Waved through: when an easier journey raises a harder question

Ross Hovey recently described a day in London that raised a question every venue and transport operator should be able to answer.

At the railway barriers, staff opened the accessible gate without asking to see his ticket. On the train, inspectors checked other passengers' tickets but only asked Ross where he was getting off. Later, at a restaurant with tight security, his companions went through checks while he was waved through, even though he had a rucksack hanging from his wheelchair.

Ross had a valid ticket throughout, and he liked having fewer things to negotiate. Then he asked the question that matters: was this thoughtful customer service, unconscious bias, or discomfort about dealing with a disabled person?

Ross lives with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic condition that causes muscle weakness. He uses a powered wheelchair, and on his own website he explains how his care team supports his working and social life. For someone in that position, every check, queue and conversation costs time and energy that other travellers don't have to spend. A smoother journey isn't a small thing.

His question shouldn't lead businesses to make travelling harder. It should lead them to keep that ease and make it dependable. Right now, the ease he enjoyed rested on what each member of staff happened to notice, and how each one happened to feel, at each point of the day. That's a lucky outcome, not a system. And a system is what the Equality Act 2010, and soon Martyn's Law, expect you to have.