Deaf people face ‘persistent’ barriers on public transport - report

The new report, published by the Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) on Tuesday and supported by the Motability Foundation, also revealed that a similar percentage (76 per cent) said inaccessible information makes travelling stressful, with more than half (54 per cent) of those surveyed reporting typically feeling anxious while using public transport. Out of the 1,762 deaf people surveyed, more than a quarter always worry about getting the wrong service (28 per cent) or missing their stop (26 per cent), with more than a third (37 per cent) always worrying about missing important updates or changes to their journey. While nearly two thirds (62 per cent) said they rely on staff in instances where information is inaccessible, only six per cent reported staff were always available when needed. On audio announcements, more than 80 per cent agreed public transport is over-reliant on those which are poor quality, with only a fifth (20 per cent) saying audio announcements are clear while they’re waiting for a train, and less than a quarter stating they’re clear once on board (24 per cent). Commenting on the findings of the charity’s Clean Signals report, RNID’s director of insight and policy Victoria Boelman said: “No one relishes the idea of a rush-hour journey on public transport – but if you are deaf or have hearing loss, everyday journeys can seem like an impossible prospect that leave millions feeling lost, anxious and – often – simply unable to get where they need to be. “People with hearing loss shouldn’t be left on a platform as people stream past them, wondering if their life is at risk. Nor should they have to sacrifice their own independence because of the immense stress and planning it takes simply to make a journey. “Our report clearly shows – for the first time – the extent to which travel inequality in the UK means deaf people are having their freedom undermined, and face unacceptable and unnecessary stress and anxiety simply to get from A to B. “In 2026, it’s completely wrong that millions of people are at the mercy of a transport network that fails to meet their needs. Now is the time for coordinated action from the Government and transport sector, so everyone has the opportunity for safe and independent travel.” The improvement most prioritised by those survey respondents was visual information displays being available at all stops, stations and on board public transport itself (69 per cent), followed by staff trained in deaf awareness (56 per cent), audio announcements also being available on visual displays and/or mobile devices (54 per cent), and clear audio announcements being streamed directly into an individual’s hearing device (47 per cent). The latter is a functionality offered through Bluetooth’s Auracast technology, which enables high quality audio to be streamed via a broadcast channel into compatible devices such as hearing aids, headphones and earbuds. Auracast was trialled at Bristol Temple Meads in July 2025 and permanently installed at Brighton station a year later. A new pilot launched in Bristol last month, where Auracast was combined with AI to produce multilingual announcements. RNID organised the testing of Auracast at Bristol Temple Meads in March, with focus group participants finding “audio announcements in the train station clearer and easier to understand using Auracast”, with most unable to “understand the announcements without it”. Deaf individuals and those with hearing loss who tested the technology proposed four priorities to improve the technology, which were: online and offline signposting of Auracast installations; audio alerts at the start of announcements to distinguish between conversations and announcements; co-designing Auracast-based text outputs with deaf people and those with hearing loss; and ensuring there are no “dead spots” in coverage. Another case study cited in the report concerns AI-enabled British Sign Language (BSL) translations of public transport information, which were seen as “most valuable for urgent, time-sensitive, and safety-critical rail disruption information”, but lacking in the “naturalness, pacing, placement, referencing, and grammatical structure needed for easy comprehension”. The UK’s first BSL station announcements were introduced at London Euston in June 2021, with TransPennine Express, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Chiltern Railways, Northern and South Western Railway all announcing trials or installations in subsequent years. In its conclusion, RNID’s report calls for “reliable, consistent access to information across transport modes” and deaf awareness and accessible technologies training for all customer-facing staff. It urges the government to “include clear objectives for [the] improvement of audio-visual information and provision of accessible announcements within the Great British Railways’ Long-Term Rail Strategy” – a strategy which the government would be mandated to produce following the passage of the Railways Bill, currently in the House of Lords – and making Auracast-accessible audio announcements mandatory through the National Technical Specification Notice for Accessibility. RNID also says guidance for bus and coach services should be updated to “include solutions enabling accessible audio information regardless of where passengers are seated”. Last month, the Department for Transport suggested Auracast as a potential commitment for local bus services to adopt as they create their bus network accessibility plans (NAPs) ahead of the April 2027 deadline. Recommendations for transport operators include “[co-designing] services with deaf people and people with hearing loss”, increasing staff availability and offering accessible customer support at unmanned stops and stations. The full report can be found on RNID’s website.