From ‘general rudeness and condescension’ to leaving a sexual harassment victim stranded and another wheelchair user concussed, a litany of complaints has led to Wellington’s public transport provider promising to revamp its staff training.
Metlink has pledged to revamp its staff accessibility awareness training following numerous complaints from disabled passengers, including an allegation that a concussion was caused by improper wheelchair handling. A student disability advocate who had collated a collection of accessibility-related complaints said they were hearing new concerns about Metlink staff’s mistreatment of disabled commuters every week.
The Victoria University of Wellington Disabled Students Association (VUWDSA), which includes around 70 student members, sent a formal complaint to Metlink on March 28 including numerous alleged incidents. The complaint, seen by The Spinoff, details concerns wheelchair users were being moved without consent, refusal to lower wheelchair ramps for passenger use, and “general rudeness and condescension” from Metlink staff towards disabled students.
In one complaint, a student alleged they had been sexually harassed by a fellow passenger on a bus. When the student attempted to exit the bus, the passenger took hold of their wheelchair and told the driver the two were travelling together. Despite the student reiterating they were not travelling together and asking for the driver to lower the wheelchair ramp, the driver refused, and the student was left stranded.
A separate incident on the 22 bus in mid-March allegedly saw a student receive a concussion after their wheelchair was “manhandled” by a driver without their consent. Despite objections from the student, the driver pushed the wheelchair backwards down the bus ramp with the weight of the wheelchair unevenly distributed, causing the student to fall backwards and hit their head on a concrete curb.
Issues with the 22 bus from Johnsonville to Wellington central, which includes a stop at Victoria University, were the most commonly cited in VUWDSA’s letter. “I’ve had multiple instances of train staff and bus drivers not putting down the ramp for me to get off. This is dangerous,” another commuter wrote. “I’ve made complaints on several occasions highlighting the issues above but have noticed no change.”
A different complaint criticised a 22 bus driver for failing to properly align their wheelchair ramp with a curb, meaning a wheelchair user had struggled to create enough momentum to use the ramp and eventually had their chair lifted onto the bus by another passenger. “This was embarrassing and an undignified experience,” they wrote. “There should be protocols and systems in place to still support disabled passengers to get on the bus in a safe and dignified matter.”
In a statement, group manager Samantha Gain told The Spinoff that Metlink was currently in the process of selecting a specialist provider to deliver a new accessibility awareness training programme. Metlink said the provider would be selected by a panel comprising mostly disabled members.
“Our vision is for a public transport network that is ‘accessible for all with ease and dignity’, and we recognise that these passengers have not had this experience,” Gain said.
“Metlink treats complaints such as this very seriously. We are aware that some of our passengers with disabilities have reported negative experiences, and we respond to each person individually.”
In August 2023, Metlink published its latest accessibility action plan, informed by discussions with more than 40 members of the disabled community, with goals such as station accessibility improvements and increased in-person support. Metlink said the VUWDSA had been invited to be a part of the advisory group that oversaw the action plan in 2023, and would still welcome their recommendations.
Hope Cotton, head of the VUWDSA, told The Spinoff her association had been planning to pen a formal complaint to Metlink for months, but each week they had sat down to write it, more students would come forward with concerns.
She agreed that the best approach for Metlink to address concerns from the disabled community would be to implement further staff training, with disabled people at the forefront of this. “In general, the main things we want to see are that we’re let onto the buses and that they don’t drive past, they’re lowering the ramp, lowering the level of the bus, and not taking off until wheelchairs are parked or cane users are seated,” Cotton said. “It’s just listening to wheelchair users and disabled people when they say what they want, and not assuming that they know best.”
Cotton said that while she understands some commuters are well-intentioned in trying to help those in wheelchairs on public transport, wheelchair users are already well aware of how to take care of themselves. “A wheelchair is an extension of a wheelchair user’s body,” Cotton said. “Regardless of whether or not you think it’s helpful, if you see someone struggling, are you going to physically lift them up and throw them off the bus if they’re a person who doesn’t use a wheelchair?
“A lot of the frustration from wheelchair users has been that they know their own bodies and wheelchairs, and they know how to move in a way that is safe and accessible to them … when they’re manhandled, it is undignifying and unsafe.”
Earlier last month, the UK government’s transport select committee released a report describing a “substantial gap” between the rights of the disabled community and their experience on public transport. The survey found that 67% of disabled respondents encountered problems with public transport “always” or “most of the time”, while only 1.7% said they had never experienced problems with public transport.
MP Ruth Cadbury, who heads the committee, said the lack of accessibility for disabled passengers on public transport in the UK was a “national embarrassment”.
