If a disability or a health condition — physical or otherwise — makes getting to work difficult or impossible by public transport, the government scheme called Access to Work may pay for taxi travel instead. Not a discount. In many cases, the full cost of the journey.

We carry passengers in Bristol every week whose commute is funded this way, and almost all of them say the same thing: they only heard about it by accident.

What Access to Work actually covers

Access to Work is a publicly funded grant scheme administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. It exists to remove the practical barriers that stop people with a disability or health condition from working. Travel is one of the things it can pay for — typically where public transport isn’t a realistic option.

• Taxi fares to and from work, where buses or trains aren’t accessible or safe for you.
• Ongoing journeys, not just a one-off — a regular commute can be funded on an ongoing basis.
• Support that follows you, rather than being tied to one employer indefinitely.

It is a grant, not a loan. It does not have to be repaid and it does not affect most other benefits.

Who can apply

Broadly, you need to be aged 16 or over, in paid work (employed or self-employed) or about to start a job, and living in England, Scotland or Wales. The condition can be physical, mental health-related, sensory or a long-term illness — and crucially, it does not have to be a visible or physical disability.

That last point is where most people rule themselves out unnecessarily. Anxiety disorders, epilepsy, chronic fatigue, chronic pain and a long list of other conditions can all make a crowded bus at 7am genuinely unmanageable, and all can be grounds for support.

How the application works

You apply yourself — your employer doesn’t apply for you, though they will be contacted. The process is roughly:

• Apply online through the Access to Work service on GOV.UK, or by phone if that’s easier.
• An adviser contacts you to talk through what you need and why public transport doesn’t work for you.
• They assess and agree what support to fund — often for a fixed period, then reviewed.
• Once approved, journeys begin and the costs are claimed back under the terms of the grant.

The waiting time varies, and it can take a while, so applying early matters. Be specific about the practical problem: “I cannot stand on a platform for twenty minutes” is more useful to an adviser than a diagnosis on its own.

Where a taxi firm fits in

Once support is agreed, you need a firm that can actually deliver it: the same journey at the same time, reliably, with drivers who understand the passenger and paperwork that satisfies the scheme.

We invoice Access to Work directly for a number of our Bristol passengers, which means nothing changes hands in the car and there’s nothing to claim back yourself. We also keep the same small group of drivers on those journeys, so it’s a familiar face each morning rather than a stranger.

Worth ten minutes of your time

If getting to work is the hardest part of your day, this is genuinely worth investigating. Start on GOV.UK by searching for Access to Work, and be honest with the adviser about what the journey does to you.

And if you’re in Bristol and want to talk about how the transport side would actually work — timings, drivers, invoicing — we’re happy to explain it without any obligation. See our medical and healthcare transport page, or just call us.