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Unsure of your equality rights or the law? We can provide advice and assistance for people who feel they have been discriminated against.
 
 

Transport

What you need to know

How we can help

Publications

 

Disability Discrimination Act and Transport Services

Disability activists at Stormont
People with disabilities have protection when using transport services. The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) makes it unlawful for service providers to treat disabled people less favourably than someone without a disability.

Transport service providers must look at, and make reasonable adjustments, to any policies, procedures or practices that might make access to their service impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people.

The following transport service providers are subject to the law:

 

 

What do the regulations say?

When serving people with disabilities transport providers must not:

 

  • refuse to provide any service (or deliberately fail to provide a service) which they offer or provide to members of the public
  • provide a service of a lower standard or in a worse manner
  • provide a service on worse terms

 

Transport providers are also under a legal duty to make alterations (known as reasonable adjustments) to their existing practices to ensure that their services are accessible to disabled people.

Air and sea travel

 

examples - refusal of service

 

examples - service of a lower standard or in a worse manner

 

examples - service on worse terms

 

examples - failing to make reasonable adjustments

 

Definition of disability

 

What can I do if I believe I have been discriminated against?

 
 
 
Ask for advice
If you require information or advice please complete our online form. All information you submit is confidential – and if you wish to be contacted by us, please let us know the best way for you. You don’t have to share any personal information with us – we will not be able to identify you if that is your preference.



Make a discrimination complaint
We may be able to provide you with legal assistance. If you want to find out more, please use our discrimination complaint form (word doc) to tell us the nature of your discrimination complaint and whether it is related to your age, disability, gender, race, religious belief/political opinion or sexual orientation.

Tell us what happened and we will contact you to talk through your complaint further.
 
 

Training
Training sessions on the disability transport regulations can be provided, on request, for group bookings, subject to sufficient numbers and feasibility. For further information, please contact us



The Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC)
IMTAC is a committee of disabled people, older people and key transport professionals who advise the Government and organisations in Northern Ireland on issues that affect the mobility of older people and disabled people. Further information is available at www.imtac.org.uk

 

Equality Commission NI
Alternatively, contact us:

Telephone: 028 90 500 600
Email: information@equalityni.org

Address:
Equality House
7-9 Shaftesbury Square
Belfast  BT2 7DP

 

Publications for Transport Users

Disability Transport Code of Practice
 


Code of Practice - Provision and use of transport vehicles
(pdf, 225kb, 72 pages, 94 pages)

The Code explains the changes in the law as a result of the new regulations which came into effect at the beginning of 2010. The Code provides guidance to transport providers, advisors and disabled people on the scope of the regulations.





 

Additional publications are also available

Audio Publication

 

Sign Language Videos

 
 


Further Information

Further publications relating to the disability transport regulations are available on the transport service providers section of our website.

If you would like any of the the publications listed above in a different format such as braille, please contact us
 
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