Disabled Passenger Publicly Humiliated By GWR Train Guard Over Tannoy System

Tanyalee Davis and her partner Kevin Bolden were travelling from Plymouth to Norwich on a Great Western Railway (GWR) service on Sunday 15th July 2018.
The train guard made her move so that a woman could put her pram in the wheelchair area. The guard then went on to publicly announce over the train tannoy: “We're going to be stopping in Taunton indefinitely because the woman in the mobility scooter is causing problems."
Tanyalee was reduced to tears after the experience and it highlights the problems disabled travellers have when travelling by train.
Ms Davis has dwafism and relies on her specially modified mobility scooter to get around as she cannot walk long distances.
She added: “I'm just trying to make a living and get around the country.
Tanyalee said “When he announced it, it was so embarrassing. I had to sit there for the next two hours crying.
“He threatened to call the police and have us arrested because we were videotaping him.”
Great Western Railway (GWR) said the incident “should not have happened” and has apologised to Ms Davis.
“GWR wants to apologise but that's not the point here - there's a bigger picture about whether or not to classify mobility scooters as the same as wheelchairs,” she said.
“An apology is not enough - it's fine to say 'sorry it shouldn't have happened' - but I have now been hearing other people's stories saying they had a very similar situation in a mobility scooter or a blind person.
“It's not just about GWR, it's transport in general across the UK and for me personally getting some sort of change in classification with mobility scooters and not trying to make us seem like we're not disabled.”
She said that, despite arranging for assistance at stations, there is often no staff to help and she is left “at the mercy of other people”.
“I want to get the word out there and talk to more people who can facilitate some change,” she added.
A Great Western Railway spokesman said “no one travelling with us should be left feeling like this” and added: “This should not have happened, and we have been in touch with Tanyalee to apologise directly".
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[@elliottthomas6481]

A wheelchair space has PRIORITY BY LAW for passengers with wheelchairs

[@clairemcheskin]

I am very glad you posted this, people dont believe we get treated like this

[@vladcopeti1357]

There are many disabled people on the Isle of Wight who use the island line trains and they don't have a disabled are but we don't hear them moaning.

[@mrnikita7502]

Ikr im from the iow

[@jamesscott7933]

I am not certain on this but this i presume is a class 43 (HST) AND the guard could have even got the lady to get her stuff out the buggy and put it in the cycle carriage in the DVT

[@edinburghtransport7604]

You do not have a DVT on an HST set, so I persume you meant the powercar? It was most likely booked out.

[@ictalex.6972]

@@edinburghtransport7604 You have coach A which would be lots of room.

[@frazlesc6937]

You have your rights. You should have stayed on the train until the Police had come and reported him.

[@mrnikita7502]

I can see where the guards coming

[@NSE465]

GWR? That's by First group. Wht doesn't chiltern buy all companies

[@LP_LP_LP_LP]

chiltern is owned by Arriva

[@hellodoors]

You should of just left the train or do what the guard said for you to do, not just REFUSE to do somthing. Old people these days...

[@warlord1usw]

You should have not moved until police turned up.

[@dereksmallsuk]

Yeah.... Like that would help.
Ya fuckin tit

[@dereksmallsuk]

Little pest. You're not in a wheelchair, so you can't use a wheelchair area you haven't reserved in advance. Even if you did reserve the wheelchair area in advance, you still couldn't use it as you still aren't in an actual wheelchair.
The Train Guard was trying to help as best as he could.

[@fluffysamuraicrusader7957]

pretty sure mobility scooter trumps buggy anyday,

[@LordEverythingtrains]

Also just because she might have been in the wrong, its not ok to humiliate her jnfront of a HST full of people

[@FannyLerouxTime]

I'm glad you posted this, I agree, a mobility scooter isn't a wheel chair. They could have just easily folded it down.

[@LordEverythingtrains]

@@FannyLerouxTime yes but it's not excuse for the guard to humiliate her in front of a HST full of people

[@FannyLerouxTime]

@@LordEverythingtrains it's no excuse for her not complying with a simple request. Staff are told to tell customers the truth.