A WHEELCHAIR user has laid bare the harsh reality of travelling on Britain’s public transport system after a “simple” journey to central London turned into a gruelling test of endurance.

Chris, from Wiltshire, has a spinal cord injury and recently took part in the Spinal Injuries Association’s (SIA) Travel With Confidence campaign challenge, funded by the Motability Foundation.

Along with five other people from across the UK, he was tasked with planning and completing a journey to Trafalgar Square within 48 hours, using at least two forms of public transport.

For many passengers, such a trip would barely warrant a second thought.

For Chris, it required weeks’ worth of planning compressed into two days, careful route mapping and constant contingency thinking, and even then, barriers appeared at every stage.

Despite travelling to one of London’s busiest tourist areas, Chris discovered that nearby Tube stations including Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square offered no step-free access.

On trains, the designated accessible carriage was positioned at the very end of the platform, forcing him to travel the furthest possible distance.

The most serious failure came on the return journey, when a taxi ramp was too small to accommodate his wheelchair, leaving him unable to use the service at all.

As a result, his journey took three hours and 30 minutes each way – 45 minutes longer per leg than for non-disabled travellers.

Chris completed the challenge using trains and buses and rated several elements highly, including booking and staff assistance.

But one weak link, taxi access, scored just 2/10 and nearly caused him to miss his train home.

Across the challenge, five of the six participants faced barriers that stopped them completing their journeys.

One person in rural Mid Wales could not even leave home due to inaccessible pavements and stations.

Reflecting on his experience, Chris said: “Better taxi access would make the biggest difference. I would recommend the route to other wheelchair users, but you still have to plan everything in advance, which shouldn’t be the case for public transport.”

The findings underline a wider national issue as around 105,000 people in the UK live with spinal cord injuries, and 7.5 million have mobility impairments.

SIA describes the current system as an “accessibility lottery”, where a single failure can strip disabled people of independence, dignity and safety.