Wheelchair User Forced to Crawl Off Train After GWR Accessibility Failure

A 24-year-old wheelchair user was reduced to tears after being forced to crawl on her hands and knees through multiple train carriages when staff told her a ramp could not be deployed to help her disembark, the BBC has learned.

Phoebe Tesoriere, who lived in Caerphilly at the time of the incident but now resides in Bath, was travelling on a Great Western Railway service from London Paddington to Bath Spa in December 2025 when the ordeal unfolded. What should have been a straightforward return journey following a concert trip with her parents descended into what her family describe as a traumatic and humiliating experience that has left them avoiding public transport altogether.

Tesoriere, a former Cardiff University student, lives with hereditary spastic paraplegia, a genetic condition that causes progressive weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles. The condition affects her mobility and means she relies on a wheelchair for longer journeys. According to medical information, the condition typically worsens over time, making accessible transport provision increasingly critical for those diagnosed.

The problems began even before boarding, according to Tesoriere's account. Her mother Kirstin specifically enquired with the assistance desk whether a ramp and staff support would be available when they arrived at Bath Spa station. The family say they received assurances that everything would be in place. Staff members reportedly checked which station Tesoriere would be disembarking at on multiple occasions throughout the journey, yet the critical information about her carriage's position relative to the platform was never communicated to her.

When the train arrived at Bath Spa, Tesoriere discovered that the carriage she had been directed to—the only designated wheelchair space on the service—had stopped beyond the platform's usable area. This positioning meant that a ramp could not be safely deployed, effectively trapping her on board. Rather than receiving the assistance she had been promised, she was instructed to remain on the train and continue to Bristol Temple Meads, an additional 15 to 20-minute journey, before purchasing a new ticket back to Bath Spa.

The suggestion was impractical for the family. Tesoriere's grandparents were waiting at Bath Spa station to collect them and drive her back to Caerphilly, where she was living at the time. The delay and additional journey would have left them stranded with no means of completing their onward travel.

In a desperate attempt to resolve the situation, staff suggested Tesoriere try to manoeuvre her wheelchair through the train's aisle. When it became clear the chair would not fit, she was left with no option but to physically crawl through three carriages to reach a point where she could exit the train. The image of a young woman dragging herself along the floor of a public train while fellow passengers looked on has become a defining moment in her campaign for better accessibility.

"I was crying. People were staring," Tesoriere recalled. The distress was compounded by the reaction of strangers. One passenger reached down to stroke her back and apologised, telling her that what was happening was unacceptable. While the gesture was intended as comfort, Tesoriere said it made her feel "like a dog"—a dehumanising experience that stripped her of dignity in a public setting.

Her mother, Kirstin Tesoriere, described watching the incident as "traumatic" and said it left her feeling completely helpless. The memory continues to haunt her. "When I close my eyes I can still see it, the pity on other passengers' faces," she said. "It was humiliating for her." The family's distress was amplified by the fact that this was meant to be a celebratory trip—Phoebe had bought tickets to a London concert as a Christmas gift for her parents before her diagnosis, wanting to create happy memories together.

Eventually, Tesoriere's parents physically lifted her back into her wheelchair so she could exit the train using the ramp. Despite assurances that assistance would be waiting, no staff members were present to help with this final stage of the journey. The family was left to manage the situation entirely on their own, further undermining their trust in the support systems that are supposed to protect disabled passengers.

Reflecting on the broader implications of her experience, Tesoriere said there is a widespread misconception that accessibility issues have been largely resolved. "It's ridiculous that disabled passengers are still expected to go through this," she said, adding that people believe "everything is accessible these days, but it really isn't." Her condition is degenerative, meaning her mobility needs will only increase over time—making the failures she encountered all the more concerning for her future independence.

The emotional aftermath has been severe for the entire family. Kirstin Tesoriere said she simply wanted to "make lovely memories" with her daughter, but that the family has not used public transport since the incident. "She's just scared now and she's already lost so much to her diagnosis," she said. "You just want your children to be happy." The withdrawal from public transport represents a significant restriction on Phoebe's freedom and quality of life.

Great Western Railway has since issued an apology, stating it was "really sorry" and admitting that "we let her down, both when we helped her board and at several points during her journey." The company acknowledged that Tesoriere's experience was "extremely poor" and took accountability for the failures that occurred. GWR confirmed that compensation would be provided to Tesoriere as recognition of the distress caused.

However, the resolution process has itself become a source of additional frustration. Tesoriere made a formal complaint on the day of the incident, but the investigation was not completed until May—nearly five months later. Despite providing her bank details as requested for the compensation payment, she has still not received any money. She said the company had "ignored every email I have sent" since June, leaving her feeling that her complaint was being dismissed rather than addressed.

"Nearly nine months after I complained, I am still fighting to get an answer," Tesoriere said. "No disabled passenger should ever have to crawl." Her mother expressed understanding that "mistakes were made" during the initial incident but believes the treatment her daughter has received since then is "inexcusable." She added: "I can't forgive them for how they've made an awful traumatic experience last for months."

The case highlights persistent gaps in accessible transport provision across the UK rail network, despite legal requirements and industry commitments to improve services for disabled passengers. For Tesoriere and her family, the incident has become a stark illustration of how systemic failures—from inadequate communication between staff to the physical limitations of train carriages—can combine to create dangerous and degrading situations for vulnerable travellers. Their experience raises urgent questions about whether rail operators are genuinely meeting their obligations to disabled passengers or whether accessibility remains an aspiration rather than a reality.