No extension beyond 31 July to exemptions from the PSV Accessible Information Regulations (AIR) for coaches on in-scope rail replacement work will be offered and compliance beyond that date will be mandatory, ministers have told senior figures in the rail and coach sectors.
Minister of State for Rail Lord Hendy and Minister for Roads and Buses Simon Lightwood wrote to those parties on 19 January. The letter has been sent to Managing Directors of train operating companies (TOCs) and is copied to coach industry trade body representatives.
“These exemptions have now been in place for 15 months and will end on 31 July 2026, seven months from now, [and] we have no intention to provide further exemptions,” the two ministers state.
AIR requires audio-visual information for passengers on in-scope rail replacement services. Delivering that on coach has proved a difficult hurdle, and Lord Hendy and Mr Lightwood note in their letter how they are concerned that available data on AIR does not indicate that compliance will be reached by 31 July.
Nevertheless, “we expect that the industry is ready when exemptions end,” the ministers add.
Also noted is worry of coaches that are AIR compliant not being fully utilised on in-scope rail replacement and that instead, TOCs “may prioritise cheaper, non-compliant options over more expensive, compliant vehicles.”
Lord Hendy and Mr Lightwood thus encourage TOCs to “use all levers at your disposal to be as creative as possible to maximise and utilise the right number of [AIR] compliant vehicles in readiness for when the exemptions end.”
Although the two ministers have adopted a hard line on AIR compliance, they note that the Department for Transport will continue to support opportunities to reach full compliance.
“While we are, of course, willing to listen if there are further steps that the government can take, it is incumbent on the rail and coach industries to take all reasonable steps to accelerate the pace of compliance,” they add.
In light of evidence of “limited progress” to date, TOC MDs have been asked by Lord Hendy and Mr Lightwood to reply by 6 February with an outline the specific and measurable steps they are taking towards achieving full compliance. A further update will be required by the end of March.
“This should include the steps you are taking alongside coach operators and suppliers ahead of July 2026 to significantly increase the utilisation of existing AIR compliant vehicles for planned disruption of rail services, and to encourage coach operators to increase the supply of vehicles that can comply.”
Although acknowledging that TOCs do not directly control provision of rail replacement vehicles, the letter concludes that those bodies “are also not passive participants” in the market and “should be looking to utilise commercial, procurement and planning levers wherever possible.”
The exemption from AIR for coaches used on in-scope rail replacement was created in recognition of supply chain constraints and time requirements for retrofit to achieve compliance.
Despite Lord Hendy and Mr Lightwood’s direct language on exemptions, their letter does not mention the PSV Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR). Medium-term exemptions there – including for rail replacement – are due to expire on the same date as those from the PSV Accessible Information Regulations, but next steps for PSVAR remain awaited.
