Liberté, Égalité, Accessibilité
Building new barriers is not the way forward
You can listen to the main articles in this newsletter (read by myself).
Hello everyone,
When I wrote this LinkedIn post two weeks ago, I thought this topic would be gone by the time my next newsletter edition was published. I was wrong. Eurostar still thinks it's a great idea to let customers transfer into a station wheelchair if they travel on their own and need assistance from station staff.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is a quick summary:
The Observer wrote in an article that wheelchair users who need to get pushed can't use their own wheelchairs at St Pancras station from now on when travelling with Eurostar. They have to transfer into a station-owned wheelchair because their staff isn't trained to push different kinds of wheelchairs.
Not in your own wheelchair
The article mentions that Eurostar has changed their website now, too. And really, the English Eurostar website states, "If you're travelling in your own wheelchair without a companion, for departures or arrivals at London St Pancras, we'll ask you to transfer to a station wheelchair if you request assistance at the station. Our team will ensure that your own wheelchair accompanies you to board or disembark the train. Once on board, you can transfer and travel in your own wheelchair."
I thought that text would have disappeared by now, but it's still there. Interestingly, it's only mentioned on the UK and US websites, not in other languages. The text was also changed several times.
Wheelchairs are unique
Here are some basic facts for understanding what that means for the customers: Wheelchair users often have wheelchairs that are made to measure to avoid pressure sores, give them stability, and make sitting more comfortable. They cost around £4000 because of that. Many wheelchairs are unique. These are not devices you leave behind or hope someone will bring them if you don't absolutely have to. So, asking people to move into a standard wheelchair is just—excuse my French—bonkers.
Also, this is a health and safety risk. Every transfer in and out of a wheelchair is a risk for the passenger, a far greater risk than pushing a wheelchair you don't know. Many disabled people can't transfer easily and can't sit in a random wheelchair. That's why they have their own.
The rail regulator steps in
After Eurostar kept stumm and didn't remove the text from its website, several disabled people contacted the rail regulator ORR or made Freedom of Information requests, asking what they intended to do. The ORR responded quickly.
They wrote to transport rights campaigner Doug Paulley:
"We were disappointed to learn of the recent experiences of wheelchair users travelling with Eurostar. Operators must deliver a service to disabled passengers that is consistent with their approved Accessible Travel Policy (ATP). Eurostar's approved ATP does not include reference to specific requirements for passengers who travel in their own manual wheelchair without a companion and who require assistance at St Pancras station. We have asked Eurostar to review its policy and to formally submit any proposed change to its ATP to ORR for consideration, together with its justification and evidence of how they have sought and considered feedback. We will consider any proposals in line with our standard approvals process."
The ATP is the licence requirement for every passenger train operator in the UK regarding accessibility. So, Eurostar has an ATP that doesn't match the information on its website. The ORR hasn't approved the procedure for moving disabled people out of their own wheelchairs—and my informed guess is that they never will.
So, what does this whole saga tell us?
Don't change policies that greatly affect disabled people without expert, lived-experience advice. It causes stress for the customers, and even those who are not affected are appalled. Because the message is quite clear: We don't respect the independence of our customers. We do everything that's easier for us and don't care what that means for our customers. That’s easily the worst message you can send to the world.
The lack of empathy is visible, not just for disabled people but for non-disabled people who read the Observer article or the 15,000 people who read my LinkedIn post. Would you consider such a company as inclusive and responsible even if it doesn't affect you? I don't think so.
Some interesting links
Do you remember the days when there were no laws on accessible air travel in Europe? I do, and it seems KM Malta Airlines is still living in those days. Not only do they ask for a medical form to be filled in by the GP when someone travels in a wheelchair, but they also charge for it. This is illegal under EU and UK regulation 1107/2006, and I hope the Maltese regulator stops this. Disabled customers are not a health and safety issue. This is such a 1995 approach.
A woman was asked to remove her breast prosthesis at Dublin Airport. This is clearly a matter of training but also a matter of recruitment. Why did no one offer her a pad down in a private room?
US airlines did better with mobility devices in 2023. I wish we had these statistics in the UK and the EU, too.
Something to read
A report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has found that some disabled passengers had very bad experiences when complaining to train operators. Others didn't know how to get compensation for failed assists.
Something to watch
The "I have some good news and some bad news" approach in customer experience at airports…
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Some final words
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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Who is writing this newsletter?
I’m Christiane Link, and I improve the customer experience in aviation, transport, and travel. I worked as a journalist for over two decades and travelled extensively for business and leisure. I’m a wheelchair user. If you want to read more from me, follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Bluesky or Mastodon. You can also reply to this email if you want to contact me.
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