This article discusses possible future trends in the provision of public transport, accessible to disabled travellers, in the UK, Europe, and elsewhere. Now that Group DG5 of the European Commission has already issued Draft Directive COM (91) 539 on minimum requirements for improving workers' mobility, it seems likely that there will be a deadline, perhaps the end of 1999, after which all new public transport vehicles would be required to be fully accessible to the disabled, including people in wheelchairs. There may also be a furtherdeadline, early in the 21st century, for existing vehicles and infrastructure to be made accessible. There are essentially three ways of providing accessible public transport for mobility-impaired people: (1) create a distinct network of specialised transport vehicles, and subsidise them to allow fares comparable to ordinary fares; (2) fit lifts to each vehicle; (3) provide level access to vehicles, either through low floors or carefully adjusted platform heights. The most promising approach seems to be the use of low-floor buses, which have begun to be used on the European continent and are about to be tested in the UK. Their use will require some important changes in the British bus industry
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