Published 21 September 2026
The final stage of a phased accessibility rule takes effect on 1 October 2026, and it covers the oldest buses still running local services in England, Wales and Scotland. From that date, operators must give passengers route and stopping place information in both audio and visual form, on vehicles first used to provide local services between 1 January 1973 and 30 September 2014.
The requirement comes from the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023, made under the Equality Act 2010. The rules came into force on 1 October 2023 but were deliberately staged so that newer vehicles complied first. Buses first used from 1 October 2019 had to comply by 1 October 2024, and those first used between 1 October 2014 and 30 September 2019 by 1 October 2025. Regulation 5 sets out that timetable, and the 2026 date is the last of the three.
What operators actually have to announce is set out in regulations 7 to 11. Passengers must be told the route name or number and either the final stop or the direction of travel, at every stopping place, starting while the doors are open. They must be told the next scheduled stop, early enough to get off. They must be told when the bus reaches the end of its route, preceded by an audible alert. They must be told about diversions that will cause the service to miss scheduled stops, and about the start and end of any hail and ride section.
The regulations are also specific about how that information is delivered, which matters for anyone who relies on it. Regulation 12 requires both audio and visual forms, requires the two to agree with each other, and bars operators from making passengers use a personal electronic device to receive it, so an app alone is not compliant. Regulation 13 sets the audio at least 3 decibels above ambient noise but no louder than 84 decibels, within a 300Hz to 3000Hz frequency range, and requires that it be audible to a passenger using a hearing aid while sitting in a priority seat or a wheelchair space. Regulation 14 requires text at least 22 millimetres high, bans words set in capitals only, requires contrast against the background, and requires an uninterrupted line of sight to a display from at least 51 per cent of seats, from every priority seat, and from each forward-facing wheelchair space.
Not every vehicle is caught. Regulation 4 exempts small buses adapted to carry fewer than seventeen passengers, vehicles first used on local services before 1 January 1973, excursions and tours, closed door home to school services, long distance services, and any part of a service running as demand responsive transport. There is also a long grace period for what the regulations call a partially compliant vehicle, meaning one that was already providing audio and visual route, termination and stopping place information to a defined standard immediately before 1 October 2023. Those vehicles have until 1 October 2031 to meet the rules in full.
For anyone who plans journeys around a wheelchair space or a priority seat, the practical effect is that a bus which previously gave you nothing should now tell you where you are. If a local service on an older vehicle is still silent after 1 October, the duty sits with the operator under regulation 6, and the operator is the right first point of contact. The Secretary of State is required by regulation 15 to review the regulations and publish a report within five years of them coming into force, so the first review is due by October 2028.
Related guides on Review Mobility
- Wheelchairs: types, sizing and what to look for
- Mobility scooters: a buyer’s guide
- Walking aids explained
- Mobility aids hub
- Find a mobility company near you
Sources
- The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023, legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation 5, time of application, legislation.gov.uk
Published 21 September 2026