I booked a wheelchair and ramp for my mother-in-law when coming back from a wedding in Perth a couple or so years ago (we didn't realise we could do this on the journey up and she struggled badly getting on/off the trains). At the first station, all was great. Nice staff to greet us at the entrance and get her onto the train, via a ramp.
Next stop, guy turned up with wheelchair but no ramp, so had to try and get her off the train without one (this was what we were trying to avoid). Had a ramp ready to get her onto the next train - do they only have one ramp? This was in Edinburgh, btw, not a small country station!! (Also, I think the guy was trying for the wheelchair speed record! We had a lot of trouble keeping up with him!)
At Chesterfield, they had a ramp but no wheelchair!! It's not much easier getting off a train wakling down a ramp when you have balance problems than trying to get down the steps, and then she had to lean against a wall to wait for the wheelchair.
And yes, we had asked for both a ramp and wheelchair at all points of the journey!! I think part of the problem is that the system is reliant on station staff being available to do it, and sometimes the staff are busy, though the no wheelchair at the last station was down to bad communication (they weren't told we needed one).
Of course, it would be soooo much better if we could sort out the problem inherent in our train system and make the platforms fit the trains, so people can just wheel on/off themselves. Like in New York and, presumably, the rest of the US. But that would cost a lot of money to do, and who's going to pay for it?!
Next stop, guy turned up with wheelchair but no ramp, so had to try and get her off the train without one (this was what we were trying to avoid). Had a ramp ready to get her onto the next train - do they only have one ramp? This was in Edinburgh, btw, not a small country station!! (Also, I think the guy was trying for the wheelchair speed record! We had a lot of trouble keeping up with him!)
At Chesterfield, they had a ramp but no wheelchair!! It's not much easier getting off a train wakling down a ramp when you have balance problems than trying to get down the steps, and then she had to lean against a wall to wait for the wheelchair.
And yes, we had asked for both a ramp and wheelchair at all points of the journey!! I think part of the problem is that the system is reliant on station staff being available to do it, and sometimes the staff are busy, though the no wheelchair at the last station was down to bad communication (they weren't told we needed one).
Of course, it would be soooo much better if we could sort out the problem inherent in our train system and make the platforms fit the trains, so people can just wheel on/off themselves. Like in New York and, presumably, the rest of the US. But that would cost a lot of money to do, and who's going to pay for it?!
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