Mobility and transport

The effects of your stroke may mean that you are no longer able to drive or find it difficult to access public transport. It is illegal for all stroke survivors to drive for at least a month after a stroke, at which point you must get the go ahead from your doctor before getting behind the wheel again.

It is common for stroke survivors to suffer from limited mobility and getting in and out of cars might be difficult. If this is the case for you, there are two main options. Firstly, you can have your current car upgraded with Motability adaptations to make driving more comfortable. If that doesn’t appeal, the Motability scheme lets you choose a new car that should suit you better.

The Blue Badge Scheme gives parking concessions to people with a range of disabilities. It is important to notify your insurer of your change in circumstances and specialist insurance is also available for disabled drivers. You may be entitled to free road tax if you’re a disabled person who gets the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), War Pensioners Mobility Supplement (WPMS) or have an invalid carriage.

If you are not deemed safe to drive, public transport and taxis are becoming much more accessible thanks to changes in legislation. Drivers of many modes of transport are now required to use ramps and provide assistance to disabled people on request and innovations such as talking stops and low floor buses also make it easier for you to get from A to B.

• Local Link Services are available and provide a convenient means of transport.
• Ring & Ride provides a door-to-door accessible minibus service for people of all ages who find it difficult to use ordinary public transport.
• Travel vouchers are for people who are not able to use ordinary buses, trains or Metrolink and who have serious walking difficulties or are registered blind. They can be used to pay for taxis and for travel on accessible bus services such as Ring and Ride and community transport.