessibleEU centre, to support the implementation of all EU harmonised accessibility legislation and continue advancing towards a more accessible Europe. This Agency could support Member States and municipalities in giving practical advice on how to make public transport more accessible.
- Develop EU guidelines on the procurement of urban public transport systems. Such documents should provide technical guidance and best practices to local authorities to procure accessible public transport vehicles and infrastructure (such as trams, metros, taxis or buses) by specifying the minimum accessibility features that should be included in the tender. The accessibility features should focus not only on physical accessibility, but also on the understandability of signs, maps and instructions, and the clear announcement of stations/stops to facilitate passenger navigation.[2]
- EU funding should not be spent on projects anymore that create new, inaccessible transport infrastructure. In the next Multi-Annual Budget of the EU (Multiannual Financial Framework), which also includes the revision of the Connecting Europe Facility, a clause should be added to the Regulation which only grants funding to transport infrastructure projects which include accessibility features. New or renovated railways stations or airports should be accessible by default.
- Make better use of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) which are already obligatory for 431 cities and urban nodes in the EU . For those plans, cities should also report on specific indicators, one of them is also accessibility for persons with reduced mobility. However, the
We hope that for the next 5 years, urban public transport will come more in the focus of EU policy with concrete measures to improve accessibility. This should go hand in hand with the transformation to more sustainable urban mobility solutions and will hopefully also be reflected in the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU.
[1] UNECE Regulation 107 Uniform provisions concerning the approval of category M2 or M3 vehicles with regard to their general construction (retrieved 03/12/2025)
[2] More about the EDF demands for actions under the European Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2025-2030 can be found in our position paper: https://www.edf-feph.org/publications/eu-strategy-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2021-2030-actions-for-2025-onwards/ (retrieved 03/12/2025)