A report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) says making public transport fully accessible for disabled passengers would deliver a potential economic boost of £176bn for the UK. The report argues that the current network of buses, trains and stations effectively excludes disabled people from the workforce, locking out about 2.8 million working-age people. It estimates that almost a quarter of the working-age population faces barriers to using public transport. The study’s central claim is that improving accessibility would help more people reach education and employment, increasing labour market participation and producing wider economic benefits. While the outlets reporting on the study focus on the scale of the potential figure, they do not detail specific funding amounts or timelines. Overall, both accounts present the same main findings: the UK transport network is not fully accessible for many disabled people, and the report links investment in accessibility measures to substantial gains in economic output through increased employment.