case study
Travelling with Confidence is a Devon-wide project being co-delivered by Devon Communities Together and Living Options Devon. It includes:
- Free training for people with disabilities to gain confidence using public transport
- Delivering disability awareness training to local partner organisations and travel providers
- Raising awareness of the barriers faced by people with disabilities in order to create change
Two of our Travel Training clients, Chris and Sue, who attend a dementia group in Kingsbridge, didn't previously use public transport but were pleased to recently enjoy a self-organised train journey to Bristol. This couple would not have planned and gone on this trip without travel training. They were able to use what they learned to plan and book tickets and Passenger Assist. More importantly, they were able to deal with things going wrong, having learned coping techniques and strategies. They have since planned a trip to London. You can read their self-penned account below.
"Chris and I traveled by train on 6th May to Bristol. We had booked the tickets beforehand and had received them in the mail. We arrived at Totnes station very early and luckily were dropped off on Platform 2 where the train was coming into, as the lift from one platform to the other was out of order. There were the two of us travelling, Chris with limited mobility and balance, a wheelchair and two small wheel along suitcases. Lesson number one - one larger case instead of two would have been easier to manoeuvre.
"We waited for the Passenger Assistance person to arrive and when he came and spoke to us, to my horror, we had been booked onto the Bristol Templemeads train an hour earlier at 12.53! Lesson number two - double check the tickets beforehand. I had written the later time for departure in my diary, hence the problem.
"Andrew, the GWR Passenger Assistance was really amazing. He told us not to worry and that he would sort the situation and book us onto the later Cross Country train, reserving the same seats. He was so nice and reassuring and this totally allayed the stress. It was real team work as the guard on the next Cross Country Train was totally aware of our situation and helped with the seats. Marissa, one of the Cross Country ladies on board was most helpful in telling us when we were approaching our destination and helped us out with the wheelchair and luggage. We didn’t need a ramp as Chris can manage the step onto the platform. Sarah, another railway employee was really helpful at Templemeads, getting us across the station, using the lift and finding a taxi.
"After the initial problems, our journey went really smoothly! We returned home a few days later, travelling on a Saturday afternoon. Lesson Three - travel in the week and hopefully the trains and station may be less crowded.
"We received good help from the Passenger Assistance team at Bristol Templemeads. We arrived into the station early enough and had to wait in an area designated specially for the necessary help. We were guided across a busy crowded station and had to use lifts to reach the required platform. The train was very crowded, we were hurriedly guided to our seats but the lightweight foldable wheelchair had to be stored away from the rest of our luggage in Carriage D, or so we were told. We were seated in carriage C.
"When we arrived at Totnes, clearly there had been no communication between the guys at Totnes as they were not there when we arrived, thinking we were in an alternative carriage at the far end of the train. We seriously held up the train in getting off and also it was evident the wheelchair was not in carriage D as it had to be located at the far end of the train."
