Wheelchair teens expose discriminatory treatment on public transport

A group of wheelchair-using teens with a muscle wasting condition headed to the Houses of Parliament Wednesday to demand a better deal on public transport, especially the London Underground.

Young disabled campaigners, known as the Trailblazers, came face-to-face with politicians and transport operators to reveal shocking facts about how badly they are being treated on trains, buses and in taxis.

The group is part of the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK which represents thousands of people with the condition.

The Trailblazers addressed an all-party parliamentary group at Westminster about access to public transport, and to discuss their own undercover operation.

A spokesman for Muscular Dystrophy UK said: "This follows a nine-month undercover investigation and national survey that looked at young disabled people's experiences of accessing buses, trains, taxis and the London Underground and Overground."

Their report, End of the Line 2016, reveals a shocking picture of young disabled people turned away from journeys, facing verbal abuse and being left stranded across the country.

The report showed many routes on the London Underground took over four times as long for disabled people. One example cited was the journey from Baker Street to Bond Street, normally a two-minute journey for non-disabled people, taking 33 minutes for disabled people.

Two thirds of wheelchair-using Trailblazers were denied from boarding a bus due to the negative attitude of the driver or other passengers.

A third of disabled people told the survey respondents how they had been left stranded after taxis refused to transport them because of their disability.

A quarter of those in wheelchairs was unable to use their nearest train station and instead had to travel many kilometers in a costly taxi to each a station with access.

One participant Nirav Shah, 29, from the East Midlands, said: "I have been left stranded after a driver refused to pick me up, simply because of my disability. I constantly encounter issues with taxis: from cost to accessibility."

Shah has demanded local authorities look into regulating taxis for disabled people.

"It is devastating to think of the countless stories of disabled people struggling with transport across the country," added Shah.

Tanvi Vyas, Trailblazers project manager, said: "It is disturbing to learn of such shocking experiences across the transport network. The fact that young, disabled people are being denied life opportunities by an inaccessible network is a national disgrace. Reports of verbal and physical threats are deeply troubling and will dent the confidence of victims for years to come."

"While we recognize and welcome improvements to transport over the years, it is clear from this report that much more needs to be done. No one should be left behind," she added. Endit