Committee publication · Correspondence · 16 June 2026
Correspondence from the Minister for Roads and Buses, Department for Transport relating to PSVAR exemptions, dated 5 June 2026
From: Transport Committee
Summary
Minister for Roads and Buses Simon Lightwood announces the government's decision on Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) exemptions expiring 31 July 2026. Rail replacement services must comply fully from 1 August 2026. Home-to-school coach services receive a new four-year exemptions scheme requiring operators to maintain compliant vehicles in fleet and provide them on request at no extra cost.
Key findings
- Rail replacement service exemptions will not be renewed; services must achieve full PSVAR compliance from 1 August 2026 due to increased market provision of compliant vehicles
- New four-year special authorisations introduced for paid home-to-school coach services, replacing expiring exemptions
- Operators must maintain a set proportion of compliant coaches in fleet and provide compliant coaches for home-to-school use upon request without additional charge
- Government commits to increasing 'PSVAR enabled' coaches that can be updated to full compliance, recognising disabled pupils' varied transport needs
- Policy aims to enable disabled pupils to travel with classmates while acknowledging specialist education settings and door-to-door transport provision
Tone
ProceduralTopics
accessibility-regulationstransport-policydisability-rightseducation-transportpublic-service-vehicles
Key actors
Simon Lightwood MP, Ruth Cadbury, Department for Transport, Transport Select Committee
Notable line
“… disabled pupils must be able to travel with their classmates if they wish, but I recognise that striving for 100% PSVAR compliance may not be the most effective way of achieving this”
Key Quotes
“The government is breaking down barriers to opportunity, and this is especially important in relation to the everyday journeys that disabled people make, up and down the country.”
“… from the 1 st August, rail replacement services subject to PSVAR, will need to comply with them.”
“I have decided to introduce new, four-year special authorisations for paid for, closed door home-to-school coach services”
“… requiring operators to maintain a set proportion of compliant coaches in their overall fleet and to provide a compliant coach for home-to-school use upon request and without additional cost”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