End of the Line - Evidence
Stats in the area
In almost 3 out 4 journeys on London's transport Trailblazers found some problem with the facilities or service at the station or on the vehicle.
In almost 1 in 4 journeys the Trailblazers were unable to board the first vehicle to arrive at their stop.
Personal evidence
Maliha Aziz
I had an awful experience using the red buses, where within one day alone I think I faced all the possible problems you can when trying to catch the bus.
On Boxing Day I wanted to get to central London with my friends. We were astonished to encounter poor behavior and incompetence from some of the red bus drivers, especially because in the past I've had little problem getting on the bus. But this time it was unbelievable as on two of the four occasions the bus drivers did not wait for me to get on board!
My friend asked the driver to wait for me and to put out the ramp. She was already on the bus and just I was about to get on the bus for some bizarre and unknown reason the driver pulled out and drove off.
James Lee
Trains are probably my least favourite mode of transport. The underground and over ground trains are both fairly inaccessible in my experience. The underground for obvious reasons; a lack of lifts and copious flights of stairs. Over ground trains can be difficult to board because of the platform height and because some stations are generally inaccessible for people with mobility difficulties.
Nicky Baker
I had to pay for my PA (personal assistant) to travel too so even with my Disabled Person's Railcard it meant I ended up paying more than a non-disabled person.
Matilda Ibini
Some drivers give off a negative attitude. If I ask them kindly and politely for the height of the bus to be lowered it's as if I am asking for a complex task to be performed, when all they have to do is push a button.
Other drivers do not park at the kerb but open their doors in the middle of the road, letting passengers hop and jump on and off the bus into oncoming traffic as they please.
Laura Merry
Travelling with my sister (who is also a wheelchair user) is impossible in London as there is only ever one wheelchair space available on a bus. Therefore journeys take much longer than they do for non-disabled siblings or friends.
Rikin Shah
It really irritates me when the ramps are not working properly and I have to wait up to two hours for a bus with a working ramp.
Sulaiman Khan
Bus drivers are, in my experience, generally rude, uncooperative or incompetent with a few notable exceptions. Frequently they drive past when they see a wheelchair. Frequently they don't lower the bus, and drive inconsiderately fast, causing discomfort or pain.
They often don't bother asking prams to move out of wheelchair spaces and on one occasion a driver got aggressive with my sister because we decided to get off earlier than we told him we would be.
Read the full End of the Line report.