The plight of Londoners who rely on Transport for London’s Dial-a-Ride service has been raised with the Mayor of London today.

Dial-a-Ride is a free door-to-door bus service for disabled and older Londoners run by Transport for London (TfL). The service enables people of all ages with accessibility needs to get where they need to be. It is supposed to help boost their social contact, reduce isolation and improve people’s ability to live independently.

However, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Transport Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon revealed today how she has been inundated with casework from constituents reliant on the service, detailing serious problems with the ability to book and the quality of service being delivered.

The complaints detail several problems with the service including difficulties getting hold of anyone on the booking system, blind residents not being picked up from their doorsteps and transport either not arriving or arriving extremely late or early.

According to Assembly Member Pidgeon, the severe problems with the services are causing vulnerable Londoners to give up on the service which is increasing the risk of those with mobility issues suffering from loneliness, especially throughout winter.

Separately, the Liberal Democrats have revealed information showing that the number of Dial-a-Ride buses has been cut by 63 per cent, dropping from 460 vehicles to just 170 from 2019-2023. Similarly, the number of Dial-a-Ride drivers available has dropped by 46 per cent from 321 to 173.

Assembly Member Pidgeon is calling on the Mayor of London to step in and ensure that TfL is properly supporting Dial-a-Ride and that the service provides a better standard of operations.

Commenting Caroline Pidgeon AM said:

“Dial-a-Ride is such an essential service for Londoners with mobility issues. It gives them a level of independence they otherwise might not have and is key to tackling loneliness for many people.

“The reports I’ve been hearing suggest there are major problems with the new booking system for Dial-a-Ride that are leaving residents unable to access the service.

“But the problems are much more longstanding than this. Just in this last month, we’ve heard from disabled residents about being picked up from their Christmas parties just an hour after they had been dropped off. This is something I had already raised in previous years.

“Likewise I’ve had reports of those with sight loss not being picked up at their door for what is explicitly meant to be a door-to-door service.

“The large cuts we have seen to the service since COVID-19 means it is at risk of being hollowed out. While TfL claims this is a response to reduced demand, this isn’t taking into account many aren’t using the service anymore because the problems have caused them to give up on it.

“People with mobility issues are already some of the most vulnerable in our City, suffering from loneliness, yet the crisis in this service has the potential to make that even worse. The Mayor of London urgently needs to step in and ensure TfL is providing the level of service people deserve.”