Disabled woman had to 'crawl on hands and knees' to get off train

ByDanielle Herbert

BBC Wales

A wheelchair user was left in tears as she crawled on her "hands and knees" through a train after being told a ramp could not be used to help her off.

Phoebe Tesoriere, 24, was on a Great Western Railway (GWR) train from London Paddington to Bath Spa with her parents when it happened.

Her family spoke to the assistance desk and was taken to the only designated wheelchair space on the train. Phoebe said she was assured a ramp and assistance would be waiting, but on arrival was told she was in a carriage beyond the platform, leaving her unable to get off.

GWR said it was "really sorry" and admitted "we let her down, both when we helped her board and at several points during her journey".

Phoebe, who has hereditary spastic paraplegia, external which causes weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles, said: "My mum specifically asked if a ramp and assistance would be waiting at Bath Spa. We were assured it would be."

While on the train, staff checked which station she would be getting off at numerous times during the incident in December 2025, she added.

Despite this, Phoebe was not told the carriage she was directed to would stop beyond the platform, leaving her unable to use a ramp to get off.

Phoebe and her parents had been returning to Bath, where she now lives, after attending a concert in London the night before, which she bought as a gift for her mum and dad before her diagnosis.

When they got to Bath Spa, she said they were told by staff to stay on the train and get off at Bristol Temple Meads - a 15-20 minute journey - before buying another ticket back to Bath Spa so she could get off.

The family explained this was not possible as Phoebe's grandparents were waiting at the station to pick them up and take her back to Caerphilly, where she was living at the time.

Phoebe said she was told by staff to try and get her wheelchair through the train aisle, but it did not fit so she crawled through three carriages.

"I was crying. People were staring," she said.

"One passenger reached down to stroke my back and apologised to me, telling me what was happening wasn't acceptable.

"She was trying to comfort me, but in that moment I felt like a dog."

Phoebe's mum Kirstin Tesoriere said watching the incident was "traumatic" and left her feeling "helpless".

"When I close my eyes I can still see it, the pity on other passengers' faces. It was humiliating for her."

Phoebe said her parents lifted her back into her wheelchair to get off the train using the ramp, but staff were not waiting to assist her.

Phoebe wants to see a big improvement in accessible transport in the UK. She said: "It's ridiculous that disabled passengers are still expected to go through this."

Due to the nature of Phoebe's diagnosis, her condition is expected to get worse over time.

Kirstin said she wanted to "make lovely memories" with her daughter but that the family had 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."

Phoebe made a formal complaint to GWR on the day it happened, but the investigation was not completed until May.

In its response, the train company admitted Phoebe's experience was "extremely poor" and took accountability for what went wrong.

It confirmed Phoebe would receive compensation but, despite sending her bank details as requested, she has still not received any money and said GWR had "ignored every email I have sent" since June.

"Nearly nine months after I complained, I am still fighting to get an answer. No disabled passenger should ever have to crawl."

Kirstin said she understood "mistakes were made" but believes her daughter has been treated "inexcusably" since then.

"I can't forgive them for how they've made an awful traumatic experience last for months," she added.

In emails seen by BBC Wales, GWR said it had made changes to "how we manage passenger assist for customers travelling from London Paddington" as a result of Phoebe's complaint.

It said: "There were opportunities for us to recognise that there would be an issue at Bath Spa, and we failed to identify them.

"In my view, the situation you were placed in - and your subsequent action to leave the train - was entirely avoidable.

"Put simply, this should not have happened. I am truly sorry for the distressing and uncomfortable experience you had when leaving the service."

In response to BBC Wales, GWR said: "We are really sorry. Ms Tesoriere should have been able to travel with confidence and dignity and we let her down, both when we helped her board and at several points during her journey where we had opportunities to put it right.

"We have apologised to her personally and have made improvements to how we support customers boarding at London Paddington, so no-one else goes through this."

Regarding her compensation, a spokesman added that the company was "doing everything we can to complete the final steps as quickly as possible".