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© 2026. The Purpl Co Limited. All rights reserved.
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© 2026. The Purpl Co Limited. All rights reserved.
10 min read
Written by
Georgina, Founder of Purpl
Published on
September 21, 2026
Last reviewed: 21 September 2026
Applies to: Merlin UK Resort Theme Parks
Written by: Georgina, Founder of Purpl
Merlin Entertainments has announced a major change to its Ride Access Pass (RAP) system, with a new virtual queuing system due to begin rolling out at the end of 2026 before being introduced across its UK resort theme parks in 2027.
The important news for disabled visitors is that the Ride Access Pass eligibility criteria are not changing.
What is changing is how the queue itself works. Instead of the current system where you ride and then effectively serve the equivalent queue time afterwards, the new system will let RAP users choose a ride in an app and wait virtually before riding. During that time, you can wait somewhere quieter or more accessible rather than standing in the standard queue.
Merlin also says it ultimately intends to remove the requirement to pre-book a RAP slot for your day at the park, although that will only happen once the new system has been tested and Merlin is confident it works effectively.
The biggest change is when you wait.
Under the existing RAP system, disabled visitors who cannot use a conventional queue can access a ride and are then given a waiting period based on the standard queue time before they can use RAP for another attraction.
Merlin describes this as a form of “reverse queuing”, because the wait happens after the ride rather than before it.
The new system will turn that around.
You will select the ride you want to visit through the RAP app. The app will then place you into a virtual queue based on the current standard queue time.
Instead of physically standing in that queue, you can spend the waiting period elsewhere in the park.
When you are approaching the front of your virtual queue, the app will tell you it is time to make your way towards the attraction.
That distinction matters. The Ride Access Pass is still a queuing adjustment, not a way of skipping the wait altogether.
Purpl Insight: For someone who struggles with standing, crowded spaces, sensory overload, anxiety, fatigue or another barrier to conventional queuing, being able to serve the waiting time somewhere more suitable could make the day considerably easier to manage.
Merlin’s announced process is straightforward:
Merlin says it is also investing in separate queue lines for RAP guests at rides to make this part of the process more consistent.
There may still be some waiting when you reach the attraction. The intention is not to provide immediate access, but to remove the need to spend the main waiting period standing in a conventional queue.
Purpl Tip: When the new system reaches the park you are visiting, make sure your phone is charged and that you can receive app notifications. A portable power bank could become a particularly useful addition to your theme park bag.
Merlin has confirmed that the new RAP system will be introduced across its UK resort theme parks.
These are:
Official accessibility pages at these resorts now carry notices confirming that the Ride Access Pass system is being updated.
The first stage is due to begin at Alton Towers towards the end of 2026.
Merlin then plans to roll the system out more widely, with full implementation targeted for before the peak summer season in 2027.
This means visitors should not assume that every Merlin park will be using the new process immediately.
Purpl Tip: Check the accessibility page for the specific resort shortly before you visit. During a phased rollout, the process could differ depending on the park and date of your trip.
No. Merlin has specifically confirmed that the eligibility criteria for Ride Access Pass will remain unchanged.
Ride Access Pass exists for guests who cannot use a conventional ride queue because of a disability or long term health condition.
Merlin currently works with Nimbus Disability for access verification. Guests can apply for the free Merlin Digital Access Pass for use at Merlin’s UK resorts, or use an eligible Access Card. The resort accessibility pages continue to direct guests through this process.
So this announcement is about changing the way RAP operates inside the parks, not reducing who can qualify.
Purpl Insight: This is an important distinction because any announcement about changes to an access scheme can understandably worry people who rely on it. Merlin has been unusually explicit on this point: the eligibility criteria are staying the same.
No. You do not need to buy a full Nimbus Access Card to use Merlin’s Ride Access Pass.
Merlin offers a free Merlin Digital Access Pass, which is specifically for use at Merlin UK attractions. Nimbus Disability handles the application and assesses the barriers you face.
If approved, you receive a Merlin Digital Access Pass ID that you can use with the Merlin Ride Access Pass app. Merlin currently says people with one or more of these Nimbus symbols can qualify for RAP:
You can alternatively choose to upgrade to a full Nimbus Access Card, currently £15 for three years, which can also be used at many other participating venues around the UK.
Apply for the free Merlin Digital Access Pass
Read Merlin’s Ride Access Pass registration FAQs
Purpl Tip: If you only need access verification for Merlin attractions, you do not have to pay for the full Access Card. The Merlin Digital Access Pass application is free.
For now, yes.
Merlin currently requires RAP users to pre-book their Ride Access Pass for the date they plan to visit.
The bigger long-term change is that Merlin says it intends to phase out that requirement once the new virtual queuing system has been shown to work effectively.
That could be a significant improvement for disabled people and families who find advance planning difficult.
At the moment, RAP availability for a particular date can run out. Merlin’s current guidance states that if there is no RAP availability for your chosen date, you cannot use the pass during that visit.
Removing that separate reservation requirement could therefore make spontaneous trips easier, but Merlin has not yet given a firm date for when pre-booking will end.
Do not turn up assuming you no longer need a reservation until Merlin officially confirms the change has taken effect.
Purpl Tip: Continue pre-booking RAP exactly as you do now unless your resort confirms otherwise. The intention to remove pre-booking is a future plan, not the current rule.
Yes.
Under the new system, a RAP user will still be able to include up to three companions, allowing a group of up to four people to receive the same ride time slot through the RAP app.
That is particularly important for disabled children, people who need physical support and anyone who needs a family member or carer with them to use the attraction safely.
