Unlawful denial (buggy)

Dear TfL Customer Services,

I am writing to make a formal accessibility complaint after I was denied boarding because a buggy was occupying the wheelchair space and the driver failed to take the required steps to try to make that space available before refusing me.

Route: [route number]
Date: [date]
Time: [time]
Location: [stop name and/or stop code]

I was waiting at the stop in my wheelchair and clearly indicated that I wished to board by putting out my arm.

[Describe exactly what happened, for example: The driver told me that I could not board because there was a buggy in the wheelchair space. They did not ask the buggy user to share the space/move/fold the buggy, did not use any pre-recorded announcement asking passengers to make the wheelchair space available, or make any other attempt to facilitate my boarding.]

I was therefore left behind solely because the wheelchair space was being used by a buggy.

I am concerned that this was contrary to the operator's obligations towards disabled passengers and amounted to a failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.

The Supreme Court's decision in FirstGroup Plc v Paulley [2017] UKSC 4 established that a policy under which a driver merely requests that a non-wheelchair user vacate the wheelchair space and does nothing further can be insufficient. Where a wheelchair user requires the space, the driver may be required to take further reasonable steps where it is appropriate to do so. The wheelchair space is intended to give priority to wheelchair users; it should not simply operate on a first-come, first-served basis whenever a buggy happens to be occupying it.

In my case, [the driver did not even ask the buggy user to move / the driver asked once but took no further steps after the passenger declined / other relevant detail]. I therefore do not believe reasonable steps were taken before I was denied access to the service.

Being left at a bus stop because another passenger was using the space I require as a wheelchair user caused me [delay/distress/humiliation/pain/fatigue/missed appointment/additional travel costs/other consequences].

Please investigate this incident and specifically confirm:

• whether the driver followed the operator's procedure for a wheelchair user wishing to board when the wheelchair space is occupied by a buggy;
• what steps the driver was expected to take in these circumstances;
• whether you accept that the steps actually taken were sufficient;
• what action will be taken as a result of this incident; and
• what measures are in place to prevent wheelchair users being denied boarding in the same circumstances.

Please also preserve all relevant evidence immediately, including CCTV from the vehicle, vehicle location/iBus or equivalent data, driver records, controller communications and any other records relating to this journey. I am making this request promptly so that relevant footage is not overwritten before the complaint is investigated.

I would also ask that this incident is investigated as part of a systemic accessibility issue affecting wheelchair users across the bus network, rather than treated solely as an isolated driver failure. I have previously experienced similar incidents on [insert dates/routes], including complaint reference(s) [insert references]. I am also aware of other wheelchair users documenting the same problem. For example, Isabel Canto (@AccessAllArias on Instagram) has reported 11 alleged unlawful denials of boarding to TfL in the last three months alone. The repeated nature of these incidents across different routes and drivers raises serious concerns about whether the required wheelchair-space procedure is being consistently understood and followed across the network.

Kind regards,
[Name]

Driver didn't clear the wheelchair space

Dear TfL Customer Services,

I am writing to make a formal accessibility complaint after a bus driver failed to take the required steps to make the wheelchair priority space available to me, leaving me to advocate directly with other passengers myself.

Route: [route number]
Date: [date]
Time: [time]
Location: [stop name and/or stop code]

When the bus arrived, [passengers/a buggy/luggage] were occupying the wheelchair priority space. However, the driver did not use the pre-recorded announcement asking passengers to make space, make their own announcement, or otherwise ask the passengers occupying the area to move. Instead, I was left to ask the passengers myself in order to access the only part of the bus where I can safely travel.

Failure to follow TfL procedure

This appears to directly contradict the procedure set out in TfL’s Big Red Book. TfL’s current published guidance states that wheelchair users must be given access to the wheelchair priority area even when it is occupied, and that drivers must ask other passengers to make space using the pre-recorded announcement or their own PA announcement. TfL has also confirmed that drivers are required to ask passengers to move, fold a buggy or share the space, including asking more than once where necessary.

The responsibility for carrying out this procedure therefore lies with the driver, not with the wheelchair user.

Wheelchair users should not be required to self-advocate with other passengers

Requiring wheelchair users to negotiate directly with strangers creates an additional accessibility barrier and is not something every wheelchair user will be able to do. Some disabled passengers may have communication impairments, anxiety, speech difficulties or other access needs that make confronting another passenger difficult or impossible.

It can also expose wheelchair users to hostility and confrontation. There are increasing documented examples of this happening. Wheelchair user and transport campaigner Katie Pennick publicly documented an incident in which she was shouted at by a member of the public after asking them to make room for her in the wheelchair space. Another user has several videos showing passengers getting abusive after the driver failed to take control of the situation and ask buggy users to share the space/fold.

