Flo from Somerset regularly visits her local railway museum but hasn’t used a train in years. Flo is in her early thirties, and inaccessible public transport means she has missed out on job opportunities, essential appointments and went without the glasses she desperately needed for a long time.

I have several traits shared by many other autistic people: social anxiety, a need for certainty, and sensory overload. Travelling can be confusing and complicated, with numerous details to remember and routes to plan. Buses and trains can be extremely loud and packed with other people, with few quiet spaces. I find delays and cancellations hugely unsettling. They completely disrupt any plans I’ve made. When things go wrong, which is often, this is very anxiety-inducing and leaves me feeling uncertain and stressed.

I attended a university at the opposite end of the country from my hometown. I had to travel there by train, using three separate train journeys.

In my first year, after the Christmas holiday, I needed to get a train into London and transfer to another line. The first train was packed with people. I felt overwhelmed with sounds, sights and smells. It was very hot, but I didn’t have space to take off my coat and scarf.“Do I have everything I need?” I thought as I kept checking and re-checking my bundle of tickets. I had prepared a list for the journey, including train times, their platforms, and how long I had between trains.

I was swept up in the swarm of people leaving the train. We all looked up at the big departures board at King’s Cross station. My train was supposed to be there, but there was a different train at my platform number. I kept checking: delayed, delayed, delayed… 

Eventually, my train appeared on the screen, but without a platform listed. I asked a member of staff where I should go, but he said, ‘All the information is on the board.’. For most people, this would be an irritating train journey. For me, and many other autistic people, this was disastrous.

I ended up leaving the station. I had my heavy bags with me. I didn’t know where to go, but I had to leave. I found a nearby museum and stayed there for hours, lugging my bags around as I wanted to be in a quiet space. I missed my train, and the next one. I didn’t know whether my tickets were peak, or off-peak, and even if I did know which they were.

I didn’t want to go back to the station. When I did, I arrived just in time to catch the next train. Once again, it was packed. I sat on the floor for nearly six hours. I couldn’t handle the last twenty-minute train journey, so I got in a taxi. When I got to my dorm, I cried. The next day, I missed a university event because I was still anxious and stressed from the journey.

Peak is supposed to mean ‘best’, ‘optimum’, ‘apex’…  in public transport, it means ‘busiest’, ‘loudest’, and ‘most stressful’. Because I find public transport so stressful, I avoid using it. This means I’ve missed job opportunities, university lectures and important appointments. I feel stuck, trapped in my small village.

My partner is basically my chauffeur. He works a 9-5 job, so any medical appointment for me or my child must be when he can drive us there. I needed glasses for a long time. But I couldn’t get them because my local optician did not have weekend appointments. I only got them because my mum eventually took me there.

I’ve needed to change an important detail with my bank for over two years. Because it is only open on weekdays, I haven’t managed to do this.

The list of missed opportunities is long and easily solved by accessible, regular public transport.

I had to catch the bus for the first time in over a decade recently. I needed to attend an essential appointment. The bus was late. I asked the driver if he was going to the centre of town, and if I could pay by card. He seemed annoyed, and didn’t answer me, he just said '£3.60.' Part of my autism means I need clear information and literal language, so his lack of a clear answer was confusing. I assumed he meant 'yes', so I paid by cash. This seemed to make him more annoyed, presumably because it was a £5 note and not the exact change.

He then immediately pulled away from the stop. I’m glad I was holding a rail, otherwise I’d have fallen into the lap of an unsuspecting pensioner. I think he was annoyed because I didn’t know what to do. But not everybody uses the bus regularly, is neurotypical, speaks English, or communicates verbally.

I’ll have to catch the bus again for appointments, and I hope I’ll be more confident in time, but I’m still going to ask if the bus stops in the town centre.

Every public transport system seems to assume that everybody knows how it all works. Zones, peak travel, where to wait, where the toilets are, when you’ll need your ticket, whether you can pay by card or cash… it would be great if there were more signs, with clear information in plain English or with icons. And when there are delays, there is better communication, and alternative routes are offered. I’d also love to see more designated quiet spaces.

I’m also not sure if autism counts as a disability requiring a priority seat. I wouldn’t use priority seats now, even on a quiet train, in case somebody thinks I’m not disabled but rather being selfish.

Better staff training would be useful. Sometimes, a person asking what seems like a stupid question like 'Do you know when this train is due?' or 'Does this bus stop in the town centre?' could be an autistic person seeking reassurance they haven’t made a mistake or asking a more informed person for the correct information.

Final thoughts

I think it’s imperative to work with autistic people to solve inaccessibility. Many autistic people cannot drive. Imagine how many potential passengers are out there like me. People who are fond of public transport in principle but unwilling to subject themselves to the sensory overload and confusion of a complicated and crowded system.

The biggest irony is that I love trains. It’s a stereotype that autistic people love trains, and there is a kernel of truth in it—my embarrassingly large number of railway station-themed keyrings and fridge magnets and my Great Western Railway wall sign attest to this.

I probably go once a fortnight to my local steam railway station and visit the museum repeatedly. I love the engines, the history of the station, and the history of public transport overall. I’d love to be able to use public transport because it’s a topic I enjoy! Right now, I find it too crowded, too unpredictable and too confusing.