Existing Merlin terms also state that at least one accompanying person must be aged 14 or over.
Purpl Insight: Keeping companions within the system matters because accessible queuing is not simply about the physical act of waiting. Many disabled visitors need another person with them for communication, regulation, mobility or practical support.
Merlin says demand for Ride Access Pass has increased and that feedback from RAP users showed the existing system does not always provide the flexibility and comfort people need.
Before finalising the new approach, Merlin says it consulted disability organisations and industry partners including:
The National Autistic Society has welcomed the fact that eligibility will remain unchanged, while Scope described the changes as a step towards removing unnecessary barriers for disabled visitors.
This is important because queues can create very different barriers depending on someone’s disability.
The problem may be standing for a prolonged period, but it could equally involve pain, fatigue, temperature regulation, needing immediate toilet access, sensory overload, distress in crowded environments or difficulty remaining within a confined queue line.
A virtual system cannot remove every accessibility barrier within a theme park, but it potentially gives people more control over where they spend the waiting period.
Purpl Insight: The real measure of the new system will be how it works on busy days. The idea of virtual queuing is promising, but disabled visitors will understandably want to see whether app reliability, merge-point queues and ride availability work well in practice.
Merlin is taking a phased approach rather than changing everything across every resort at once.
The first stage is planned for Alton Towers at the end of 2026.
During that initial rollout, Merlin says it will collect feedback from RAP users through the RAP app and email surveys. That feedback will be used to refine the system before wider implementation in 2027.
That makes the trial period particularly important.
Issues such as accessibility of the app itself, notifications, mobile signal, battery life, the distance between different areas of a park, how long guests wait at merge points and how staff manage the new RAP entrances could all affect the real-world experience.
Purpl Tip: If you use the new system during the rollout, give Merlin feedback. Disabled people’s experiences of the system in practice will be far more useful than judging it purely on how it is intended to work.
On paper, there are several potentially useful changes.
The biggest is the move away from having to ride first and then serve a waiting period afterwards.
With the new approach, the waiting period happens before your ride, just as it does for people in the standard queue, but you can spend that time somewhere better suited to your access needs.
That could mean sitting down, finding shade, moving somewhere quieter, accessing a toilet, getting food or simply avoiding a long, crowded queue line.
The future aim of removing RAP date reservations could also remove one of the frustrations people have experienced when trying to plan a visit.
But there are still unanswered practical questions.
We will need to see how the system deals with very busy days, ride breakdowns, poor mobile connectivity, visitors who cannot easily use a smartphone and the amount of physical queuing that remains once someone reaches the RAP entrance.
For now, the key message is that RAP is not being removed and its eligibility criteria are not being tightened as part of this announcement. The way the waiting system works is what is changing.
Purpl Insight: We will be watching the rollout closely. A good accessibility adjustment should reduce barriers in practice, not simply move them somewhere else, so feedback from disabled visitors during the Alton Towers trial will be particularly valuable.
The first stage is planned for Alton Towers towards the end of 2026, with wider rollout across Merlin’s UK resort theme parks during 2027 and full implementation planned before the peak summer season.
No. Merlin is changing how the queuing element of Ride Access Pass works. It has also confirmed that RAP eligibility criteria will remain unchanged.
Yes. RAP is a queue adjustment rather than a Fast Track system.
Under the new approach, your virtual waiting time will reflect the standard queue time for the ride, but you can wait somewhere else rather than standing in the main queue.
Yes, under the current rules.
Merlin intends to remove the requirement to pre-book a RAP slot in future, but only after the new system has been tested successfully. No firm date for removing pre-booking has been announced.
No. Merlin has said there will be no change to the existing eligibility criteria as part of the new virtual queuing system.
The RAP holder can continue to ride with up to three companions, creating a group of up to four people on the same time slot.
The system is being introduced across Alton Towers Resort, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures Resort and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.
The announced system is app based, so smartphones are central to how Merlin currently describes it. Merlin has not yet published enough detail about what alternative arrangements will be available for visitors who cannot use the app, so this is something we will be looking for as the rollout develops.
Merlin’s Ride Access Pass is getting a significant overhaul.
From late 2026 and through 2027, the new system will:
The first stage is due to take place at Alton Towers at the end of 2026, so we should know much more once disabled visitors begin using it in real-world conditions.
For anyone visiting before their park moves onto the new system, continue following the current RAP booking and access rules.
Georgina is the Founder of Purpl, a disability expert and someone with lived experience of the barriers and additional costs that can come with disability.
Purpl helps disabled people and people with long term health conditions save money through exclusive discounts, practical guides and useful information designed to make everyday life a little more accessible.
Nimbus Access Card: what it is, who can get one and how it works: Our guide to the paid Nimbus Access Card, the access symbols and how it can be used beyond Merlin attractions.
Free carer entry in the UK: attractions, cinemas, theatres and days out: How companion and carer ticket policies work, what evidence venues may ask for and where you can access free or reduced price companion tickets.
Alton Towers: Current Purpl offers include up to 15% off standard day entry and 10% off eligible B&B stays.
Thorpe Park: Current offers include up to 15% off standard day entry and 10% off B&B stays.
Chessington World of Adventures: Purpl members can currently save up to 15% on standard day entry and 10% on eligible B&B stays.
LEGOLAND Windsor Resort: Current Purpl offers include up to 15% off standard day entry and 10% off B&B stays.
Tiqets: Purpl members can get an exclusive 12% off UK and worldwide tours and attractions, including museums, landmarks, theme parks and other days out.
Browse all Purpl days out discounts: This includes current savings across theme parks, zoos, aquariums, cinemas and other attractions.