Disabled Passenger Forced to Crawl Off Train After Ramp Failure
Great Western Railway apologizes after a wheelchair user was left stranded and had to crawl off a train due to a lack of accessible assistance.
A 24-year-old wheelchair user was left in tears after being forced to crawl on her hands and knees to exit a Great Western Railway (GWR) train when staff failed to provide a ramp and assistance as promised.
Phoebe Tesoriere, who has hereditary spastic paraplegia, was traveling with her parents from London Paddington to Bath Spa in December 2025 when the incident occurred. Despite assurances from the assistance desk that a ramp and personnel would be waiting at Bath Spa, Tesoriere was directed to a carriage that stopped beyond the platform, rendering the ramp unusable.
When the train arrived at Bath Spa, Tesoriere and her parents were informed that the carriage was positioned too far from the platform. Staff then suggested she disembark at Bristol Temple Meads, a 15-20 minute journey further, and purchase another ticket back to Bath. This was not feasible as her grandparents were waiting to pick her up.
According to Tesoriere, staff advised her to attempt to maneuver her wheelchair through the train aisle, which was too narrow. She then crawled through three carriages, an experience she described as humiliating. "I was crying. People were staring," she said, adding that one passenger offered comfort and apologized for the situation. Her mother, Kirstin Tesoriere, called the experience "traumatic" and described feeling "helpless."
After managing to get back into her wheelchair with her parents' help, they disembarked using a ramp, but no staff were present to assist them. Tesoriere lodged a formal complaint with GWR on the day of the incident, but the investigation was not concluded until May. In its response, GWR admitted the experience was "extremely poor" and that they had "failed" Tesoriere at multiple points.
GWR stated they have made improvements to their passenger assistance procedures at London Paddington to prevent similar incidents. A spokesperson said, "Ms Tesoriere should have been able to travel with confidence and dignity and we let her down... We have apologised to her personally and have made improvements... so no-one else goes through this."
Tesoriere has yet to receive compensation, despite providing her bank details as requested. She reported that GWR has "ignored every email" she has sent since June, nearly nine months after her initial complaint. "No disabled passenger should ever have to crawl," she stated.
Kirstin Tesoriere expressed that while she understands mistakes were made, her daughter has been treated "inexcusably" since the incident. The family has not used public transport since the event, and Phoebe Tesoriere stated, "People believe everything is accessible these days, but it really isn't."
GWR confirmed they are "doing everything we can to complete the final steps" regarding Tesoriere's compensation as quickly as possible.