Paisley pensioner devastated by ScotRail mobility scooter ruling

Ronnie McDowell has been living in sheltered accommodation in Paisley for 12 years. Following a serious health scare last winter, Ronnie purchased a mobility scooter and started using it to make weekend train journeys down to the coast.

His daughter Linda says these trips gave her dad a “new lease of life.”

“He lost his partner this time last year,” Linda said. “It was hard for him to deal with that, and he ended up becoming quite poorly. He was in hospital last Christmas for quite a wee while.

“When he got out, he was really down in the dumps and struggling with his mobility. Getting the scooter gave him a whole new lease of life.

“He’d get up on a Saturday morning, head down to the station and go down to Saltcoats or Largs - go round a couple of pubs then up the road again for tea time. He’s always loved going down to the coast.”

The mobility scooter gave Ronnie "a new lease of life" (Image: Supplied)

Sadly for Ronnie, his seaside Saturdays came to an abrupt end at the start of September. ScotRail staff at Paisley Gilmour Street informed him that his scooter was too big and that he would no longer be allowed onboard with it.

Linda says this has left Ronnie “really down in the dumps.”

“It’s really put a downer on him,” she said. “He’s 81, but full of life and very independent - trying to do the best he can with his life, despite all his ailments.

“But this has really knocked him for six, he’s so scunnered about it all. I’m concerned about his mental state. They’re ruining his life.”

She also questions why the size of Ronnie’s scooter has only recently become an issue.

“If it’s too big, it’s been too big all along,” she said. “It hasn’t grown. Why has he been allowed onboard for six months, and then suddenly it’s a problem?

Ronnie celebrating his 80th birthday last year (Image: Supplied)

Ronnie says that after travelling every Saturday without fail for six months, not being able to get out on the weekend has “really taken the wind out of my sails.”

“It’s hard to explain just how cut up I am about it,” he said. “I miss it dreadfully.

“I’m 81. I’ve had four heart attacks. I don’t know how long I have left to go. They’re depriving me of my livelihood, and it has completely and utterly demoralised me.”

ScotRail guidance states that: “Only light travel scooters, no greater than 104cm long and 56cm wide and with a combined weight of less than 300 kilograms of user and scooter, can be accepted on our trains.”

Ronnie’s scooter exceeds these limits by roughly 25cm, or 10 inches. But like his daughter, Ronnie cannot understand why this policy is being enforced now, after all the journeys he’s made without any issues.

“How is it too big all of a sudden?” he said. “I never interfered with anyone else, I never held anybody up or ran over anybody’s toes. I’ve never been a problem for anyone.

“The scooter is not a massive piece of equipment. They’re saying it’s 10 inches too long - it’s just nonsense.

“It doesn’t make sense what they’re coming up with. It beggars belief.”

Linda said her dad Ronnie had always been a character (Image: Supplied)

​​Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said:  “ScotRail is committed to making sure that our services are as accessible as possible. We enable tens of thousands of assisted travel journeys each year and many more spur-of-the-moment trips.

“We do everything we can to allow customers access with mobility scooters and wheelchairs, but unfortunately there are occasions where some scooters and wheelchairs cannot be safely accommodated on our trains due to size and weight limitations.

“Our ScotRail Passenger Assist service is there to provide help to customers who may need it and advice on dimensions can be checked before travelling by calling 0800 046 1634.”