WHEELCHAIR USERS' TRAVEL 'LOTTERY' MUST END

DETERMINED Zach Eagling is back on the campaign trail - this time fighting to improve public transport for wheelchair users.

- By Katie Harris

The inspirational schoolboy, 13, has set up a petition calling on the Government to make train, bus and other travel services more inclusive.

He said trying to get about is "a lottery" due to "limited accessible seats" and feels there is a "nationwide problem which needs rectification".

Now, the Express is backing his new campaign with our Zach's Right to Ride crusade.

The youngster, from Hartshead, West Yorkshire, suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

He is no stranger to campaigning, having previously fought alongside the Express for a law against cruel trolls trying to provoke seizures in people with epilepsy by sending them flashing images online.

Zach said: "I wanted to start the petition because, as a wheelchair user, days out and trips that require using public transport have to have more planning than an able-bodied person. Accessing public transport is a bit of a lottery because if another wheelchair user is using that bus or train which you need to use, you can't because there are limited accessible seats.

"From my experience of booking assistance, it is relatively simple to organise.

"However, the unreliability and punctuality sometimes has to lead to members of the public helping." At the moment, Zach travels with his parents.

But he added: "As I become older, I worry about being restricted about where I can get to." He is calling for three main changes, including more accessible seats on buses and trains.