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Accessible Travel Hub

News and Blog

Disability hate crime reaches record high in Scotland

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The latest Hate Crime in Scotland 2025–26 report shows that disability hate crime has risen sharply again this year. Many of these crimes happen in public places and often go unreported. They can have a lasting emotional impact on disabled people, leaving them feeling anxious, isolated and unsafe.

Here are some key points from the latest figures:

  • In 2025–26, there were 1,370 disability hate crime charges—a 25% increase from 1,099 the previous year.
  • This is the highest number ever recorded since disability hate crime legislation was introduced.
  • Around 83% of cases involved threatening or abusive behaviour, making it by far the most common type of offence.
  • Many incidents took place in everyday settings such as streets, shops and on public transport, where disabled people should feel safe.
  • Disability hate crime continues to be one of the fastest-growing categories of hate crime reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

The figures highlight the continued need for greater awareness, improved reporting and stronger support for disabled people who experience hate crime.

Disability Hate Crime: New COPS figures

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The newest Hate Crime in Scotland report (2024–25) shows that disability hate crime has gone up again this year. Many of these crimes happen in public places and often go unreported. They can have a strong emotional impact on disabled people who experience them.

Here are some key points from the latest figures:

  • In 2024–25, there were 1,069 disability hate crime charges—15% more than last year. This is the highest number ever recorded since the law first started in 2010, and the numbers have been going up almost every year since.
  • Disability hate crime is now at its highest level on record.
  • 83% of cases involved threatening or abusive behaviour.
  • Most incidents happened in everyday places like streets, shops, or on public transport.
  • Victims often said these crimes left them feeling anxious, unsafe, and shaken.
  • Across the UK, there were only 363 prosecutions for disability hate crime, compared to over 11,000 for race and religion.

More awareness, better reporting, and continued support are needed to help disabled people feel safe and respected in their communities.

You can find the full report on the The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) website.

Hate Crime Charter

The Hate Crime Charter campaign promotes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime towards disabled travellers.

The campaign is intended to reach all transport providers in Scotland and their passengers, communicating the importance of recognising incidents of hate crime and reporting these, which can be done anonymously.

Learn more about the Hate Crime Charter campaign.

 

 

 

 

Supporting the Hate Crime Charter and Championing Accessibility – A Message from Stagecoach East Scotland

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At Stagecoach East Scotland, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to supporting the Hate Crime Charter, an important initiative developed in partnership with Disability Equality Scotland.

We stand united with our fellow transport providers in sending a clear message of zero tolerance towards hate crime, particularly against individuals with protected characteristics.

As a public transport provider, we understand the critical role we play in ensuring that everyone feels safe, respected, and valued when travelling.

The Hate Crime Charter aligns strongly with our core values of inclusion, accessibility, and community responsibility.

By supporting the Charter, we aim not only to raise awareness but also to help foster a culture of kindness and respect across all journeys on our network.

Improving accessibility on Stagecoach buses

Stagecoach East Scotland has taken significant strides in recent months to improve accessibility and enhance the passenger experience.

Yellow low-floor easy access stagecoach bus

We are delighted to share that we have invested in 13 brand-new Low Floor, easy-access double-deck coaches as part of our express coach service between Glasgow and St Andrews.

These state-of-the-art vehicles have been designed to provide seamless and dignified travel experiences for wheelchair users and others with mobility challenges.

100% electric zero emission stagecoach bus

In addition, we have rolled out new electric and Euro 6-rated single and double-deck buses across our operating area. These new buses not only represent a step forward in sustainability but also prioritise accessibility and safety. The interiors of these vehicles are bright, welcoming, and inclusive, with thoughtful design features to support passengers of all needs.

To further support a secure and supportive travel environment, we’ve enhanced our CCTV systems, which now allow for real-time monitoring by our depot control teams.

This upgrade enables faster response times to emerging issues, helping ensure that every passenger feels protected and heard throughout their journey.

We are proud of the progress we’ve made and are excited to continue working alongside Disability Equality Scotland and our transport partners to create an inclusive and hate-free transport system.

Our partnership in the Hate Crime Charter is a vital part of this journey, and we remain dedicated to driving positive change across our communities.

Welcome to the New Accessible Travel Hub

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Today is an exciting day! We’re happy to announce that the Accessible Travel Hub is now live! This website is designed to be your go-to resource for all things related to accessible travel. We’re thrilled to share it with you today!

A resource created for you

In November 2024, we held a feedback session with disabled people and transport providers to find out how we could improve the hub.

The feedback we received was really helpful and showed us areas where we could make the website better.

Since January, we’ve worked with Passion4Social to update the hub, and today we’re proud to launch a brand-new version of the site based on your feedback and suggestions.

What’s new in the Accessible Travel Hub?

The updated site has many new features that will make it easier for you to find the information you need and to plan your travels. Here’s what’s new:

Easier to use

  • A new layout that is simple to navigate, so you can find what you need quickly.
  • Simplified content that is easy to read and understand.
  • A new search function that lets you filter information by your local area, so you can get the most relevant travel details.

Helpful new resources

  • Integration Traveline to help you plan your journey.
  • Information about travelling by plane, including airport accessibility tips.
  • Details on Thistle Assistance and Blue Badge for added support during your travels.
  • A section that explains common barriers disabled people face when travelling and offers practical advice – from disabled people, on how to overcome them.
  • Real stories from disabled travellers, sharing their positive experiences and showing how transport providers are making things better.

But this is just the beginning!

While we’re excited about the new website, this is only the start! We will keep working to improve the Accessible Travel Hub and make it even better in the future. We’ll continue to update it based on your feedback, suggestions and new developments in accessible travel.

The goal is to make travel easier, more accessible, and more empowering for disabled people and we’re committed to making that happen!

Share Your Feedback

As you explore the new site, we’d love to hear what you think.

Your feedback is important and will help us keep improving the hub. Together, we can make it the best resource for accessible travel.

We hope the new Accessible Travel Hub helps you feel more confident and ready for your travels.

Thank you for being part of this journey

The new Accessible Travel Hub is now live, and we’re excited to continue improving it with your help. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Visit the website now to start exploring!

Tackling Hate Crime on public transport

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Transport Scotland together with Disability Equality Scotland, SEStran, People First, Police Scotland and British Transport Police have launched the charter aimed at tackling hate crime on Scotland’s public transport network.

Public transport and the new Traveline Scotland website and app

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Traveline Scotland has a new accessible website and app. Traveline Scotland is the national journey planning service. It provides accurate information about all types of public transport in Scotland.

The new website and app went live in September 2024 and give more information about journey options and costs.

This is part of an exciting project that will see more versions of the website and app released over the coming months and years.

Each new version will bring improvements and make it increasingly easy and helpful to use.

This work is being done by Transport Scotland, which is part of the Scottish Government. The goal is to encourage more people to use public transport.

Accessibility is a high priority, and disabled people, including members of Disability Equality Scotland, have helped to inform the work being done. The new platforms (website and app) are designed to be used by everyone, including those who use assistive technology.

There are also useful features, such as a setting that draws up step-free routes. Accessibility will continue to improve as the new versions get rolled out.

Timeline for this project

  • 2023 – research to understand what people want and need, and to check ideas
  • 2024 – research to test prototypes; research to check accessibility
  • 16 September 2024 – new website and app go live (as a first release); feedback captured through surveys and other channels
  • 2025 – research to check new features and to check accessibility
  • 2025 and beyond – more releases will take place to keep improving the website and app
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