Our Broken Transport Shuts 2.8 Million Out of Work

Fixing it could boost the economy by £176 billion

A new report says the UK is throwing away billions, and shutting out millions of people, because its transport network is still stuck in the dark ages. Our transport system is so inaccessible that 2.8 million people with disabilities are effectively locked out of work, education and everyday life. Aside from the huge human cost that costs the UK economy staggering £176.4 billion a year in lost economic potential.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) says the UK’s buses, trains and stations are not fit for purpose, and small businesses, high streets and local economies are paying the price.

A National Own Goal

• A quarter of working-age Brits face transport barriers

• Half of professionals with disabilities have turned down jobs because they can’t physically get there

• Stations still lack lifts, ramps, tactile paving and safe platform gaps

• Sensory‑friendly design is almost non‑existent

• Rail assistance is patchy, unreliable and sometimes dangerous

This is exclusion and it’s costing Britain billions.

£176 Billion in Lost Growth

IMechE used official ONS data showing the average worker contributes £63,000 a year to the economy. Multiply that by the 2.8 million disabled people blocked from jobs due to transport barriers, and the result is jaw‑dropping. £176.4 billion a year is more than the UK spends on defence, education or policing, and it’s entirely avoidable.

High Streets Could Gain £22 Billion

If disabled people could travel freely retail, tourism, hospitality, would see a £22.3 billion boost from extra trips, spending and visits.

For small and micro businesses such as cafés, shops, trades, local venues, this is transformational.

Transport Operators Could Gain Up to £34 Billion in Extra Fares

More accessible stations and services mean more passengers. IMechE estimates £10–£34 billion in extra annual fare revenue for rail, bus and transport operators. That’s money currently left on the table, but Instead of Investing, the Government Is Cutting

The report lands just days after the Prime Minister announced billions in cuts to infrastructure projects to help cover a £15bn defence spending rise. Chancellor Rachel Reeves previously warned that cutting infrastructure is a growth killer and IMechE’s findings prove her point.

The Fix: £20–£24 Billion

IMechE says making the rail network fully accessible would cost £20–£24 billion, spread over multiple years, with huge returns on investment.

It calls for tax incentives for accessibility upgrades, private investment unlocked through clear rules and inclusive design made a core engineering requirement. It says that’s one of the fastest ways to unlock jobs, would create a major productivity boost and is essential for future‑proofing the UK economy.

MPs Want Tougher Rules

The Commons transport committee says the UK needs:

• clearer legislation

• tougher enforcement

• a unified complaints service

• real accountability for operators

Disabled passengers are left to fend for themselves.

A Department for Transport spokesperson says:

• £280m is being spent on step‑free access

• better passenger assistance is being rolled out

• accessibility expectations for buses and taxis are being tightened

£280m is a drop in the ocean compared with the £176bn annual loss caused by inaccessibility.

Britain is losing billions because millions of disabled people can’t get to work, to shops, to appointments, or to everyday life. Fixing transport accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s one of the biggest economic opportunities of the next decade.

Small and micro businesses stand to gain the most with more customers, staff, spending and growth. The UK doesn’t need another growth strategy. It needs trains, buses and stations everyone can use.

Investing in the UK transport network to make it fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by £176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report.

Making the economic case for an inclusive transport network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the current system was inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population.

Highlighting a lack of lifts and ramps at stations, large gaps on platforms, and a lack of tactile paving and sensory-friendly environment, IMechE 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.

“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,” the report said.

The analysis comes after the prime minister, Keir Starmer, announced billions of pounds of cuts to infrastructure projects across the UK last week to help cover a £15bn increase in defence spending over four years.

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had previously argued it would be a mistake to reduce infrastructure funding in the face of tough fiscal decisions, suggesting that cuts made by the Conservatives had contributed to weaker growth in the British economy over recent years.

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.

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.

Tanni Grey-Thompson, the former Paralympic wheelchair racing champion and cross-bench peer, has repeatedly highlighted inaccessible transport in parliament. She was forced to drag herself off a train in London two years ago because no staff at the operator, London North Eastern Railway, were available to help her.

Nearly nine in 10 of disabled people surveyed last year for the House of Commons transport committee said they often or always had difficulties when travelling. The MPs on the committee recommended clearer legislation, tougher enforcement of existing rules and a unified complaints service for disabled people who faced problems on public transport.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re working to make journeys easier for everyone, with £280m for step-free access and lifts at train stations across the UK.

“We’re also delivering better passenger assistance and setting clear expectations about accessibility for buses and taxis so that people can get to their next mode of transport more easily.”