Shifnal Wheelchair User Is Desperate For Improved Services For Disabled People Using West Midlands Trains
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00:00I'm Kirsty, I live in Schiffnall, it's just around the corner from here, so I'm a new power chair
00:06user. I started using it in August just for my many health conditions, I'm sort of bed bound
00:12otherwise six days a week, so I force myself to get out once a week and that obviously puts me
00:17back in bed, so I am a new power chair user and new to public transport, I had to give up driving,
00:22so I get the train from Schiffnall either to Birmingham or I go to Shrewsbury. Platform 2
00:29on Schiffnall is inaccessible, so with West Midlands trains you have to book via a passenger
00:35assist app, which is fine, that's all smooth, it's just sometimes it's not confirmed or
00:41obviously I can't get off at Schiffnall coming from Birmingham, so I have to get, they have to
00:46book a taxi for me at an accessible platform and there's just been unfortunately the last
00:53six, seven journeys there's been one problem after another getting me on the train, the first
00:59time I ever started doing this I got left at Codsall which is the nearest accessible platform
01:03from Birmingham from here and I was left in the rain for two and a half hours because apparently
01:09the taxi was booked and it wasn't, so that's the first incident. The second incident I
01:18got moaned at by the staff because I wasn't on the booking but I've used Avanti and Transport
01:25for Wales and they've assured me and showed me that I am on this passenger assist app,
01:30yet West Midlands trains are saying that they haven't got it, haven't got my booking.
01:35As an able passenger with Transport for Wales I've had troubles but with them they saved my
01:40wheelchair space and got me straight on and Avanti recently they even showed me the whole journey
01:47even starting from West Midlands trains so I had no problems with those it's just West Midlands
01:53trains and this this unaccessible platform and I got left on the platform last time as well
01:5845 minutes at Codsall again. On another recent trip using West Midlands trains we were expecting
02:06a taxi again wasn't there waiting for us and we got told that well the normal thing for
02:12Chiffnall people or using the trains from Chiffnall is to go all the way to Telford up
02:18over the bridge wait another 20 minutes and then come home to Chiffnall. I don't understand why I
02:25have to have another 20-30 minute journey added on yet an able person can get off straight away
02:31that's not fair. Saying they should have access to this booking system because I've another
02:36instance I've been waving on the platform making sure I get on the train because they're just not
02:40looking for me. They're saying a taxi should be booked or they should be waiting for you or
02:48I shouldn't need to chase it because they'll book it overnight but I've done that and they still
02:54don't book the taxi so I'm still having to chase. There seems to be a customer service issue
03:00the conductors and the the people on the train that help you get on the trains are saying one
03:04thing they're like no we haven't got you booking but then we're speaking to West Midlands trains
03:09directly and they're saying well no they definitely have everyone's got access to this app
03:14and it seems to be a lot of cross wires and I don't understand after the four or five complaints
03:21we've made and we said fed back these same issues are happening time and time again
03:27they're still not they're still not communicating. So I have offered to do feedbacks for West
03:32Midlands trains when this first started and I started being a new disabled person on
03:38using their trains from Schiffnall and they're not you know they're not taking me up on that
03:45offer I've even offered for them to do a journey with me. I'm just trying to do as much as I can
03:50to just try and make awareness for just help everyone else I don't want anyone else to go
03:54through this it's awful. I thought I'd be invisible as a wheelchair user in fact I was quite anxious
03:59about that. Members of the public that actually use the trains that have assisted me has been
04:05outstanding and I just want to thank everyone for that really because it's really reassured me.
04:11I'm going to keep pushing I have approached an Olympian that's pushing this as well
04:17I've sent her an email she's been in the papers recently obviously I haven't heard back yet but
04:24I'm just going to keep trying to make her awareness try and push this for disabled passengers as best
04:29as we can because this is not acceptable. Seeing just how difficult and how emotionally it drains
04:35me never mind anyone else.