Clear Signals report reveals public transport inaccessible to millions of deaf people

Today we launch a first-of-a-kind report warning that people who are deaf or have hearing loss are being excluded from public transport across the UK. Millions of people are facing stress, anxiety and a loss of independence. Our new report, Clear Signals, produced with funding from the Motability Foundation , reveals that shockingly, over three quarters of people with hearing loss who use public transport experience accessibility barriers, with consequences that go far beyond the journey itself. People with hearing loss in the UK are being let down by a transport system failing to meet their needs, and face significant challenges across services such as trains, buses, metro systems and trams. Journeys are stressful, overwhelming and chaotic The report highlights how barriers - including the inability for people with hearing loss to access critical real-time information and a lack of deaf awareness from staff - can make even every-day journeys feel impossible, requiring immense emotional effort and planning. As a result, people with hearing loss describe journeys by public transport as stressful, overwhelming and chaotic. Others said they are forced to restrict or adapt their travel behaviour, and in some cases, stop using public transport altogether. This affects people’s ability to work, socialise and travel independently. "What if something happens and I don't hear it?" Charlotte Young, 44, from Carlisle, has hearing loss and wears a cochlear implant. She told us: I have to travel on public transport quite a lot. But if I’m travelling on my own, it can be quite nerve-wracking. It can make me anxious, because there are a lot of unknowns around announcements and train times changing. There’s a sense of having to rely on public transport and knowing that there’s going to be reactive changes, and it can be quite difficult to navigate that. There’s always a layer of nervousness if I’m travelling: ‘What if something happens and I don’t hear it? What if I miss something?