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Andrew Lisicki: ‘This is about personal dignity’ |
Passenger’s fury as bus driver bans wheelchair
IT had been a glorious day trip to Paris on the new Eurostar for Andrew Lisicki, a graphic designer from Kentish Town.
Everything had gone smoothly until he returned home and tried to board the 214 bus for the short journey from St Pancras to Kentish Town Road – but was told his battery-operated wheelchair was not allowed on. Mr Lisicki, 61, said: “We’d had a great day out. The 214 rolled up with about three people on it. I asked the driver to put the ramp out and he refused. He told me he was not allowed to take a battery-operated wheelchair on board.
“He was unpleasant. He was not even trying to help. He just point blank refused to listen.”
Mr Lisicki waited 10 minutes for the next bus, which took his wheelchair. Now he is calling on bus firm Metroline to look at the way it trains drivers.
“Metroline are failing in their duty to provide access,” he said. “This is about personal dignity.
“I was made to feel I was the cause of other people’s discomfort as they had to watch me argue with the driver, and that I was holding up other people’s journeys. This was simply me being discriminated against because of my position.”
Mr Lisicki has complained to Transport for London.
A Metroline spokesman said it was looking into Mr Lisicki’s complaint.
“Unless there was a particular problem with the size of the wheelchair, it should have been accepted for travel,” he added. |
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