Ray, Warrnambool

Ray from Warnambool: “In my area, it’s almost impossible to use the V/Line train in a wheelchair. Even when booking weeks ahead I can get to the railway station and find there is no accessible carriage. Sometimes I can do the first part of a return trip only to find there is no carriage to get home. This isn’t rare – it happens on a very high proportion of trips. In theory there is always a taxi provided when a journey goes wrong, but accessible taxis take a lot of time to organise and have drawbacks on long journeys, like no toilet. For me there is a lot of worry and uncertainty around going anywhere. It’s 2020! Why are people with disabilities on the Warrnambool, Shepparton and Bairnsdale lines stuck in a #LifelongLockdown we fought to end last century?”