One in ten 'cannot use London Tube or buses'

Many stations remain only accessible to people who can take stairs

One in 10 Londoners cannot access large sections of the public transport network in London because of mobility issues, a report has warned.

The London Assembly study found step-free access to stations falls far short of demand.

Val Shawcross AM, chairwoman of the transport committee, called the situation "simply unacceptable".

Transport for London said it was already improving areas mentioned by the report.

The study claimed:

• Only 10 of London's 270 Tube stations are completely step-free all the way from street level to train.

• Just one third of London's 300 rail stations have step-free access from street to platform.

• While all London's buses now have ramps, only half of London's 17,476 bus stops meet the criteria for full accessibility.

Ms Shawcross said: "The fact that hundreds of thousands of Londoners cannot use the public transport network with relative ease is simply unacceptable.

"Transport for London must get on top of the situation now or risk leaving an increasing number of people excluded from travelling on trains, Tubes and buses."

'Taking forward improvements'

She added: "Despite funding pressures, we believe there are measures that could be put in place, reasonably cheaply and quickly, that would dramatically improve the transport experience for people with reduced mobility."

A Transport for London spokesman said: "We are grateful to the Assembly for its recognition of the improvements we are making to accessibility on the transport network.

"We are already taking forward improvements in many of the areas referred to by the committee.

"We have the most accessible bus network in the UK. The number of Tube stations with level access from street to train is more than three times that stated in the report."