View source for London Dial-a-Ride

{{Short description|Community transport service in London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Coord|51|29|32.7|N|0|04|50.2|W|display=title}}
[[File:Dial a Ride roundel.svg|right|thumb|Dial-a-Ride logo]]
'''Dial-a-Ride''' is a service run by [[Transport for London]] (TfL) which is mainly a door-to-door [[community transport]] service for people with a permanent or long term disability or health problem who are unable, or virtually unable to use public transport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dial a Ride|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dial-a-ride/|publisher=tfl|access-date=5 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=London Dial-a-Ride|url=http://www.ageuk.org.uk/richmonduponthames/news--campaigns/london-dial-a-ride-/|publisher=Age UK|access-date=9 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130909140039/http://www.ageuk.org.uk/richmonduponthames/news--campaigns/london-dial-a-ride-/|archive-date=9 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2019, there were around 40,000 members of the scheme.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 April 2019 |title=DaR Q4 Summary 2018 19 (Data Sources).xlsx |url=http://accessibility.data.tfl.gov.uk/DaR%20Q3%20Summary%202019%2020%20(Data%20Sources).xlsx |access-date=4 November 2022 |website=accessibility.data.tfl.gov.uk}}</ref>

==History==
In December 1972, [[London Transport Executive (GLC)|London Transport]] began operating a [[Demand-responsive transport|dial a ride]] service in [[Hampstead]], aimed at both commuters and shoppers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 November 1972 |title=LT to try Dial-a-Ride |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/17th-november-1972/58/lt-to-try-dial-a-ride |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Commercial Motor Archive}}</ref> This ended in 1976 due to high costs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 January 1976 |title=Dial-a-ride dies |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/23rd-january-1976/19/dial-a-ride-dies |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Commercial Motor Archive}}</ref>

In 1982, [[London Borough of Camden|Camden Council]] set up London's first dial a ride scheme for disabled residents, with funding from the [[Greater London Council]] (GLC).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 1982 |title=Camden bus |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/2nd-october-1982/13/camden-bus |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Commercial Motor Archive}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Pickering |first=Caro |date=2013-04-17 |title=Bryan Heiser obituary |url=http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/apr/17/bryan-heiser-obituary |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=[[The Guardian]]|language=en |quote=He launched the first Dial-a-Ride in Camden, with funding from the Manpower Services Commission and later a grant from Camden council to buy the special vehicles required. Within a few years, with support from the Greater London Council, the scheme had expanded throughout London, and then, with government funding, around the UK.}}</ref> Several London councils including [[Royal Borough of Greenwich|Greenwich]] soon followed.<ref name=":0" /> Following the successful development of GAD-about in Greenwich, a clone prototype project was developed for [[London Regional Transport|London Transport]] which was then handed over in a modular form to allow easy implementation and scaling up.<ref name=":0" /> By the late 1980s, there were over 25 dial a ride groups across London, subsidised by a £7.2m grant from [[London Regional Transport]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Introducing Dial-a-Ride |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/story/introducing-dial-a-ride/ZwXhSOAtgB8YYA |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en |quote=Following Camden Council's founding of London's first scheme specifically for disabled residents in 1982, by the late 1980s there were over 25 dial a ride groups across London, subsidised by a £7.2m grant from London Regional Transport. In 2002, TfL took them all over to offer a centralised system.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 1989 |title=Dial-a-Ride cash call |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/3rd-august-1989/19/dial-a-ride-cash-call |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Commercial Motor Archive}}</ref>[[File:Dial-a-Ride service areas.svg|thumb|Map of the London Dial-a-Ride service areas before 2003.]]
Until 2002, the London Dial-a-Ride service consisted of six sectors, each of which had its own main colour on the [[Mercedes-Benz Sprinter]] minibuses:<ref name=":1" />
{{legend|#FFD329|[[Central London]] ([[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], [[Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea|Kensington & Chelsea]], [[London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham|Hammersmith & Fulham]], [[London Borough of Westminster|Westminster]])<ref>{{cite web|title=Central London Dial-a-Ride|url=http://www.dial-a-ride.org.uk/central_dar.htm|publisher=Central London Dial-a-Ride|access-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010303152654/http://www.dial-a-ride.org.uk/central_dar.htm|archive-date=3 March 2001}}</ref>}}
{{legend|#EF7B10|[[North London]] ([[London Borough of Barnet|Barnet]], [[City of London]], [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey]], [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]])}}
{{legend|#0019A8|North East London ([[London Borough of Barking & Dagenham|Barking & Dagenham]], [[London Borough of Havering|Havering]], [[London Borough of Newham|Newham]], [[London Borough of Redbridge|Redbridge]], [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]], [[London Borough of Waltham Forest|Waltham Forest]])}}
{{legend|#00BD19|South East London ([[London Borough of Bexley|Bexley]], [[London Borough of Bromley|Bromley]], [[Royal Borough of Greenwich|Greenwich]], [[London Borough of Lewisham|Lewisham]], [[London Borough of Southwark|Southwark]])}}
{{legend|#0098D8|South London ([[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]], [[Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames|Kingston upon Thames]], [[London Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth]], [[London Borough of Merton|Merton]], [[London Borough of Sutton|Sutton]], [[London Borough of Wandsworth|Wandsworth]])}}
{{legend|#8480D7|[[West London]] ([[London Borough of Brent|Brent]], [[London Borough of Ealing|Ealing]], [[London Borough of Harrow|Harrow]], [[London Borough of Hillingdon|Hillingdon]], [[London Borough of Hounslow|Hounslow]], [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames|Richmond upon Thames]])}}Since 2002, Dial-a-Ride has been run and funded solely by TfL.<ref name=":1" /> In 2012, TfL began replacing the entire Dial-a-Ride fleet at a cost of £3.9 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Standard |first=Evening |date=2012-04-05 |title=Boris Johnson launches the revamped Dial-a-Ride bus |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/boris-johnson-launches-the-revamped-dialaride-bus-6920761.html |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref>

