We are pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Richards OBE as the Independent Chair of the new Evidence Centre for Inclusive Transport.
Disability, equality rights and sustainability expert
Keith Richards OBE brings his specialist expertise across disability and equality rights and sustainability to the new role.
Until January 2023, Keith served as chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), providing advice to the Government on the transport needs of disabled people.
Keith is also a panel member at the Competition and Markets Authority, a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, and chair of the Renewable Energy Consumer Codes non-compliance panel.
“An exciting and unique opportunity.”
Speaking on his appointment as Independent Chair of the Evidence Centre, Keith Richards OBE, said:
"To be appointed Chair of the new Evidence Centre for Inclusive Transport is a real honour.
“It’s an exciting and unique opportunity to be able to help establish this ground-breaking Centre and guide it in its first months and years.
“The aim must be to target the transport accessibility gap and transform the lives of disabled people.
“Using transport should be an accessible, inclusive and enabling experience, but currently there are far too many barriers and challenges that only serve to exclude and disable far too many people.
“We can only achieve our aim by ensuring that the work of the centre is led by the experiences of disabled people.
“I am very much looking forward to working with Motability, Coventry University and consortium partners, as well as all our other stakeholders as we get on with this much-needed work."
“We look forward to working with Keith.”
Barry Le Grys, Chief Executive of Motability, the charity, said:
“We are pleased to appoint Keith as Independent Chair of the new Motability-funded Evidence Centre for Inclusive Transport.
“His wealth of experience will be vital as the centre sets out its new strategy and builds on work to broaden the understanding of inclusive transport, alongside disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, transport providers and policy makers.
“We look forward to working with Keith in the years ahead, and seeing the exciting advancements in the research, policy and design of inclusive transport that come about due to the centre’s work, which will help to make transport accessible for everyone.”
Evidence Centre for Inclusive Transport to launch soon
Funded by Motability for the next seven years and a UK first in inclusive transport, the Evidence Centre will be run by Coventry University, working in collaboration with RiDC, Designability, Connected Places Catapult, Policy Connect and WSP UK.