Improving disabled access to UK’s public transport ‘almost impossible’

The Equality Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities mandate equal access to transport for disabled people. Photograph: David Gee/Alamy

When Tanni Grey-Thompson was left stranded at London’s King’s Cross station on her way to the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Paris this week, she had to crawl on to the platform.

Lady Grey-Thompson, a former Paralympic athlete and crossbench peer, said she and other disabled passengers frequently suffered humiliating incidents travelling by train. “The system is just not working,” she said.