The investigative report End of the Line, which was presented this week to Sir Nicholas Winterton MP, of the Muscular Dystrophy All Party Parliamentary Group, includes a number of myste
ry commuter journeys taken across the North West. The trips were undertaken by young disabled campaigners in order to assess the state of our nation’s public transport system.End of the Line is the first report as part of the Inclusion Now campaign being organised by the Trailblazers – the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s nationwide network of 16 to 30-year-olds who are fighting for the rights of young disabled people.
Having completed surveys every time the Trailblazers made a journey on public transport, as well as using blogs and focus groups, today’s report exclusively reveals:
• wheelchair users are forced to pay more to use public transport than their non-disabled peers;
[A typical train journey from London to Manchester with a Disabled Adult’s Railcard costs £35.65 while a typical coach journey would cost £13.20. The majority of coaches are inaccessible, leaving trains as the only option available for longer journeys]
• half of trains lacked basic disabled facilities at stations and on board the trains;
• on a third of bus journeys, the mystery commuter was unable to board the first bus which arrived at the bus stop;
[This is a consequence of the access ramp being broken, the accessible space on the buses being unavailable or the driver failing to stop]
• two out of five of the young disabled people were forced to pay more to use a wheelchair accessible taxi, compared with their non-disabled peers;
[As a result of the strain of using the bus and rail networks many disabled people feel forced to use taxis to be able to travel around a town or city.]
These results come four years after the Disability Discrimination Act came into force, suggesting that transport providers are still failing to fulfil their duties in providing an equal service to disabled commuters.
The young campaigners presented their findings to MPs and Peers at the House of Commons, where they will call on the Government and local authorities, together with transport providers, to review their accessibility policies.
Macclesfield MP Sir Nicholas Winterton MP, of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Muscular Dystrophy, met with campaigners in Parliament, and said:
“Many people with muscle disease feel that our public transport system does not meet the needs of its passengers. I hope that the report’s findings will help boost independence and improve the quality of life for all people living with muscle disease.
“It’s fantastic that young people are being given the opportunity to see their ideas make a difference and have an impact in their local communities.”
Trailblazer Ambassador, 19-year-old Jessica Berry from Cheshire, who has limb girdle muscular dystrophy, met with Sir Nicholas Winterton MP and said:
“Most people find it easy to get around and be independent, but when you are disabled simple tasks like travelling spontaneously can be extremely difficult.
“It’s incredible that transport providers think the level of service they currently provide for disabled commuters is good enough. The End of the Line report shows there is still a long way to go before the transport system in the UK really is accessible.
“I hope that by joining forces with other young disabled campaigners from across the UK we’ll have a real impact and access to public transport can be improved.
Commenting on the Trailblazers’ report, a spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:
“The Equality and Human Rights Commission welcomes the Trailblazers and their current campaign to promote access to public transport.
“Although the Disability Discrimination Act started to come into force in December 2006 many disabled people still not do experience equal access to transport, leisure facilities and education.
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is the only national charity focusing on all muscle diseases. It invests £3 million a year in care support services, research, muscle centres, networks, information and resources. It has pioneered the search for treatments and cures for 50 years and provides practical, medical and emotional support to people affected.
For more information please contact the press office: Sal Lalji on 0207 803 4844, mobile: 07827 241 043 or email: s.lalji@muscular-dystrophy.org
