It is the first disability action plan to be co-designed with people with disability, advocates and industry stakeholders.
It reflects the voices for people with disability, highlights that accessibility benefits everyone, and contributes to better passenger transport network outcomes.
The plan demonstrates the department's commitment to removing barriers through innovative long-term solutions and collaboration and showcases our commitment to improving accessibility and inclusivity of our services.
Video transcript
Disability Action Plan for Passenger Transport Services 2026 – 2028 Summary.
This summary outlines what the Disability Action Plan is, how it was developed, and what actions we are taking to improve accessibility across the passenger transport network in Queensland.
Sally Stannard, the Director General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads (known as TMR), is proud to introduce the Disability Action Plan for Passenger Transport Services 2026 – 2028.
The Disability Action Plan describes how we are improving Queensland's passenger transport network for people with disability.
The plan covers the state-managed passenger transport network across bus, train, tram and ferry services. It also includes commercial passenger vehicles such as taxis and booked hire. It considers all aspects of passenger transport planning, delivery, operations and customer experience. This supports the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 by helping remove barriers and prevent discrimination across transport services.
The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (the Games) will influence investment and help fast-track improvements to the passenger transport network. Accessibility will be a feature of the Games, and a key consideration in transport planning. This Disability Action Plan embraces the Games as an opportunity to fast-track more accessibility actions that help our communities.
This plan builds on the work of earlier TMR plans. It is also the first Disability Action Plan to be co-designed with people with disability, carers, disability advocates, industry partners, and government. A co-designed plan:
- reflects the voices of people with disability
- highlights that accessibility benefits everyone
- contributes to better passenger transport network outcomes.
People with disability told us they want a safe, accessible, reliable, and seamless passenger transport network and highlighted the following:
- infrastructure at some stops and stations needs accessibility upgrades, but where upgrades have been made, the difference has been substantial and positive
- accessible vehicle design has improved with co-design
- people need clear, accessible information and real-time updates to plan their journey
- informed, empathetic and helpful customer services, especially from drivers, helps people feel more confident and safer during their journey
- the value of co-designing with people with disability, advocates and carers during planning, design and delivery of passenger transport projects cannot be understated.
There are 20 actions in this plan. They have been divided into five chapters. Each chapter outlines what the department is already doing to improve accessibility across the network as well as the actions we are taking next.
The first chapter is ‘policy, planning and partnerships'. This is about how we work with government, industry and community partners to make the network better, implement Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (known as the Transport Standards), and be Games ready for 2032. It includes how we co-design with people with disability to develop inclusive policy and planning to achieve smooth end-to end journeys.
To improve policy, planning and partnerships, we have been:
- embedding co-design processes
- improving connections to passenger transport
- supporting affordable fares and accessible ticketing options
- working with partners to deliver accessible outcomes.
Our next actions for policy, planning and partnerships are: (pause)
- Engage people with disability and key partners through passenger transport accessibility reference groups regarding policy, planning, information and delivery projects. This includes user testing, trials, surveys, technical consultation and co-design activities.
- Continue to trial on demand transport and other flexible service models to support flexible and accessible local transport options.
- Continue to support accessible ticketing options by providing passenger transport passes for eligible people with disability.
- Engage with industry, government and community partners to ensure that planning for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games delivers inclusive and accessible passenger transport outcomes.
- Work with Queensland Government agencies and service providers to provide Specialist School Transport for eligible state school students with disability.
Our second chapter is ‘stations and stops’. Stations and stops considers the design features at train, tram, and bus stations, bus stops, busways, and ferry terminals. It includes design features such as lifts, wayfinding, seating and lighting.
To improve our stations and stops, we have been:
- addressing infrastructure barriers
- improving ways to hail and board a bus
- assessing sensory challenges in design stages
Our next actions for stations and stops are: (pause)
- Assess accessibility at bus stops across the state to help inform both scale and priority for bus stop accessibility upgrades.
- Continue to work with local councils to assist with upgrading passenger transport infrastructure to meet the requirements of the Transport Standards.
- Continue to undertake accessibility upgrades on State owned bus, rail and ferry infrastructure to meet or exceed compliance with Transport Standards and achieve fit for purpose outcomes (including through provision of shade where possible).
- Starting with Central Queensland, progressively review bus stop networks across Queensland to identify and prioritise bus stop improvements that will enhance customer access to services.
Our third chapter is Vehicles.
The passenger transport network includes a range of vehicle types including trains, buses, ferries, trams as well as taxis, booked hire and on demand transport vehicles.
To improve our vehicles, we have been co-designing 65 new accessible trains and upgrading low floor buses with accessible features across Queensland.
Our next actions for improving vehicles are: (pause)
- Promote community awareness about new accessible vehicle design features.
- Deliver the new accessible trains designed to meet the Transport Standards.
- Upgrade existing low floor urban and low floor regional buses to meet Transport Standards.
Our fourth chapter is ‘information and customer services’
Information and customer service covers digital and physical information, products and services. It includes how customers access information, plan their journey and get around at stops and stations.
To improve our information and customer services, we have been:
- raising awareness and promoting the importance of providing safe and accessible passenger transport
- enhancing journey planning tools
- improving the accessibility of information
- valuing customer feedback.
Our next action for improving Information and customer services is to:
- Raise awareness about passenger transport accessibility through regular social media posts.
Our fifth chapter is ‘Taxi and booked hire services’
Taxi and booked hire services include services provided by taxis and rideshare. These services provide accessible transport options and localised access for people with disability.
They connect people to and from passenger transport services and complement traditional passenger transport services, particularly in areas with limited access to buses and trains.
To improve our taxi and booked hire services, we have been:
- listening to people with disability
- improving wheelchair accessible taxi reliability
- addressing affordability and service availability
- addressing service refusal.
Our next actions for taxi and booked hire services are: (pause)
- Undertake taxi and booked hire customer accessibility surveys to monitor user experiences.
- Continue to deliver the wheelchair accessible taxi lift payment, including a double payment on Christmas Day.
- Deliver the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Grant Scheme in 2026-27 and consider further extensions to the scheme.
- Roll out safety checklists to be affixed in wheelchair accessible taxis.
- Continue delivery of the Taxi Subsidy Scheme.
- Consider regulatory opportunities to better help people with disability access personalised transport services.
- Provide a suite of resources to promote taxi driver responsibilities when assisting people with disability – such as educational materials, website updates, newsletters and social media campaigns. This will include targeted campaigns for people with assistance animals.
This concludes our Disability Action Plan summary. Please visit the TMR website at www.tmr.qld.gov.au to find the full version of the Disability Action Plan and other accessible versions.
