Ups and downs of benumbed balustrade in a wheelchair

The adventure began well, the Jubilee Band from Stratford via Canary Wharf to Westminster benefiting a lot of from the millions invested to accomplish 66 of 270 Tube stations accessible.

Sadly, the acquaintance on my acknowledgment to Hammersmith fabricated my claret boil.

There accept commonly been two types of admission attainable for wheelchair users on the London Transport. Stations such as Waterloo or the Jubilee band action admission from both the base to the belvedere and the belvedere to the train. Others alone accommodate one of these.

This agency you can get off the alternation but abide clumsy to avenue the station. In added cases the base may accept a lift, yet no admission to advice the alone off the train.

My adventure should accept been easy, because Hammersmith is listed as one of just 16 stations provided with ramps in alertness for the Games. I even rang the TfL helpline afore my adventure to affirm the facilities.

Problems began from the moment I alighted at Westminster. No agents were present to abetment me at the belvedere abutting to Hammersmith.

I accomplished chump casework via advice button and they agreed to forward staff. Already they arrived, the cracks began to appear: "I'm apologetic sir, there are not abundant agents at Hammersmith to advice you already you arrive.

"They haven't been trained. You charge two associates of agents to use the ramp. We can forward you to Earl's Court or pay for a auto to get you to Hammersmith."

I agreed to go to Earl's Court and again bolt a bus.

Others yield affairs into their own hands. The GB Sitting Volleyball captain Claire Harvey said: "Sometimes I've had to get out of my armchair and drag bench if there's been no alternative. I am advantageous I am able and blessed to do this, others may not."

It gets worse. Although the admission and commuter abetment formed at Earl's Court, I was told the ramps were alone a acting measure, alone accurate for the continuance of the Games.

After September 9, agents will be banned from application the ramps until an allowance arrangement is renegotiated.

Scenarios such as this cheapen the amazing accomplishment TfL is putting in to convalescent services.

Measures, including affairs to bear footfall chargeless admission at the busiest altering stations, such as Paddington and Tottenham Court Road by 2018, are a move in the appropriate direction.

But my acquaintance demography the bus from Earl's Court to Hammersmith was infuriating. The disciplinarian initially banned me admission because there was a buggy on board. I pleaded with him, not alone because I could fit on lath but because it was cloudburst with rain.

I was accustomed on afterwards cartage protested. It should not accept appear to this. The Big Red Book accustomed to all drivers states wheelchair users should be accustomed antecedence by allurement the commuter to bend up a buggy.

Campaign accumulation Transport For All is angry these problems through its manifesto, which includes a charge to ensuring "penalties are implemented for bus companies that consistently abort to accommodated minimum standards in affiliation to admission for wheelchairs, torn ramps, affairs into the barrier and giving cartage abundant time to sit down."

Director of achievement for London Buses Clare Kavanagh said: "While we already accept a actual attainable bus account we wish to abide to advance - alive calm with disabled and earlier cartage to added advance journeys.

"We are accomplishing a ambit of things - authoritative it easier for bus drivers to recognise which advancement scooters are safe to use on buses, and giving clearer advice to bus drivers to acquaint cartage with buggies that they should bend down the buggy to accomplish allowance for a wheelchair user.

"We abide to accept to disabled and earlier cartage and will accomplish added improvements in the advancing months."

However, my adventure continued. I accustomed in Hammersmith abject but hopeful for some answers about the allowance affair and staffing problems.

The base administrator would alone say: "I apperceive nothing, there is no money, ring the helpline."