With works continuing on much of Victoria's regional rail lines, there are concerns those living with a disability are being unfairly disadvantaged. There are a growing number of reports of people using wheelchairs being left on the platform when replacement coaches have no ability to take them.
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TVTranscript
00:00 Kim Lee is all too familiar with the limitations of V/Line's replacement coaches.
00:07 The bus pulls up and the driver gets out and says I'm sorry my lift is not working in the bus,
00:13 so I'm not going to be able to take you.
00:16 Ms Lee has been using a wheelchair for 44 years and, like many people living with a disability,
00:22 relies on public transport to travel across the state.
00:26 It should be just a simple trip.
00:30 But when the trains aren't running, the problems begin.
00:34 Ms Lee is often left stranded on the platform,
00:37 waiting for the wheelchair taxi V/Line is required to provide.
00:42 I've waited anything from one to two and a half hours for that taxi to arrive to then take me back to Penn Star.
00:50 Lakes Entrance resident Deb Gray says Melbourne is off limits when the trains are down,
00:56 making her feel like a second class citizen.
01:00 I've cancelled weekend social events because it doesn't fall into a period that's got trains going to and from Penn Star.
01:08 On a trip home from the city, she was told to get off the train because the disabled toilet was broken.
01:15 After waiting two hours for a suitable taxi, she arrived home well after midnight.
01:21 Frustrated, annoyed, crippled.
01:25 The issue of disability access will be heightened over the coming months,
01:30 with buses replacing trains on the Gippsland line.
01:34 Advocates say people living with a disability always need to consider a backup option.
01:40 I always have a plan A, B and C because something can go wrong at any point.
01:46 Very frustrating and unfair, unfair.
01:52 V/Line says it is making accessible bus replacements a priority
01:57 and has apologised for delays in sourcing alternative transport.
02:01 sport.
02:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]