Alan Benson

Transport Campaigner

Alan is a disability campaigner and activist with a particular interest in transport. He is Chair of Transport for All, a charity which champions the rights of disabled and older people to travel freely and independently in London. Transport for All have achieved many wins for accessible transport across the capital. In 2014 they secured guarantees that Crossrail will be fully accessible from the first day it opens, and Alan works with Crossrail project managers to ensure this will happen as promised.

Since 2017 Alan has been instrumental in the design and implementation of a new paradigm for Disability Equality Training. Delivered by specially formed teams of Disabled People, the training creates cultural change in the approach to accessibilty across an organisation. The immediate and tangible benefits of this can be seen, for example, across Translink in Belfast and London Underground where improvements in signage have greatly improved the travelling experience.

Alan is a skilled networker with a keen eye on innovation, who supports his community to create improvements for all. Being Chair of the charity is not a paid role, but he is incredibly generous with his time, attending protests organised by Transport for All’s activist members, helping people secure Freedom Passes and win benefit appeals. He also Chairs the Pan London Mobility Forum, and two local Disabled Peoples forums.

Alan’s work has created change at local and national levels and he has been invited to speak at various conferences, as well as on radio and television, about accessibility and public transport. He also sits on the Board of London TravelWatch and is a Trustee of the Richmond charity RUILS which supports Disabled and Older People to live independently.