Thomas Myhre (24) has been in a wheelchair all his life. He lives in Lillestrøm and works in Drammen. Two days a week he commutes between the two cities, by train. It doesn’t always go smoothly. Several times he has experienced that the train is running away from him. It often happens when the train is delayed. The conductor blames it on taking too long to remove the ramp. In many cases, there is also a fifty-fifty chance that the lift will work at all, according to Myhre. – It is embarrassing to say that you are late for work because you were refused to join or because the lift did not work. It’s simply awful to experience. Thus, he is left waiting on the platform. In the hope that the next train will have time to take him. Here Thomas can just roll right off. This is not the case at Oslo S, for example. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news Can’t order in the app – gambling that it will go well Vy wants Thomas and everyone traveling with a wheelchair to let them know in advance. Then you have to call customer service and state the wheelchair’s weight and size – which must not exceed certain requirements. – Ordering a wheelchair ticket in the Vy app does not work, says Myhre. You can’t add the addition “wheelchair” via a regular browser either. “Buy not available” is the message you get. Before, it was a requirement that you give notice 36 hours in advance if you are traveling with a wheelchair. This was changed to “desirable” after pressure from, among others, the Norwegian Association for the Disabled. “Buy not accessible” for wheelchair users. Photo: Screenshot – Spontaneous travel is hopeless if it is done the way Vy wants, says Myhre. Instead, he buys a normal ticket, hopes that the lift works and that the conductor is understanding. For Myhre has experienced that some conductors will not let him on board with a normal ticket – and because he has not given notice 36 hours in advance. Why is it not possible to book a wheelchair space via the Vy app? asks Thomas Myhre. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news “Am I coming by train or not?” Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news – Being refused entry on the basis that you have not called in and ordered, I have experienced that. Among other things, I have had to leave a day later. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news Many stations are not universally designed with, for example, a lift from the platform. Fortunately, it is at Drammen station. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news Encourages to complain When asked if Myhre has complained to Vy, he replies: – No. But I could probably complain about 10 cases in the course of a year. Director of the Discrimination Board, Ashan Nishantha, encourages people to file complaints. – We can do something about it, and it can make life better for many. Photo: Thor Brødreskift / Discrimination Board Last year, 563 cases were complained to the Discrimination Board. They receive and settle complaints about all forms of discrimination in our society. 111 of these cases were about functional impairments. It is in this category that they receive the most complaints. According to director Ashan Nishantha, it has always been like that. In 19 of the 111 cases, the tribunal considered that discrimination had occurred. He further confirms that the complaints about functional impairment are largely about universal design, that society is adapted to wheelchair users. – I would encourage people who experience discrimination to complain, says Nishantha. – Different treatment and discrimination Tove Linnea Brandvik is the head of the Norwegian Association for the Disabled. She is not surprised by the statistics of the Discrimination Board or the story of Thomas Myhre. Confederation leader of the Norwegian Association for the Disabled, Tove Linnea Brandvik. Photo: Amalie Bernhus Årtun / news – This is a big problem. It is a ranking of passengers, a discrimination that provokes. That’s discrimination! Humiliating to be forgotten On board, Thomas Myhre must inform the conductor which stop he will be getting off at so that the lift/ramp can be unfolded. However, he has experienced being forgotten. Repeatedly. – It is degrading, says Myhre. Involuntarily, he has moved on. It is not a given that he can get off at the next stop either; many drives are not universally designed. In theory, he has to wait a day and a half before he can travel on. – There is no such thing as spontaneity for a wheelchair user, says Thomas Myhre. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news More difficult with a wheelchair than without – It shouldn’t be difficult to travel with a wheelchair, but we understand that it is perceived as more demanding to travel with than without, says communications manager at Vy, Siv Egger Westin. Vy explains that many train sets are old and therefore do not meet the requirement for universal design. They further admit that many platforms are not good enough for wheelchair users. – This is precisely why we want wheelchair users to get in touch in advance so that we can provide as good an experience as possible, Westin elaborates. Communications manager at Vy, Siv Egger Westin. Photo: Bård Gudim She says that they are working to put good solutions in place. Furthermore, you can now, on certain sections, book a wheelchair space in the Vy app. As a comment to those who have not been allowed to travel and have been forgotten on the train, Westin replies: – Very sad to hear. It shouldn’t be like this. It is already difficult to travel by train with a wheelchair. We will help our customers get on and off the train. Forgotten. Driven from. Denied boarding. When asked if Thomas Myhre is aware of discrimination, he replies: – By definition, it is. If a wheelchair user is not allowed to get on the train, what else should you call it? answers Myhre. Hello! Glad you read all the way down. Did you get any thoughts while reading this article? Do you have tips for other news, reports or stories that news should tell? Please send me an email. I am a journalist at news Oslo and Viken and work in a group that aims to highlight diversity. Tips and information are treated confidentially.
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Wheelchair user Thomas (24) experiences great challenges as a train commuter at Vy – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
