Steph, 58, lives in a small town in the West Midlands. She prioritises running costs for her car, because if she relied in public transport then she’d rarely go anywhere. Steph carefully planned a recent bus trip with her grandchild which went surprisingly well, though she felt a sense of terror ahead of the short journey. Some of the main things which put her off public transport are unreliable services and the unpredictability of other passengers:
 

"I have no control over the people sitting next to me, people sitting in a seat I've previously booked on the train, smelly people, people affected by various substances or mental health. I just don't feel safe and I've heard horror stories of train conductors not stepping in when awful things have happened to train passengers.

 

I've also arrived at train stations to find that my train has been delayed or cancelled and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do then. I've felt very lost and frightened."

Unfortunately, many of the autistic people we surveyed disclosed that they feel unsafe in public spaces, particularly public transport. Steph finds it especially difficult when her journey unexpectedly takes her to unfamiliar places:
 

"I was on a coach that I boarded in Stoke for a return journey to Bristol. I was turfed out in Birmingham on the way back, on a very cold dark evening, and told that that’s where the service terminated. I was left stranded and quite hysterical until a kind person put me on a train home. I’ve been able to revisit the trauma of being abandoned by the coach company. Instead of feeling sick, I now feel justly angry that I was treated so appallingly.

 

Another time, I’d had an accident involving my sight which left me very disorientated, and I ended up on the wrong bus. After an hour I was able to get off at the depot and once again I was in a huge panic." 

Many of the autistic people we spoke to also described other passengers’ reactions to their distress as one of the most difficult aspects of travel. Sometimes people can be judgemental and, as Steph describes, struggling like this in public can cause a sense of shame:
 

"I think people are used to young children having meltdowns but when they see it happening to a 50 year old woman it's a very different story. When you're older, you feel that you should be able to cope and deal with things, but it's not always the case. I was very late diagnosed and I feel that I'm still coming to terms with it. I hate the limitations I have."

To make public transport accessible for her, Steph feels it would help if there was:

• Training about autism for all staff who come into contact with the public
• An easy way to visually find trained staff, like perhaps special uniforms
• Safe spaces for autistic travellers such as a quiet room to centre themselves before transitioning to the noisy, jostling and chaotic transport
• A member of staff available to help, wherever you are on your journey