Disabled people shouldn’t have to face so many problems when getting around (Picture: Shona Cobb)

Many of us rely on public transport to take us from A to B, to work, or to social events. It’s a vital part of many of our daily lives – but when you’re disabled, public transport can be terrifying and daunting.

I’ve built up my confidence as a powerchair user when it comes to using trains, buses and taxis over several years, and I always thought I’d planned for every worst case scenario. But what I wasn’t prepared for was getting stuck on a train platform for several hours due to the nightmare combination of a broken lift and a broken train.



Disabled people shouldn’t have to face so many problems when getting around, yet disability equality charity Scope’s recent research found that two thirds of disabled people who had used public transport in the last year had experienced problems relating to their impairment. For me, even a simple trip to the theatre ended in a horror story.

I was travelling into London to see a musical with my mum and all was going well until we pulled into St Pancras. The lift for the Thameslink platform we were on had been broken just several days before, a regular occurrence for this lift, but we’d been told it had been fixed.


We got off the train and headed over to find it was in fact still broken. This was frustrating, but we could quickly jump back on the train and head to the next station where we’d be able to continue our journey.

The incident left me questioning whether I even wanted to do the journey into London again (Picture: Shona Cobb)

Time went by, however, and the train had not left the station. About 20 minutes in, people started leaving the train, and soon we were all instructed to, as it became apparent the train had broken down. We weren’t too concerned at first, but soon, my mum and I were the only passengers left on the platform.

There were plenty of staff around, but no one seemed to have any idea what to do with me. I asked about emergency procedures, but the advice remained the same: I’d just have to wait for the train to be moved. Time was creeping towards the two hour mark, and this is when I really pushed for them to find a way to get me off the platform. I felt it unfair we were potentially going to miss our show simply because they were unprepared for a disabled person being in this situation.

What was most concerning to me was how myself and other disabled people would get off the platform in an emergency such as a fire.

Eventually staff came up with an ‘idea’, and it was presented as such, rather than a set of emergency procedures that were already in place. My powerchair would be taken up the several sets of escalators, something that made me incredibly anxious due to its value and the simple fact that it’s my independence. Meanwhile, I would be taken up several long flights of stairs in an automatic evacuation chair.



The first person who used the chair to take me up the stairs did the best job, and it was a pretty smooth ride. However, the next person truly had no idea what they were doing, and so I was jolted around aggressively, leaving me in increased pain throughout the rest of the day. This paired with the lack of communication and staff talking over me really made me question how safe I was.

No one should have to feel unsafe, but disabled people do. In fact, Scope’s research has found that over half of all respondents felt scared on public transport and 79 per cent were anxious about their travels. And who can blame us for feeling this way?

By the time we reached the top, I just wanted to leave. We just about made our show, but the incident left me questioning whether I even wanted to do the journey into London again.

Experiences like these can really knock your confidence, and I’m never surprised when a disabled person tells me they are too scared to use public transport. This might be a worst case scenario situation, but I face barriers every single day when using buses, trains and taxis.

My journeys are often disrupted due to broken lifts, I have to leave far earlier than I’d like to – to compensate for any issues I might experience – and sometimes I won’t be able to get on the first, second or third bus when travelling in London due to buggies in the wheelchair space.


It’s rare for me to use public transport without any problems, and that leaves me feeling deflated and disappointed that in 2019 we still have not made anywhere near enough progress to allow disabled people to live the life they want to.

Find out more about Scope’s campaign here.

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