New members appointed to Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood has today (19 February 2025) announced the appointment of 13 new members to the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC).

The independent committee provides advice to the Department for Transport (DfT) on the transport needs of disabled people – particularly on ministerial policy priorities and areas they think need urgent attention.

Their works helps DfT stand by its ambition to ensure transport is accessible for all, including keeping it at the heart of bus and rail reform, as well as the establishment of the Passenger Standards Authority.

Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, said: 

We are clear in our ambition to have an inclusive transport network so disabled people can travel easily confidently and with dignity. DPTAC has a key role in ensuring we develop policy that delivers this.

This unique committee has membership with broad understanding of the barriers faced by disabled people and it ensures those issues are understood right from the start of policy development.

The new members of DPTAC are:

• Damian Joseph Bridgeman – prominent leader in public policy, disability advocacy, and corporate governance
• Mark Cutter – Chair of Northern’s Accessibility User Group (NAUG) and the Rail Accessibility and Inclusion Forum for the North (RAIFN)
• Carly Danesh Jones – autism advocate who has previously held advisory roles with Heathrow Airport and East Midlands Rail
• Mary Doyle – coach who advises multinational companies on inclusivity and accessibility policy 
• Paul Finnegan – Chief Executive of suicide prevention charity Lighthouse
• Dr Miro Griffiths – disability scholar at the University of Leeds
• Prof Mari Martiskainen – Professor of Energy and Society at Science Policy Research Unit within the University of Sussex
• Rachael Mole – consultant and advisor within accessibility and people management
• Ruth Murran – english and drama teacher with life-long experience of global travel
• Maral Nozratzadeh – postgraduate researcher at the University of Leeds School of Law
• David Sindall – previously Head of Disability and Inclusion for the Association of Train Operating Companies for 12 years
• Zamila Skingsley– former Cabinet Office Director
• Edward Trewhella – Chief Executive at Driving Mobility

DPTAC has helped to inform DfT’s work to improve transport accessibility, including the Access For All programme which has made over 260 train stations accessible, as well as the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group that was launched by DfT in November 2024.

It has also helped inform bus and coach policy, including the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 that require operators of local bus and coach services to provide information on the route, direction of travel and each upcoming stop.

DPTAC chair, Matthew Campbell-Hill, said:

I am delighted to welcome our new DPTAC members, who bring a wealth of diverse experiences and expertise.

Their insights will be invaluable as we work together to remove barriers and improve accessibility across our transport network. By harnessing this collective knowledge, we can drive meaningful change and ensure that transport truly works for everyone.

Existing member Sue Sharp, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Society for Blind Children, has also been appointed the group’s Deputy Chair.

Those appointed to DPTAC serve terms of 2 to 3 years.

Under the Transport Act 1985, DPTAC’s membership should have between 10 and 20 members, excluding its chair. These appointments bring DPTACs membership to a total of 17.