Disabled passengers should not have to risk confrontation in order to access a space that TfL’s own procedure requires the driver to help make available.

Wider systemic concern

I would also ask that this incident is investigated as part of a systemic accessibility issue affecting wheelchair users across the bus network, rather than treated solely as an isolated driver failure.

I have previously experienced drivers failing to follow the wheelchair-space procedure on [insert previous incidents], including complaint reference(s) [insert references].

I am also aware of other wheelchair users documenting the same problem. For example, disability campaigner Isabel Canto (@AccessAllArias on Instagram) has reported repeated incidents involving drivers failing to make wheelchair spaces available. The recurrence of the same failure across different routes, drivers and operators raises concerns about whether the Big Red Book procedure is being consistently understood, trained and enforced across the network.

Please investigate this incident and confirm:

• whether the driver used either of the required announcements;
• whether the driver otherwise asked the passengers occupying the wheelchair space to move or share;
• whether you accept that leaving the wheelchair user to negotiate with passengers themselves is contrary to the expected procedure;
• what action will be taken in relation to this driver; and
• what action TfL is taking to address this repeated issue across the network.

Please also preserve all relevant CCTV, iBus data, driver records and any other evidence relating to this journey while the complaint is investigated.

Kind regards,

[Name]

Broken ramp

Dear TfL Customer Services,

I am writing to make a formal accessibility complaint after a bus arrived at my stop with a wheelchair ramp that the driver told me was broken.

Route: [route number]
Date: [date]
Time: [time]
Location: [stop name and/or stop code]

I was waiting to board in my wheelchair when the bus pulled in. The driver informed me that the ramp was broken and I was therefore unable to board.

I recognise that the mere fact a ramp is broken does not necessarily mean there has been wrongdoing. Mechanical faults can occur unexpectedly, and if the ramp had only just failed, had been promptly reported and the vehicle was being dealt with appropriately, that would be materially different from a bus knowingly remaining in passenger service with a pre-existing accessibility defect. I would therefore like this incident investigated so I can understand the circumstances.

Please confirm:

• when the ramp fault first occurred or was identified;
• whether it had been present when the driver signed on or began the journey;
• when and by whom the defect was reported;
• what defect or engineering records exist for this vehicle and ramp;
• whether the driver or operator had been instructed that the bus could remain in passenger service despite the broken ramp;
• whether the vehicle was subsequently taken out of service, and if so, when;
• what repair or inspection was carried out; and
• what procedure applies when a wheelchair ramp becomes unusable while a bus is in service.

Please also preserve all relevant evidence, including vehicle defect reports, engineering and maintenance records, driver defect reporting records, controller communications, iBus/vehicle data and any other records relating to the ramp fault and the decision for the bus to remain in service.

I am particularly concerned because a broken ramp makes the bus completely inaccessible to many wheelchair users. I would therefore appreciate a substantive response explaining not simply that the ramp was defective, but when the defect became known and what action was taken once it was identified.

Kind regards,

[Name]

Seen concerning social media post

Dear TfL Customer Services,

I am writing as someone who has repeatedly seen videos on social media showing wheelchair users experiencing serious accessibility failures on London buses. The most recent video shows [detail content and include a downloaded copy of it].

I appreciate that I was not personally involved in these incidents, and I recognise that because of GDPR and the privacy of the passengers concerned, you may not be able to tell me the outcome of any individual investigation.

However, I still want to raise how distressing it is to see the same kinds of incidents appearing again and again: wheelchair users being denied boarding, drivers failing to make the wheelchair space available, unsafe boarding experiences, broken or unusable ramps, and disabled passengers being left to argue for access themselves.

At this point, it is difficult to believe that this can reasonably be explained as simply a handful of individual drivers getting things wrong.

The fact that wheelchair users are independently documenting very similar experiences across different routes and operators strongly suggests that there are wider issues with training, procedures, enforcement, oversight or how accessibility standards are being implemented in practice.

I would therefore like reassurance about what systems-level action TfL is taking in response to these recurring reports.

In particular, please could you explain:

• how TfL identifies patterns across accessibility complaints rather than treating each incident in isolation;
• what happens when the same type of failure is reported across different routes and operators;
• whether driver training, procedures and guidance are being reviewed in light of these reports;
• what monitoring or enforcement takes place where operators repeatedly fail to deliver accessible service; and
• what TfL is doing to involve wheelchair users directly in improving these systems.

I am not asking for personal information about any individual complainant or driver. I am asking what TfL is doing at a network level when members of the public can repeatedly see evidence of wheelchair users being disadvantaged while trying to use London buses.

Disabled passengers should not have to keep filming discrimination before systemic action is taken.

I would appreciate a substantive response explaining what wider changes TfL is making, rather than reassurance that individual incidents have been passed to the relevant operators.

Kind regards,

[Name]