==Fleet==
{{As of|2022}}, the fleet comprises 256 accessible vehicles, all [[Mellor Tucana]] low floor minibuses, built on the [[Volkswagen Transporter]] platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pidgeon |first=Caroline |date=2022-05-26 |title=Please state how many buses currently operate for Dial-a-Ride. |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2022/1729 |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=Mayor's Question Time |quote=There are 256 buses in Dial-a-Ride’s fleet.}}</ref> The fleet meets [[Euro VI]] emission standards, and therefore is [[Ultra Low Emission Zone]] compliant.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-15 |title=London Dial-a-Ride goes green with Mellor |url=https://www.smmt.co.uk/2018/11/london-dial-a-ride-goes-green-with-mellor/ |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=SMMT |language=en-GB}}</ref> Historically, a range of vehicles have been used including [[Mercedes-Benz Sprinter]] and [[Mercedes-Benz Vito|Vito]] minibuses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Lauren |date=2019-07-08 |title=Dial-a-Ride |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2019/14437 |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=Mayor's Question Time}}</ref>
{|align="left"
|[[File:London Dial a Ride 1.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Volkswagen Transporter]] ([[Mellor Tucana]]) low floor minibus.]]
|[[File:London Dial a Ride 2.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Mercedes-Benz Sprinter]] minibus.]]
|[[File:London Dial a Ride 5.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Mercedes-Benz Vito]] minibus.]]
|}
{{Clear}}

== Taxicard ==
The 'Taxicard' scheme provides subsidised [[Hackney carriage|taxi]] and private hire journeys for Londoners with serious mobility or visual issues, with around 60,000 members registered to the scheme. The scheme is run by [[London Councils]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Taxicard |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxicard-and-capital-call |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=[[Transport for London]]|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|London transport}}
*[[Accessibility of transport in London]]
*[[Paratransit]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dial-a-ride/ London Dial-a-Ride website]

{{Transport in London}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:London Dial-A-Ride}}
[[Category:Transport organisations based in London]]
[[Category:Paratransit services]]
[[Category:Transport for London]]


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