Disabled passengers travelling on Avanti services in the north of England say they are finding pre-booked accessible spaces filled with luggage and are having to resort to sitting in toilets while others are abandoning travelling on trains altogether.
Haydn Smith, 26, a wheelchair user, and Alex Winstanley, 30, his non-disabled business partner, boarded an Avanti service from Wigan to London Euston last month. He said as they boarded the train, an Avanti member of staff warned them they would “struggle to get on”.
Once onboard, they found their pre-booked accessible seat piled waist-high with luggage.
“When we first got on, we couldn’t even move,” said Winstanely.
“I started moving the bags and suitcases and other passengers helped.” There was no member of staff present to assist him.
Another wheelchair user was in Smith’s seat when they boarded. When he arrived at his stop, Winstanley said staff “just sort of watched him struggle”.
“None of them approached to help him so eventually I just got up and helped him into his seat so he could get off the train.”
When Winstanley helped the other wheelchair user up, he said a member of staff told him: “‘We could do with a few of you on here.’ I was just too angry for words.”
Smith and Winstanley run Happy Smiles Training, which provides disability inclusion training to businesses and organisations. They were on their way to London because they were shortlisted for an award for their work.
A message from Alex…
— Happy Smiles Training CIC 😁👍 (@happysmilescic) November 21, 2022
I try my best not to complain publicly about these issues, despite the daily discrimination and #ableism I see against #DisabledPeople, but I have to call you out here.
Dear @AvantiWestCoast decision-makers… hang your heads in shame. pic.twitter.com/H1MIZ4UkPp
After the incident, they contacted Avanti offering to provide disability inclusion training. Winstanley called Avanti’s response “nothing short of a disgrace”.
In an email seen by the Guardian, Avanti’s learning and development department replied: “We are satisfied that the current training undertaken by our train managers is appropriate and takes into account these types of situations.”
The email also mentioned the development of internal communications for frontline staff “to remind them of the role of the wheelchair space and processes to follow”.
There was no apology or mention of refunding the £124 ticket. They later received an email from the director’s office offering a refund.
Winstanley said: “It was infuriating, distressing and embarrassing.”
John Junior, 34, is a mental health campaigner who has short leg syndrome, club foot and arthritis. He uses a walking stick. He regularly commutes on the Manchester Piccadilly to Wilmslow Avanti service and occasionally on the Piccadilly to London Euston Avanti service.
He said: “In the past month or so it’s been hectic. I’ve probably sat down more in doorways or on the floor than in an actual seat.
“When I ask to sit in priority seats, I have to prove it. I’ll show my disabled railcards and blue badge. People can’t really see it. I’ve got bolts in my knees,” he said.
On an Avanti train from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, Junior said he sat in the toilet for two hours. “My carriage was jam-packed and I didn’t have a reservation. I literally couldn’t get a seat so I sat on the toilet for nearly two hours. People were banging on the door. It was horrible.”
Junior said he had done this “three to four times” on the same service recently.
On one occasion, Junior said he urinated in a bottle “because I daren’t leave my seat in case someone took it”.
Rick Burgess, outreach and development lead at the Greater Manchester Disabled People’s Panel, said the incidents were “depressingly common for many of our members”. He added: “Ironically, due to the collapse of reliable rail in NW fewer people are even attempting journeys.”
Avanti West Coast said: “We are extremely sorry for the experience Haydn and Alex had on our service. It’s completely unacceptable and as soon as we were aware we got in touch with them to apologise and find out more details of the journey.
“We have launched an investigation into the circumstances so we can do everything possible to stop this happening again. The cost of their journey is being refunded.
“The railway should be accessible for all. That’s why we have industry leading panels which allow us to shape our business decisions based on the lived experience of accessibility experts. We have been in touch with members of our national panel about this incident.
“Services have been busy due to short notice cancellations, and we apologise for this as we know it’s an enormous source of frustration for our passengers. Customers should not store luggage in the wheelchair spaces and on our refurbished Pendolinos we have a large wheelchair sign on the floor to discourage it.”
In regards to John Junior, an Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “As soon as we were made aware of what happened, our head of sustainability contacted John to discuss his concerns and how we can improve his journeys in the future.
“We are really sorry to hear about his experiences while travelling with us and we are looking to continue discussions on how his journeys can be improved.
“Accessibility is extremely important to us and we’ll ensure that John’s important feedback is heard at our accessibility panels and communicated to the wider business.”
