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The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Wheelchair user left on a plane for almost two hours after landing
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, who uses a wheelchair, was left waiting for more than 90 minutes for assistance after all other passengers had disembarked a 13-hour flight from Singapore to Heathrow. Gardner criticised Heathrow Airport for its poor service towards disabled passengers, questioning why they should receive worse treatment than others, and noted similar incidents have occurred in the past. According to Gardner, a Wilson James operations manager informed him that two of the five medical lifts had gone out of service overnight, contributing to the delay. A Heathrow spokesperson apologised for the delay, citing a medical emergency that reduced available vehicles, and offered to cover the cost of Gardner's additional waiting time for his car as a gesture of goodwill. Gardner praised the British Airways crew for their support, with the captain refusing to leave the plane while Gardner was still on board.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Disabled student films England bus pass trips to show challenges
A disabled photography student has travelled more than 850 miles on buses across England to highlight the challenges faced by disabled bus pass Bowhay, who is visually impaired, travelled for up to 10 hours a day, catching 26 buses over 10 days from Land's End to final-year student at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) has made a 10-hour film documentary about his says Between These Times is a "slow cinema" style film which aims to show "how agonisingly slow it is to travel by bus". The 22-year-old, from Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, began his challenge on 26 January and completed it on 6 on his bus pass meant he could only travel after 09:00 on weekdays and could not enter Scotland or Bowhay, who developed cataracts in both eyes at the age of four, has limited vision in just one says moving out of home after university feels "unviable" due to a lack of public said: "I attend a lot of hospital appointments at Southampton, and getting there independently is pretty impossible." During his trip, he said only three of the 26 buses had audio announcements, and one had visual said: "I had to spend a fair amount of time sort of looking out the window and trying to work out, actually, where I am, where I need to get off."Mr Bowhay said he experienced delays of up to 40 minutes, had difficulties scanning his pass, and sometimes waited several hours for is calling for more investment in bus services and for more understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people using public film will be shown at AUB's summer show from 10 to 21 July and at Aberrations Collective's Show in Copeland Gallery, London, from 31 July to 3 August. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Disabled student's ‘agonisingly slow' journey across England using only public buses
A disabled photography student has travelled more than 850 miles across England by public bus, spotlighting the everyday obstacles faced by disabled bus pass holders. Dan Bowhay, 22, a final-year student at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), embarked on the 10-day trip from Land's End in Cornwall to Marshall Meadows in Berwick-upon-Tweed, near the Scottish border. The same journey would take just over nine hours by car. Beginning on January 26 and concluding on February 6, Bowhay paused his travels over the weekend of February 1 and 2 to avoid reduced service frequencies. He now plans to showcase a 10-hour documentary film to raise awareness about the "limited freedoms" experienced by disabled bus pass users. 'I am exploring what limited freedoms and independence this pass affords me,' Mr Bowhay told the PA news agency. During each leg of his journey, Mr Bowhay travelled up to 10 hours a day, including time in transit on a bus and waiting for a connection. His project, titled 'Between These Times', is a 'slow cinema' style film which emphasises long takes and observational shots. 'I've taken this genre and used it to kind of convey this journey I went on in this really slow format to show just how agonisingly slow it is to travel by bus, showing all these delays in that long, drawn out way,' said Mr Bowhay. Mr Bowhay's bus pass is granted under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), which provides free travel by bus in England to those who are disabled. The pass has its limitations as it is only valid on weekdays from 9.30am to 11pm, and is not available in Scotland or Wales, which causes issues for those who commute to work or live near borders, said Mr Bowhay. He originally wanted to travel from Land's End to John o' Groats, but was limited to finishing at the border as his bus pass does not work in Scotland. Aged four, Mr Bowhay became visually impaired when he developed cataracts in both eyes. Mr Bowhay's left eye was removed and replaced with a prosthetic when he was four and he has limited vision in his right eye after the lens was replaced to treat his cataracts. His condition means he struggles with his sight and depth perception, meaning he is unable to drive and is reliant on public transport for travel. Mr Bowhay was inspired to create the film by the difficulties he had accessing public transport independently, where he grew up in Bishops Waltham, Hampshire. 'I attend a lot of hospital appointments at Southampton, and getting there independently is pretty impossible,' he said. He said moving home after university does not feel 'viable' as the lack of public transport in the area limits his independence. Of the 26 buses Mr Bowhay took during the 10-day journey, he said only three had audio and one had visual announcements to indicate the location of each stop, making travel more challenging for those with visual or hearing impediments. 'I had to spend a fair amount of time sort of looking out the window and trying to work out, actually, where I am, where I need to get off,' he said. Problems Mr Bowhay faced during the trip included bus delays of up to 40 minutes a day, waiting times of up to a several hours for connections and difficulties with scanning his pass, meaning he often had to present his pass to a driver. Mr Bowhay said he wants more investment to go into bus services and for the 'public attitude' to be more understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people using public transport. The film will be shown at AUB's summer show from July 10-21 and Aberrations Collective's Show in Copeland Gallery, London, from July 31 to August 3.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
‘Rude' Network Rail staff refused to help disabled woman board train
Ms Landre had intended to travel from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge on Sunday to meet a friend for lunch. Arriving 15 minutes before her train's scheduled departure time, she approached the assistance point to ask for a staff member to deploy a ramp so she could get herself and her wheelchair onto the train. Disabled passengers who need assistance are entitled to turn up and travel whenever they please, although most rail operators have a pre-booking scheme so staff can speedily get to wherever they are needed at large, busy stations. 'Time ticked by and with about five to six minutes to go he told me they were very busy right now and might not be able to get me on the train,' Ms Landre said. 'I said that maybe I'd try going to the platform and asking the onboard or platform staff to help me, and he said that at this station they don't have ramp keys,' she continued, referring to the keys that secure the ramps safely out of the way when not in use. 'Personal apology' Only certain station staff are trained to use the items, The Telegraph understands. 'One minute before departure a staff member showed up and I gestured towards the train right across from us and she seemed confused because it had disappeared off the board,' she explained. Not believing that that was the correct train, the staff member tried to radio her colleague at the help desk and ask for clarification – but the train's doors had closed by that point. She said staff began to 'lecture' her about the 'need' to pre-book disability assistance and said they would prioritise other disabled passengers before helping her. A Network Rail spokesperson said an investigation was underway, adding: 'We are really sorry that Ms Landre had this experience when using our station. 'Our director for the Anglia region, which includes responsibility for Liverpool Street station, spoke with Ms Landre this morning and personally apologised for her experience. 'Our aim is to provide a positive experience for each and every passenger and she should never have been denied assistance to board a train and we know we let her down. 'Completely unacceptable' A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'Incidents such as this are completely unacceptable. The Rail Minister has raised the incident with National Rail who have now apologised to Ms Landre and are carrying out an investigation into what went wrong.' Lord Hendy, the minister, was chairman of Network Rail prior to joining the Labour Government after last year's election. Last year the head of a campaigning charity said disabled people are taking a gamble every time they try to use a train. Emma Vogelmann of Transport for All, a charity, claimed disabled passengers could not rely on companies assisting them on and off services, despite having a legal obligation to do so. She was speaking after one of Britain's most successful Paralympians, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who said she was forced to crawl off a train because there was no wheelchair assistance to help her.
