London Dial-a-Ride

London Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door transport service for people with permanent or long-term disabilities who cannot use public transport. It operates across Greater London and is run by Transport for London. The service has around 40,000 members. It began in 1972 in Hampstead but ended in 1976. In 1982, Camden Council set up the first scheme for disabled residents with funding from the Greater London Council. By the late 1980s, over 25 dial-a-ride groups existed across London, supported by a £7.2 million grant. Until 2002, the service had six sectors, each with minibuses in different colours. Since then, Transport for London has run it alone. In 2012, the entire fleet was replaced at a cost of £3.9 million. Today, the fleet has 256 accessible Mellor Tucana minibuses built on Volkswagen Transporter platforms. These vehicles meet Euro VI emission standards and comply with the Ultra Low Emission Zone. The service also works alongside the Taxicard scheme, which provides subsidised taxi journeys for Londoners with serious mobility or visual issues. Around 60,000 people are registered to Taxicard.