Carers should fly for free if an airline requires them to travel with the disabled people they look after, a group of MPs have said.
The Transport Select Committee urged the Government to try and amend European Union rules so carers fly free if an airline needs them to be present if a person they look after cannot perform an emergency procedure alone.
Describing access to transport for disabled people as "unacceptably poor", the committee said the Department for Transport was watering down or abandoning key accessibility progress and losing the momentum from last year's London Paralympic Games.
Reforms to train bus drivers in disability awareness, require train firms to bring in "organised assistance" for disabled people as standard, and bring in financial incentives to ensure taxis and private hire vehicles are fully accessible in 10 years were recommended.
Launching the Access To Transport For Disabled People report, committee chair Louise Ellman said: "Changes made ahead of the 2012 Paralympic Games delivered access for disabled people to significantly more parts of the public transport network for the first time and highlighted the immense value of such improvements for all. Yet a year later, there is a risk that some of the momentum from London 2012 is being lost."
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