JustBeingCP

As a wheelchair user I have been using the assisted travel service on the railways across the United Kingdom for a number of years now.

Unfortunately the service in all parts of the country is not fit for purpose and I fear that it never will be.

Most recently whilst in Scotland on holiday I travelled to the capital Edinburgh by rail to visit the countries parliament.

Getting there by train was a difficult experience to stomach after being spoken to like an idiot by a member of the ScotRail train crew before boarding at my home station.

The gentleman informed me on his arrival at the train that I should have headed to the back of the train and found him instead of waiting at the dedicated passenger assistance point on the platform.

Having explained to him that I booked my assistance for the journey using the passenger assistance app, I was told that I should have still gone to the back of the train and found him, because it doesn’t (the app) get checked.

Shockingly this is not the first time where I have faced issues with the assisted travel service across the rail network.

In recent months I have lost count of the amount of times that I have been on the receiving end of either ramps not being secured to trains or having my right to freedom of speech closed down by staff delivering the service.

This should not be allowed to happen in 2026 and something needs to change across the industry so that I don’t face issues on a regular basis whilst using the service.

A few weeks ago I wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP about the issue of passenger assistance on the railways, where I urged her to hold mainline stations like Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street to account.

Passengers would then be able to use the service with ease and not fear that they will experience difficulties every time they travel.

Hopefully the service will not worsen dramatically across the country, especially in the Midlands whilst the Secretary of State in preparing her response to my concerns.

Do you travel on a regular basis and require assistance to board or disembark trains, your assisted travel can be booked up to 2 hours before departure in any of the following ways:

By Phone: 0800 024 8998 or by using Next Generation Text – 18001 0800 024 8998.

Online: https://booking.passengerassistance.com.

By using the Passenger Assistance App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/passenger-assistance/id1542190496.

However you do have a right to just turn up at a railway station and travel without booking any assistance prior to travel.

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It is only right that I take this opportunity to thank all those that do deliver exceptional passenger assistance to our (the disabled) community on a regular basis, as always it does not go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated and always will be.

Finally thank you to each and everyone of you, my regular readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest posts it does not go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.

Cam