Ellen, 26, cannot drive and occasionally travels by train to go on holiday, or visit London for tourism. Though she enjoys the anonymity of train travel, her experience has been that there is rarely anyone around to ask for help with tickets and platforms. She finds this difficult, as well as the noise and crowds. These challenges can make Ellen feel intensely overwhelmed and anxious, which makes her reliant on the support of her partner to complete a journey safely:
 

"I feel like I can never catch my breath when travelling by train: the noise, the people, the overhead announcements and, of course, figuring out platforms and train times. It is just very overwhelming and in general a sensory nightmare. 

 

Having my daughter in tow, with luggage and the responsibility of getting us to our destination is not an easy feat. I get very flustered, paranoid and overstimulated very easily on these trips. I rely heavily on my noise cancelling headphones to dampen the noise. I also, as I did as a child, rely on having the instructions and directions written down on a physical piece of paper. 

 

I also have to rely heavily on my partner for most of these trips. He helps me plan it, and reminds me of the plan when I feel I need it. I wouldn’t be able to travel without the love and care from my partner as he supports my physical and emotional needs."

Ellen was only recently diagnosed as autistic, but says that her struggles with travel began long before her knowledge of autism:
 

"I have lived in a small town all my life, which makes it easy to know my way around. My mum taught me how to use buses when I started senior school. She wrote down the bus numbers and times, and gave me exact change. When I got to the bus stop after all this preparation, the bus never showed. I wasn’t prepared for this and I didn’t know what to do. I had a meltdown, panic and anxiety. I struggle to stray from my plan, so felt that I had no way home. Now, we plan more options so if I miss the bus or it doesn’t show, I don’t feel stuck."

Planning for a journey can be particularly important for autistic people like Ellen, as it helps to know what to expect and what to do if things don’t go to plan. Ellen also describes the juggle of demands that a journey involves, including interaction with others: 
 

"I’m not so confident with speaking to people. On the bus there’s so much pressure of asking for a ticket, making sure it’s the right bus, pressing the bell and navigating other people while all this is going on."

Many of the autistic people we surveyed described feeling unsafe or in danger in public spaces, particularly on public transport and at stations and stops. Some, like Ellen, have reported assault and other traumatic experiences during travel. Ellen described how she has been vulnerable to abuse on transport:
 

"The constant surge of people is all-consuming. I get flustered, overwhelmed and seem to feel, and most likely appear, as a lost puppy. This is not only unhelpful in the sense of travelling, it also makes me a target for people with ill intentions. The reliance on strangers and trusting people I don’t know has also left me in several situations where I have been made even more vulnerable than I already am. 

 

When I was 16, I had to ask another passenger when my stop was. The man then asked me if I was new to the area and as a naïve child, I said yes. He then got very close to me and then proceeded to assault me. I quickly got off at the next stop, just to get away from him. Sadly, most of the incidents happened when I was a minor, or are too graphic to describe."

Ellen notes that access to online information can help avoid reliance on strangers for help. She describes these advancements as providing outstanding improvements in accessibility for many people, however she has concerns too:
 

"The rising trend of AI and technology has meant the erasure of the physical world especially since 2020. Practically all forms of physical tickets are unheard of. And if you want to speak to a real person? Forget about it! I understand that during the COVID pandemic, using less human centred devices was prevalent to keep people safe. Although nothing has gone back to ‘normal’ since then, and I fear it is due to the lack of wanting to do so. 

 

I am an old soul and I almost resent technology. I like to be able to speak face to face with a person if I need help and like having a physical ticket in my hand. These steps are almost emotionally grounding to me. It gives me a sense of control in an environment where I am having to trust and rely on strangers."

Though travel can be difficult for Ellen, she’s committed to helping her child to navigate transport with confidence:
 

"My past experiences have made me nervous and stressed to use public transport such as the bus. The world isn't made for neurodivergent people. The system is, in most cases, rigged against us. However, I am a role model to my daughter and sometimes that means putting my big girl boots on and leading the charge.

 
The world can be scary, especially when you don't know how to navigate it, so it is my duty to help my child confidently and safely use public transport. I use my past experiences as tools to help shape her and her future." 

Recalling a positive taxi journey, Ellen notes how the kind support of others can help her to see a better and safer future for her daughter:
 

"I was coming home from a night out and I got a taxi home as I was heavily intoxicated. The taxi driver was very friendly and chatty. Whilst under the influence of alcohol I am very chatty and make friends easily. So, as I was being driven home, the driver recognised I was drunk. 

 

Before I got out of the car, she made sure the address I was at was a safe place and that I wasn't being forced or coerced into being somewhere I didn't want to go or be. People like this make the world a better place, we should all be aspiring to make wherever we go a safe welcoming space to everyone."

Ellen feels it would help her to access transport if there was more choice in using technology and more available in-person support to plan and book journeys, particularly for older people and those who find technology inaccessible to them.