Having a free companion pass on public transport would help with the ‘overwhelming’ costs of having a disability, a campaigner has said
The All Hours All Voices group campaigning outside the Transport for Greater Manchester offices earlier this month(Image: All Hours All Voices)
A woman who is part of a campaign to bring companion travel passes to Greater Manchester has said that the cost of being disabled is like having a second mortgage.
Laurel, from Salford, says she has spent over £15,000 on her disability since her health worsened in 2023, including on costs for her carer to accompany her when she travels.
Her comments come after the All Hours All Voices group, which Laurel is part of, launched their campaign for people with a disabled person’s travel pass to be given a ‘truly inclusive companion pass’ that allows a carer to travel with them for free and is not linked to receipt of disability benefits such as PIP.
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Laurel, 42, said: “Having companion passes on the bus network can really open up more opportunities for disabled people to have choices in transport options. It’s really important for disabled people to be included in decisions that could lead to policies that enable us to take more eco-friendly action, more often.
“Research from Scope estimates that, on average, disabled people need to spend an additional £1,000 per month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled people in the UK. And from my personal experience, that seems about right.
“That’s like having a second mortgage. And that’s just one of the many, many, many costs that have come up since my health worsened in 2023. I’ve spent over £15,000 since that happened on just disability related expenses.
“So, for some people, they might think, oh, what’s another £2? But for me, I’m only able to take the bus independently sometimes when I’m in my power wheelchair, but then there are some journeys that I can’t take on my own, whether it’s the power wheelchair or not.
“Just the administration of trying to deal with my disability is overwhelming. I feel like I haven’t even had much time to grieve the things I miss doing, like, dancing and hiking because I’m just so bogged down in survival and fighting for support and fighting to keep the support that I worked so hard to get in place.”
The 42-year-old said that the wheelchair the NHS had offered to provide her would not let her self-propel and so she currently rents a power wheelchair that meets her disability needs – at a cost of £257 per week.
She added that she also often travels in her carer’s car because paying for the mileage can be cheaper than paying a carer’s round-trip bus fare.
She said: “I really support it [the companion pass] as a way to make public transport the more affordable option for people because, as a disabled person, I really want to be more environmentally conscious but I think that those options need to be affordable for disabled people.
“One thing that I think about a lot is that as a disabled person, I am up to four times more likely to die in a natural disaster than a non-disabled person. So, I really would like to take more eco-friendly modes of transport. The thing is, being disabled is incredibly expensive and I don’t think the general public understands just how expensive that is.
“Disabled people like myself, we might not be able to take public transport for every journey, because there are still areas of inaccessibility and public transport networks and pavement maintenance and so on. But I think that having that additional freedom and flexibility for public transport to be a safe and affordable option when it is an option is really important.”
She added that it makes her upset and frustrated that taking public transport comes with additional costs and barriers for disabled people and that companion bus passes would empower disabled people to make more eco-friendly journeys when possible.
Fran Wilkinson, Customer and Growth Director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “We are committed to delivering a public transport network that is inclusive and accessible for all. Carers play a vital and valued role and we continue to explore options around introducing companion passes on the Bee Network.”