The National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat) has announced 16 innovators selected for its 2026 Scaling Innovation programme, supporting the development of solutions to break down transport barriers and drive long-term systemic change.

Delivered in partnership with Connected Places Catapult, the multi-million pound programme brings together SMEs from across the UK to co-create, test and scale solutions that address challenges across the transport network.

The selected innovators will focus on three priority challenge areas identified through extensive research and collaboration with disabled people: improving vehicle stop design, enhancing travel assistance and increasing access to real-time travel information.

Each organisation will receive an initial sum of £10,000 and expert support to develop plans for testing their solutions, with the opportunity to progress to larger scale trials with access to further substantial funding.

By placing lived experience at the centre of innovation, the programme ensures solutions are shaped by those who use them and grounded in real expertise and insight.

The 16 selected innovators have described their solutions:

Improving vehicle stop design

Innovators in this challenge area are developing solutions to make transport stops more accessible, predictable and easier to navigate:

• Fluo Technologies Limited is developing a modular retrofit kit that upgrades bus and tram stops into universally accessible travel points; combining infrastructure improvements with smart multi-sensory technology for disabled passengers.
• Mechara Technologies Limited is working on a predictable stop system that will make public transport more accessible for disabled people by making stop layouts, information and boarding points clear and consistent.
• Transport for All is developing a standardised tool to audit bus stop accessibility in the UK, helping local authorities to decide where to prioritise resources and investment.

Improving access to information

These organisations are focused on helping passengers plan and navigate journeys with better access to travel and transport information:

• Ampetronic Limited is developing an inclusive audio broadcast system that will help disabled bus passengers independently access clear, real-time route, stop and other information at bus stops and onboard vehicles.
• Applied Information Group is working on an Active Travel Data Specification for disabled people; bringing together accessibility information to provide clearer routes and more confident, independent travel.
• Digital Creativity in Disability will develop an assured connectivity service that will help disabled people navigate transport systems with greater confidence, autonomy and control over their journeys.
• GoodMaps Limited is enhancing its accessible wayfinding app with live public transport data feeds to help disabled people using UK transport travel more confidently with timely journey information.
• Spoken Ink Limited (trading as Whoosh) is building a personalised, accessible journey planner that lets users save their preferences and quickly plan accessible journeys across the UK transport network.

Enhancing travel assistance

Innovators in this category are developing solutions to improve how passengers access and experience assistance services:

• 4SB Mobility Limited has developed a new approach to electric vehicle charging which, using automated battery swapping, allows EV users to charge faster without needing to leave their vehicles.
• Calmworks Studio Limited is developing a low-cost physical travel companion device to help disabled and digitally excluded passengers navigate public transport independently and confidently.
• Inclutech Limited is developing an accessible reporting platform to help disabled and vulnerable passengers report incidents discreetly; improving safety, confidence and response times across public transport.
• Mvine Limited and AbleMove are developing a secure Inclusive Flight Planner that helps disabled travellers share verified mobility-aid data; enabling safer flights, better planning and improved co-ordination across the aviation ecosystem.
• Neatebox Limited. WelcoMe has developed an integrated accessibility platform to help transport operators deliver reliable, tracked assistance to disabled passengers from booking through to arrival.
• PalmVault is developing a privacy-first travel assistance tool that will help disabled passengers and transport staff coordinate the right support more reliably and more independently.
• Skills for People has created Charge Your Wheels; providing accessible charging pods for powered wheelchairs, enabling more independent travel and reduced inequality.
• Video Window is developing a new type of video assistance kiosk that will help disabled and vulnerable passengers to access real-time support from disabled operators, enabling meaningful employment.

All projects are required to co-create solutions with disabled people at every stage, ensuring innovations are grounded in real needs and deliver meaningful impact. This principle sits at the centre of Scaling Innovation and will be supported by ncat’s Community of Accessible Transport panel, who will ensure that the lived experiences of disabled individuals directly influence transport policy, design, and technology.

Innovators will also benefit from an ecosystem of support provided by ncat, drawing on the wider consortium, its board, and expert panel. This includes specialist technical and commercial guidance from Connected Places Catapult, alongside dedicated “Meet the Experts” sessions as part of the programme, ensuring projects are supported from concept through to delivery.

Emma Partlow, Chief Executive Officer at ncat, said: “Scaling Innovation supports innovators committed to breaking down transport barriers by combining funding, expertise and lived experience to enable solutions that have the potential for lasting, systemic change. The programme reflects ncat’s role as an independent convenor, bringing together evidence and insight to inform long-term transformation. I am proud to see this initiative unite the people, ideas and collaboration needed to accelerate meaningful change across the transport network.”

Jamie Chan-Pensley, ncat Board Member and Head of Strategic Portfolio: Transport, Connected Places Catapult, said: “This programme highlights the centre’s strong focus on real applications, bringing together a diverse cohort of innovators scaling practical solutions. From retrofit kits that transform bus and tram stops into fully accessible travel points to new video-assisted kiosks, these innovations tackle some of the most pressing challenges faced by disabled travellers in transport.”

By supporting a diverse cohort of innovators, Scaling Innovation aims to accelerate the development of practical, scalable solutions that can improve journeys for disabled people and create a more inclusive transport system for all.

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