New design and training rules
Australia’s Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 have been amended. The changes bring in new requirements for staff training and information sharing, designed to better meet the needs of passengers with different types of disability. They took effect on 13 October 2026, the Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, and the Infrastructure Minister, Catherine King, announced in a joint media release.
What the new design requirements cover
The reforms also introduce new and enhanced design requirements for public transport conveyances, buildings and infrastructure. The aim is to deliver accessible public transport that is safe and easy to use for people with disability.
Who must comply and when
Operators and providers of buses, trams, trains, light rail, ferries, taxis and aviation services are all expected to comply. Some of the new requirements come with five- or ten-year implementation timeframes.
Others apply only once operators buy new assets or substantially upgrade existing ones. Operators should note, however, that the reforms don’t give existing assets any extra time to meet the accessible public transport requirements that were already in place before the amendments.
Guidance available to the public
Updated guidance on accessible public transport is set out in the Transport Standards Guidelines (formally the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Guidelines 2026). Summaries are also available in Auslan and Easy Read on the website of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.
Aviation work continues separately
The Government describes these reforms as separate from, but complementary to, its ongoing work to co-develop new aviation-specific disability standards. Those standards are intended to set out more clearly what airlines and airports must do to eliminate discrimination against passengers with disability.
Related: Timetable changes for Sydney’s southern train passengers dropped, New Route 444 Bus Linking Balmain East and Leichhardt from 16 November
General information only, not legal advice. Check the official source before acting.
Source: Attorney-General’s Department. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
