Up to £680,000 of funding will go towards a competition staged by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Innovate UK to help coach operators to comply with PSV Accessible Information Regulations (PSVAIR) requirements, with a focus on rail replacement services.
The contest aims to help the development of an affordable and user-friendly hardware and software solution to meet accessible audio-visual information needs on those services and increase the supply of coaches that comply with PSVAIR, which should not be mistaken with the established PSV Accessibility Regulations, or PSVAR.
Each submission must involve work with a coach or bus operator and disability stakeholders throughout to trial and demonstrate a portable solution to deliver PSVAIR compliance on coaches. Projects that rely on passengers’ own smartphones will not gain funding.
Difficulties with provision of audio-visual announcements on coaches led to a temporary exemption from the technical requirements of PSVAIR for those vehicles on rail replacement until 31 July 2026, although a phased approach to compliance means that vehicles first used on local services on or before 30 September 2014 need not comply until 1 October 2026.
An Innovation UK contest was trailed in an impact assessment around that temporary exemption. Submissions to the competition opened on 16 December. The closing date is 12 February 2025. Successful applicants for funding will be notified on 13 March 2025 with contracts to be awarded and projects to start on 1 May 2025.
Guidance notes published on gov.uk state that funded proposals can either adapt or integrate with existing hardware and software solutions or provide those that are new. In addition, they must:
- Be straightforward to install and use and be quick to mount and dismount
- Be interoperable, scalable and affordable
- Be compatible and deliver integration with other vehicle systems
- Not lock operators into excessive fees
- Work with the National Public Transport Access Nodes dataset where possible
- Have a clear scale up, manufacturing and commercialisation plan to be market-ready by 31 March 2026.
Each successful application will be eligible for between £50,000 and £170,000 of funding, with entries open to organisations of any size. At least 50% of applications must have no less than 50% of the value attributed to research and development.
DfT says that ministers “expect train and coach operators to work together and take responsibility for making every effort to provide information within available means.”
Minister of State for Transport Lord Hendy adds: “Our commitment to improving transport accessibility means everyone needs to play their part, and that means rail replacement [coach] services need to comply with the Accessible Information Regulations.
“We have partnered with Innovate UK to help find solutions so it is easier for coaches operating these services to be compliant, ensuring all passengers can travel with confidence.”
