A 37-year-old blind man felt “humiliated” and was left in tears after he was refused a seat on a Southeastern train in March, despite being in a disability priority section.
Amit Patel, who became blind five years ago after a haemorrhage behind his eyes, struggled to stand on the moving train as he was unable to find anything to hold on to. He was travelling with the aid of his guide dog, Kika, at the time.
Patel said, “People can be so selfish. They pretend they can't see or hear when I ask if there's a seat available. It's so humiliating when I struggle to hold onto something and keep Kika safe at the same time. This is when you'll see a tear running down my face. Life is difficult enough.”
He was forced to stand with his back against the doors to keep steady.
Patel had previously encountered rude commuters. In February, people tried to push past him on an escalator. He said, “These types of incidents really knock my confidence but you'd never know it as I put on a brave face. In reality, I feel like a terrified little boy inside.”
A Southeastern spokesperson has stated, “We would hope that people use their judgement and give up seats to passengers who may have a greater need, and we're sorry to hear that Mr Patel experienced an awkward journey on this occasion. We're already rolling out clearer priority seat signage on the trains that don't already have it to make it more visible. As well as priority seats, we offer priority seating cards and priority seat badges that our passengers can show to another passenger sitting in a priority seat, without causing a fuss or having to explain themselves.”
