An independent view: Ann Bates

“Although this looks very glossy, a lot of the promises are five or even ten years old,” says seasoned disability campaigner Ann Bates, who has spent 30 years advising rail, bus and airline companies from the perspective of wheelchair users.

“What’s in the new Accessible Travel Policy was mostly in the Disabled People’s Protection

Policy before. This looks good, but it’s a PR show. A policy is only as good as what actually happens when you travel.

“The only new promise is the one about booking times. Bringing the time down to 12 hours or six hours isn’t much use to anyone. They have to build confidence and I’m not sure this is the best way to do it.

“Before the pandemic, every time they didn’t get me off at East Croydon because my booking failed, if it took more than five minutes to find a ramp, it could cost the railway £100,000. It messed up the timetable.

“It’s not about people being nice to me, it’s about running a railway efficiently. We should be part of that. They need a business case for anything to do with disability. What matters is turn-up-and-go travel - we need the same as everyone else.

“Obviously COVID will have an impact. But it could be positive. Rail has been struggling to get the largest number of people into the smallest space, and for that someone in a wheelchair is an impediment. Now there is more space.

“This is a start. I like it. But I want to see data on what is actually being achieved.”

“A policy is only as good as what actually happens when you travel.”