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- Inclusive and reliable transport is essential to giving disabled people the
confidence to travel and opening up access to employment.
- Being able to travel can help facilitate social networks and improve
access to employment or education
- Accessible transport can also promote self-esteem and wellbeing
through leisure visits, travelling and simply 'leaving the house for its
- wn sake
- Local economies and business can benefit as households with a
disabled person in them had a spending power of £249bn in 2014/15 which will increase further with an ageing population.
A Strong Ring and Ride Service changes lives, drives economic growth and builds a better society.
- 1 in 5 people in the West Midlands region are mobility impaired and
cannot use regular public transport.
- The UK's population is ageing. By 2040, 13% of the UK population
will be aged over 75
- Disability has a higher prevalence as people age. In 2016/17, 45% of
State Pension age adults reported having a disability.
- Disability and poor health are associated with an increased risk of
loneliness, with research showing that two-thirds of disabled people have felt lonely in the past year
- 24% of disabled people turndown employment opportunities due to
transport barriers
Parts of society are left feeling marginalised, excluded and unable to engage fully in the community because of barriers to transport.
Source: DFT Inclusive Transport strategy, Social Isolation and Loneliness in the UK, IoTUK.org.uk, TfWM Movement for Growth 2026 Delivery plan
National Express believe in ‘transport for all’ and that providing great accessible transport leads to a better, more inclusive society and changes lives. Investing to secure a strongly performing Ring and Ride service has to be good for the West Midlands in supporting economic growth, driving social inclusion and delivering a positive impact in terms of reduced spending in other Government and local council services:
- London School of Economics study of older people says for every £1 spent in preventing loneliness there are £3 of savings.
- Socially isolated individuals are 1.6 times more likely to visit a GP and 1.8 times more likely to visit and A&E but 3.5 times more likely to enter local
authority funded health care
- Loneliness and exclusion are key causes of depression and it is estimated costs that the direct costs for treatment for adults with depression is £370m.
- A 2017 report on the Social Value concluded that for every £1 spent the service generated £6.38 of benefit in terms of social and economic value.
- A ‘Why Community Transport Matters’ report published in February 2016 – identifies that without Dial a Ride 5.07% of users would require day care at
an estimated average cost per person, per annum of £7,670. Dial a Ride reduces this to 2.9%.
