One in four disabled rail passengers has suffered a hate crime or abuse, poll reveals

date: 22 April 2013

embargo: 00:01 hours Wednesday 24 April 2013

One in four disabled rail passengers has suffered a hate crime or abuse, according to new research published today (Wednesday) by the TUC's Action for Rail campaign.

The poll - of 1,031 disabled people - reveals that over a quarter (27 per cent) of disabled rail users have been targeted while at stations or on trains, with over two-fifths of wheelchair users (43 per cent) and travellers with visual impairments (41 per cent) reporting abuses.

The survey, by pollsters Survation, comes as train operating companies prepare to embark upon a major programme of cuts that Action for Rail fears could see the loss of 7,000 train guards and 7,000 station staff over the next six years.

These plans are deeply unpopular with disabled rail users, the poll reveals. Four-fifths (81 per cent) say reducing staff numbers will make train travel more difficult for them, with one in three (34 per cent) warning the cuts will deter them from making journeys, and in some cases make rail travel impossible.

Action for Rail says the findings show why the government should rethink its plans for the railways, which give train companies until 2019 to reduce staffing costs by £200million and close ticket offices at 650 stations.

If the cuts go ahead Action for Rail is concerned that over seven in ten (73 per cent) of the UK's stations could become unstaffed by the end of the decade, and that all trains would lose their guards.

Action for Rail says the cuts make a mockery of the government's commitment to making the railways more accessible to disabled and elderly people and would put the safety of all commuters at risk.

The poll shows that disabled rail users rank safety and security as the most important service that railway staff provide.

Disabled campaigners will today meet MPs in parliament at 1.30pm to raise their concerns about the cuts and will hold protests against the proposals at 4.30pm outside London's Kings Cross Station.

TUC General Secretary and chair of the Action for Rail campaign Frances O'Grady said: 'These findings are disturbing and show why the government must rethink its plans for the railways. Giving train companies the green light to slash staffing on trains and stations will increase the risk of passengers being verbally and physically abused and will lead to a worse service for everyone.

'No-one deserves to travel in fear or to be left without vital assistance, and these plans make a mockery of the government's commitment to make the railways more accessible to disabled and elderly passengers. Ministers cannot achieve this target if after the cuts we end up with ghost trains and stations.'

Linda Burnip from Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) said: 'These alarming figures back up what we already know - abuse and hate crime is a growing threat faced by many disabled people. We need extra not fewer staff if we want to tackle this problem and this is yet another regressive step being proposed by this government.'

Director of Transport for All Faryal Velmi said: 'Trained and visible rail staff are essential for us to be able to travel confidently. We urge the government to rethink plans to reduce staff numbers, and ensure that disabled and older passengers can use trains with the same freedom and independence as everyone else.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from Survation. Total sample size was 1,031 disabled adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between Monday April 8 and Friday April 12 2013. The survey was carried out online.

- A copy of the research can be found at: http://survation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Action-for-Rail-Full-Report.pdf

- The government has asked train companies to implement the recommendations of Sir Roy McNulty's Rail Value for Money report which, if enacted, could lead to over 20,000 jobs being put at risk. Action for Rail says 7,000 guards, 5,000 station staff, 2,000 ticket office personnel and 6,000 maintenance and signalling employees could be made redundant by 2019.

- Action for Rail is a campaign involving the TUC and its affiliated unions with members working on the railways - ASLEF, RMT, TSSA and Unite. Its aim is to work with passenger groups, rail campaigners and environmentalists to campaign against cuts to rail services and staffing and to promote the case for integrated, national rail under public ownership. For more information please visit www.actionforrail.org

- More information on DPAC can be found at: http://dpac.uk.net/

- Transport for All represents London's older and disabled transport users: http://www.transportforall.org.uk/

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk