Send us your Travel Diaries

7 comments on “Send us your Travel Diaries”

1. Helen Nickols Says:

   It’s great to see so many people contributing to the blog.
   I’ve found that transport companies are really receptive to comments. If you have any problems or suggestions on how to make bus, train or tram journeys more accessible for people with disabilities don’t be put off by thinking that your letter won’t make a difference. Travel companies are really starting to sit up and take notice so there’s no better time to make your voice heard.

   September 18th, 2007 at 11:37 am

2. Rhona Says:

   I do a fair amount of travelling by train but, as I’m in a wheelchair, I try to book in advance when I can. When I phone to make the travel arrangements they usually ask how you will get to or from the station. I still automatically reply that ‘I’m walking’, even though I’ve just arranged for a space for my wheelchair and ramps to get on and off the trains!

   June 22nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm

3. Aaron Says:

   One day on a trip on the 52B service, on the way to crealy, me and my friends got on the double decker bus and there was some french students on there too, and we started talking to each other through using our hands and it was very funny and amusing! Made the journy a lot more fun!

   June 19th, 2007 at 5:10 pm

4. paula Says:

   I use the local buses at least 5 days a week, i use a 3 wheeled walking frame and i have a spinal injury with siatica very painful to walk on serious pain killers. I allow a minium of 2 hours per trip to get anywhere, within the Weymouth area in Dorset. there are on Three registered low level route. mine is not. The route to the the main hospital in Dorchester, it wasn’t after a lot of moaning we did get this. Weymouth to Portland is one. Hereford road where a lot of pensiors live. We are lucky if we have low level buses on my route the Chickerell to Weymouth Route, i have had to complain about a few of the drivers as they are really really rude.

   I will say the majority of drivers are lovely and very helpful. They all know when it’s a very bad day for me they can see it in my face.it has taken up to waiting for 3 buses and the forth be a low level bus. i have writen and suggested have 1 bus per hour to be a registered low level bus.Even worse if you are in a wheelchair as these buses have no strapping features, so you have to grab a pole and put your own brakes on and pray. if you can get on the bus as there is only 1 space for wheelchairs & the local mums won’t fold up the buggys for a wheelchair user to get on the bus.probably not as funny or as sad as other stories but thought you might like to read it. Dorset County Council Do run a service call Dial-a-Bus & also one called Door to Dorset if anyone is thinking of coming to weymouth on there holidays.

   June 19th, 2007 at 8:10 am

5. Rosemary Says:

   Travelling to school by train from Leeds to Wakefield with a friend one morning, I was suddenly sharply woken from the sleeping state I hadn’t realised I was in, and roughly dragged, confused and only half-awake, out through the train doors onto the platform. I looked around a bit, and realised I was standing in the station at Wakefield, and my friend was the one who had grabbed me from the train at the last minute through the already-closing doors - she’d disembarked, and realised I was still snoring inside the carriage. It wouldn’t have been too much of a problem, but the train was from that point a non-stopper to London Waterloo, and I hadn’t any money after having paid for my ticket, and no mobile either.

   This wasn’t the only time I’ve fallen asleep on public transport - I’ve previously found myself in a deserted coach depot in Barnsley, and also ended up at the end of the line on the last scheduled service on a bus in Hackney (expensive night - I had to find a taxi back to central London, then as I’d missed the last train home, I had to book into a hotel - and the only room I could find was in the Marriot). I had my boyfriend with me that time, luckily. And then there was the time I woke up on the Supertram in entirely the wrong part of Sheffield with some sort of official glaring down at me.

   Any other disabled young people out there with insomnia - if you’re going by public transport, drink plenty of coffee - if the caffeine doesn’t keep you awake, being desperate for the loo with no accessible facilities nearby certainly will!

   June 11th, 2007 at 5:29 pm

6. Hannah Says:

   My idea of a great weekend is to spend time with my family. I often go home to see my parents. I also spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and my mates. Me and my boyfriend do this thing on a Saturday morning where we try to make ‘the perfect sandwich’. We come up with all sorts of things, all kinds of crazy combinations. It’s a great way to start the weekend. In the evening we’ll go out for a meal, then on to a bar or club. We’ll either walk into the city centre or get on a bus. It’s dead easy, either way.

   Buses are a big part of the culture in Manchester – particularly for students. You can’t be a student in Manchester and not use the buses. I live on the busiest bus route in Europe and there’s like a bus every minute. You don’t have to plan anything or think about how long you’ll have to wait. You just turn up at the bus stop and you know a bus will come along. It’s very convenient. Sure, some of the buses are a bit dirty and stuffy and that. And if you get on with the late afternoon shoppers it can be a bit of a nightmare. But on the whole they’re dead easy to use and that’s the main thing. Also, Manchester’s a really mixed place, people-wise; very diverse, and you get to see all that on the buses – you get a real sense of the people and the rich mix of the city. I like that.

   Sometimes, though, if I’ve had a hard week or whatever, I love to jump on a train and get out of town. Somewhere like the Ribble Valley. Within no time at all you’re out in the countryside. It’s so beautiful. I love trains: they’re generally clean and on time and where I’m from the routes are really scenic. I love just to sit and look at the countryside. A train journey’s really good for that. It gives you time to think and unwind and watch it all go by.

   I also love train stations. There’s something exciting about them. The sound of the trains, the atmosphere. And the shops; the bigger stations are always good for a bit of shopping. But mostly it’s the atmosphere. Perhaps it’s the anticipation of going somewhere, setting off on a journey – I don’t know, but they’re great places to be.

   June 6th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

7. Leah Says:

   There’s good community spirit on the buses in Liverpool. You get the sense that people are always looking out for each other. I often see young people getting up for older people or pregnant women. It seems that when people talk about public transport they tend only to notice the bad stuff, but my experience of it is pretty positive. It’s only on the night buses that I’ve ever witnessed anything unpleasant – you know, after the pubs and clubs have emptied out. Generally I don’t mind the buses at all. In fact, taking a bus into town with a friend can be a good chance to catch up, have a chat.

   You can really see a lot of Liverpool from a bus. I live near Penny Lane, as in the Beatles song, and you can take a bus from there all the way to Albert Dock.

   You get a strong sense of history: the music and culture, the industrial history, the docks. The bus really shows you the heart and soul of the city. And there’s so much to see. I reckon that’s why we’re European City of Culture 2008. There’s just loads. They’ve got a lot of development work to finish before then, but it will be nice when it’s done.

   Transport-wise, though, I have to say that trains are my favourite. I took a train to London a few weeks ago – it was such a great journey: proper chill-out time. I listened to my iPod all the way, read a few magazines and just took it easy. It was exciting too, going to London – it’s where I’d like to go to study fashion journalism, and arriving there was brilliant. It all felt full of possibilities – a real change of scene. It made me feel really positive about the future. On the train home my head was buzzing with ideas.

   June 6th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

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