Translink: Man ‘humiliated’ after being told mobility scooter too big for train

The 47-year-old uses the train about once a week to travel to Belfast or Londonderry, which he prefers to driving due to difficulties finding disabled parking spaces suitable for him to get his scooter in and out of his van.

“I went to the Fleadh [in Belfast] on Monday afternoon but I couldn’t get parked, so I just had to come home,” he said.

He said disabled parking spaces in Belfast were often taken up by delivery drivers or people without blue badges.

“It’s almost impossible to get anywhere accessible in Belfast city centre,” he said, adding that travelling by train was a much less stressful experience.

Magee said not being able to travel by train was upsetting to him.

“I have a lot of health issues and it makes those health issues worse if I’m not able to do the things I enjoy doing,” he said.

A Translink spokesperson said that since 2023 the company had operated an independent mobility scooter assessment scheme developed in partnership with Disability Action and with input from the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC).

They said the company worked closely with IMTAC and other disabled people’s organisations.

The spokesperson said the scheme was introduced to provide “a consistent, robust and safety-focused approach” to assessing whether mobility scooters could be safely taken on board Translink services.

They said Translink did not comment on individual cases but that all applications were assessed through the same independent process.

“Safety considerations for our passengers and staff are always our top priority,” they added.