Public transport accessibility level

Public transport in action – pedestrians boarding a bus at Canada Water bus station in London.

The public transport accessibility level (PTAL) is a method sometimes used in United Kingdom transport planning to assess the access level of geographical areas to public transport.

PTAL is a simple, easily calculated approach that hinges on the distance from any point to the nearest public transport stop, and service frequency at those stops. The result is a grade from 1–6 (including sub-divisions 1a, 1b, 6a and 6b), where a PTAL of 1a indicates extremely poor access to the location by public transport, and a PTAL of 6b indicates excellent access by public transport.