Dial-a-Ride hours extended to support disabled and older Londoners to socialise at night

• Booking requests for the free Dial-a-Ride service have increased by 12 per cent this year compared to 2022
• Around 40,000 Londoners with long-term disabilities or those aged 85 and over benefit from the vital door-to-door transport service
• International Older People's Day on Sunday 1 October

Transport for London (TfL) has extended the operating hours for London's vital free Dial-a-Ride service to midnight with the last pick up at 11pm to support older Londoners, and those with long-term disabilities to socialise at night. Dial-a-Ride services will also be extended further over the festive period to allow people to enjoy Christmas festivities for longer.

The extended hours have been introduced following engagement with users and as booking requests begin to increase following the pandemic.*

TfL has been working closely with Transport for All and Age UK London to improve Dial-a-Ride services and to get feedback from members who use it. Through speaking to Dial-a-Ride members with a variety of accessibility needs the charities identified that some people who rely on Dial-a-Ride services had to leave social events at 8:30pm as Dial-a-Ride only operated until 10pm following the pandemic.

As a result of this engagement and booking requests beginning to increase, TfL has extended the operating hours for Dial-a-Ride to midnight to encourage more people to take advantage of the vital service. During the pandemic trip volumes reduced significantly and TfL hopes that by further promoting the extended Dial-a-Ride operating hours more people will make use of the free service.

TfL is committed to making London's transport network more inclusive and improving Dial-a-Ride services is a key part of this. Earlier this year, TfL recruited 12 additional drivers to meet the increased demand for the services, as well as more staff to improve call waiting times. TfL is also implementing a new simpler booking system, which will launch later this year and will allow members to book trips online, as well as over the phone and via email. This will lead to people being able to book more quickly, and better routing of journeys, which results in shorter journeys and helps free up time to offer trips to more people.

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said: "The Mayor and I are committed to making London's transport as inclusive as possible and I'm delighted that Dial-a-Ride is extending their hours.

"Dial-a-Ride is a vital service for many Londoners and these longer hours of service will ensure disabled and older Londoners can socialise more and make the most of London's culture, entertainment, and hospitality - including over the festive period - helping to build a better, more inclusive London for all."

James Mead, Head of Dial-a-Ride at TfL, said: "Our free door-to-door, Dial-a-Ride services enables people of all ages with accessibility needs to get where they need to be. It helps boost their social contact and reduce isolation, which makes a real difference to people's lives.

"We're committed to ensuring that more Londoners take advantage of this vital free service, which is why we're investing to improve Dial-a-Ride further with extended opening hours, additional staff and a new simpler booking system. We're also increasing our engagement with local groups and healthcare providers to promote Dial-a-Ride to more people."

Madeleine Stewart, Policy and Public Affairs Lead, Transport for All, said: "Dial-a-ride is a lifeline for those who use it, and we are delighted that TfL has listened and is making some of the improvements its users want and need. The limited hours of operation and problems with the booking system were key concerns identified in our research; participants said it made them feel cut off from the world, like they were "not allowed to have a social life after 10pm".

"Extending opening hours until midnight will allow thousands of disabled and older Londoners to live their lives with freedom and independence, and we hope that TfL will continue to listen to its users, and invest in this absolutely vital service."

Abi Wood, CEO, Age UK London, said: "It's great news that Dial-a-Ride users will be able to use the service later into the evening. This will benefit people across the city and for some it will make a huge difference. Services like Dial-a-Ride support people to live the lives they want to live and it's crucial we remove barriers to services that can be transformatory. This change is about so many things - not having to leave before the end of a play, meeting a best friend that's only available in the evening, going to the pub or a dinner party, being able to benefit from living in one of the great cultural cities of the world.

"People don't want their social lives to finish at a designated time, and it's also important to remember that many meetings, classes, and other activities don't finish until late. We're really pleased that Dial-a-Ride users have been listened to and it's crucial that they continue to be listened to and involved in other improvements that they still want to see."

During the pandemic, local Age UK staff in London reported serious concerns about increasing levels of social isolation among some older Londoners. For many the pandemic exacerbated existing experiences of social isolation. TfL is committed to helping to change this and funds grants for walking and cycling projects aimed at older and disabled Londoners through the Walking and Cycling London programme. For example, in Haringey TfL has funded heritage walks for over 60s around local landmarks, which has helped reduce social isolation and encouraged gentle exercise.

TfL is continually making improvements across the capital to make London's transport system more inclusive. Dial-a-Ride and bus drivers taking Dementia Friends Awareness courses, accredited by the Alzheimer's Society, to increase their understanding and empathy around people living with dementia. This helps them to see the person rather than the condition and to better support people living with dementia to get from A to B. The Dementia Friends course is freely available for all TfL staff. Around 300 TfL bus drivers and all Dial-a-Ride drivers have completed it so far. 

In 2017, TfL launched a "please offer me a seat" badge following research that people with hidden disabilities and conditions such as dementia, or those undergoing treatments, can find it difficult to get a seat on public transport when they need one. More than 100,000 badges have been given to disabled people and those with invisible conditions since the badge launched.

Disabled people can also travel for free on London's transport network with the Disabled Persons' Freedom Pass. Free travel on National Rail services is also available from 9.30am Monday to Friday and all day on weekends and public holidays.

TfL also offers a Turn Up and Go service on London Underground, London Overground and Elizabeth line. Everyone is welcome to use this service and there is no need to pre-book - Customers simply ask for help from staff on arrival at the station and they will offer advice regarding journeys, accompany them to the platforms, and provide support to customers boarding and alighting from trains. 

Notes to Editors

• *TfL Customer Service and Operational Performance Report, Quarter 4 2022/23 (11 December 2022 - 31 March 2023)  
• TfL's Dial-a-Ride service is a free, door-to-door service for older and disabled Londoners who can't always use public transport
• It is a shared service, which means people may travel with others going to places such as shopping centres, and visits to family and friends
• Dial-a-Ride trips should ideally be booked in advance, and are available to book between 7am and midnight, seven days a week and 365 days a year
• The London Taxicard scheme is available to people for trips outside Dial-a-Ride's operating hours. Taxicard provides subsidised door-to-door journeys in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles for Londoners with serious mobility or visual impairments. It is funded by TfL and the London boroughs and managed by London Councils    For more information about 'Please offer me a seat' badges visit https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/please-offer-me-a-seat
• TfL produces a travel support card to help people communicate any assistance or information requirements they have with staff. There is space on the card to write down what assistance or information a customer needs for further information visit https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/help-from-staff