A south-west Victorian man has recalled the pain of being forced to travel in the luggage compartment of a regional train because he used a wheelchair.
Terang man Dean Saunders was looking forward to travelling on the train to Melbourne for a decidedly special occasion.
It was 2006, and Melbourne was hosting the Commonwealth Games, something Mr Saunders had been eager to witness.
Mr Saunders, along with his sister Lisa, his brother-in-law and his mother, decided to avoid congestion and take the three-hour train ride to the event in relative comfort.
"Little did I know that we were going to be put into the luggage carriage," Mr Saunders' sister Lisa Guthrie said.
"Deano has scoliosis and some rods in his back, so I had to stand with my arms over him as he was rocking the whole way to Melbourne, while my husband held the bikes and my mum tried not to be sick.
"And it was just an experience that is not isolated today. No, this is still happening. And we're in 2022."
Ms Guthrie said her brother's relationship with public transport was changed forever that day.
"He just can't use it," she said.
"It was terrifying, and something that he never ever wants to do again. He felt terrible, humiliated and scared."
V/Line has been contacted for a response.
Public transport for all
Mr Saunders' story was one of many shared across the state on Thursday as part of a day of protest against accessibility issues on regional and metropolitan public transport networks.
From Warrnambool to Bairnsdale, regional rail commuters gathered at V/Line stations with signs and songs, chanting in an effort to "have their voices heard".
Similar protests were also held in West Geelong, Fitzroy North and Prahran as part of an ongoing push to make metropolitan public transport services accessible to all.
Disability advocate Kylie Thulborn said public transport would not be true to its name until it could reliably be accessed by all members of the public.
"The conversation about rail and accessible rail has definitely been going on for 40-plus years," Ms Thulborn said.
"There has been a commitment to improve accessibility access on trams and trains, across Victoria. But unfortunately, the standards and the time frames by which those improvements needed to be made have not been met."
A state Department of Transport spokesperson conceded there was more that could be done to improve the network.
The spokesperson said the state government was currently working on a Transport Accessibility Strategy, which would help determine priority upgrades across the network.
"The appointment of a Chief Accessibility Advocate and the development of a Transport Accessibility Strategy will go a long way to identifying priorities for improving transport accessibility that will make the most difference to people with disabilities.
"There’s always more that can be done, and we are actively working with operators and the community to ensure every Victorian can safely get to where they need to go," the spokesperson said.
However, Ms Thulborn said she was tired of waiting for upgrades.
"We've talked to everyone, we've been promised upgrades, and here we are still waiting in 2022," she said.
"Maybe COVID will allow all of us to have a feeling of what being isolated is really like?
"The bottom line is when our public transport doesn't cater for all people are isolated, they left out from their community.
"To me, it is excluding people that need to be part of the numbers that make up great communities."
