A Melbourne man with MS who uses a mobility scooter says a tram driver repeatedly refused to deploy a ramp to help him board so he could get to hospital for treatment, and he had to be lifted on by passengers.

Key points: Yarra Trams driver refused ramp for man in wheelchair to get up two-inch step

Yarra Trams driver refused ramp for man in wheelchair to get up two-inch step Company says ramp only for emergency use

Company says ramp only for emergency use Commuters lifted man, who has MS, and his scooter onboard

Sean Cox said he tried to get onto the 19 tram at the intersection of Royal Parade and Brunswick Road in Brunswick on three separate days this week, but each time the driver did not allow him to use the wheelchair ramp.

"Even though they're all kitted out, they've all got ramps, [the drivers] are saying 'No, the manager says we can't put the ramp down'," he told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"This morning was a really embarrassing. There was a whole lot of regulars on the tram who said, 'I've seen you arguing every day with the tram driver'.

"There was a whole bunch of burly blokes, thank God, and they lifted my mobility scooter onto the tram so I could just get to Royal Melbourne for MS treatment."

He said he called Yarra Trams customer service on Friday and was told he would be able to get on the tram from that stop, and later that day he said boarded the tram using the ramp.

Mr Cox said he needed the ramp to help get his scooter over a two-inch step.

Ramps for emergencies only: Yarra Trams

A spokeswoman for Yarra Trams told the ABC the ramps were only for emergency situations and not to be used to help passengers board the trams at old stops.

She said they had since spoken to Mr Cox about the incident.

"We've worked with him so we can offer him some alternatives to go to a nearby train station, to Melbourne Central and then get on the tram at Elizabeth Street, where there's an accessible stop," she said.

"There's not enough space at the older safety stops, not enough room to safely get up to the top of the ramp.

"We'll be speaking with our drivers to make sure they're aware of the use of the tram ramps.

"We're constantly doing upgrades to platforms. It's a 100-year-old network, part of that is upgrading the network to be more accessible."

But Mr Cox said taking the train into the city and then catching the tram to hospital would take at least 40 minutes, whereas taking the tram directly took only two minutes.

Commuters 'outraged' by tram incident

Jake was one of the passengers who helped Mr Cox onto the tram and said the driver "flatly refused" to deploy the ramp.

Yarra Trams said Sean Cox should catch the train to the city and use an accessibility stop on Elizabeth St. ( Supplied: Yarra Trams )

"The tram was held up for 15 minutes and the passengers were understandably irritated and I think Sean was quite frustrated and embarrassed," he told 774 ABC Melbourne after earlier hearing Mr Cox.

"In the end we just said, 'stuff it', and we carried Sean, helped him up. We carried him onto the tram and then about five of us lifted his mobility scooter onto the tram, which is quite heavy.

"We all had a chat to the driver and I said, 'Look, my understanding is you've got to let people on the tram if they've got access requirements'.

"He said no, it's no longer policy of Yarra Trams, we only need to do that when it's an emergency. And the tram driver said to me, 'I did the exact same thing yesterday to the same bloke'.

"It was totally outrageous."

Passengers' reaction 'light in a black hole'

Speaking to the ABC later about the incident, Mr Cox said it made him feel like a second-class citizen.

"This is one of the first times I've felt like I'm really disabled. I've been travelling overseas, been on planes, trains, buses, it's just extraordinary," he said.

"I don't know why Yarra Trams are making me feel more disabled, it's made me feel really bad."

He said he was said other passengers were "up in arms" over the refusal.

"I normally don't feel like a burden, people are genuinely really nice," he said.

"When they lifted the chair, that was just priceless and very heart-warming in the face of a very black hole, there was light."