Ezra Johnson is part of the team at Transport for All, which has been nominated for a Scope Award (Image: Transport for All)
One campaigner has said disabled people should be “valued” in society, rather than being considered at the “tea and biscuits end stage” of consultations.
Ezra Johnson, who works with transport justice group – Transport for All, was heavily involved with the successful ‘Not just the ticket’ campaign, which led to rail passenger watchdogs officially rejecting the proposals to close hundreds of train ticket offices across the UK.
The Government also changed course, and rail operators were instructed to scrap the plans completely.
Their work earned them a nomination in the ‘Campaign’ category at the Scope Awards 2024, and speaking of the achievement, Ezra said he was “over the moon”.
He told the Express: “We were over the moon when we heard about the nomination, especially after such a gruelling campaign that took a year and a half.
“We had our team on the ground, trawling through documents, trying to get disabled people’s voices recognised, to try and get the damage this would do to the community highlighted.
“It was fantastic and a massive community effort.”
Transport for All is a disabled-led organisation that works to improve accessibility on transport and street space.
Mr Johnson, who has worked with the non-profit since 2022 and is new to being disabled himself after becoming ill very suddenly, said the group’s aim is for disabled people to have a “meaningful stake” in the issues that affect our lives.
He added: “Until disabled people are involved, respected, and engaged in the same way that non-disabled people are considered, we won’t stop.
“We want our community to be valued, not just considered at the tea and biscuits end stage of consultations, not just a box-ticking thing.
“The ticket office closures shouldn’t have been allowed to get as far as it did. It was great the industry was told to withdraw the plans, but it was a bittersweet victory.
“From 2022, we had been saying explicitly to decision makers that it would be catastrophic for disabled people, trying to raise awareness, writing open letters and still, these concerns were not acted upon until October 2023.
“It took a national campaign, the biggest public consultation in UK history to get them to listen, and this is wrong.”
The campaign group have secured other wins, such as the Deputy Mayor for Transport in London confirming he will improve the Dial-a-Ride service in the city, and the introduction of the accessible Elizabeth Line.
