Disabled Tourist in London -- Can I Really Ride the Tube?

The answer to your questions could be yes or no, but we will need considerably more information to give a clear answer.

The Travel for London (TfL) folks are in charge of the Underground (Tube) and they produce a good journey planner which can take into account your disability. It is at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/?&date=20141016&timeIs=departing&time=2115#more-options and a map of where the step free access is can be found at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf

The short answer is that some, a growing number but still small, of the stations are step free, more have some escalators or lifts but still have some steps, and many have no lifts or escalators. See the documents above.

Where will you be going to and from?

I've worked on the trains for nearly a quarter century and I can't imagine what you mean by "riding in a cart/hoveround contraption." Can you please be more specific?

thank you for your response -- I'm new to this site and haven't spent a great amount of time searching the site for the best places to ask questions. I will investigate the sites you suggested. The cart/hoveround is a motorized vehicle for the disabled - it doesn't look like a wheelchair, though-- in the U.S. you find them in grocery stores/department stores to assist shoppers who can't walk well. They have alllll kinds of names and "hoveround" was the only one I could think of!

french for me,

where will you get this device? The trains and the Tube have specific rules as to the permitted dimensions, and getting a ramp on the tube is not easy. It would be easier with a slow person with a stick at most stations than with a motorized buggy. There is usually a gap (that's why you always hear "Mind the Gap") and the lip of the step at the door is usually some distance higher than the platform.

Look at what was posted previously.

well said Nigel

francais may be better off trading her hovercraft for a wheel chair for the purpose of touring London.

NIgel,

How long due the doors of the cars remain open? Are they sensitive to movement so they remain open as long as people are getting in and out? Does the driver have the means to keep the doors open while someone who is slow is getting on/off?

This is what the poster was referring to as a hoverround.
http://www.rwrogerscompany.com/motorized-handicap-carts

Before worrying about actually boarding the underground train, I would want to know how I could get to the tube platform with this vehicle. An escalator or stairs won't be of use and not all tube stations have lifts.

Thanks to everyone, especially Nigel and Emma, for the information. I do believe buses will be my better mode of transport. My daughter will be auditioning at the Royal College and Royal Academy (wish her luck!) and we haven't finalized where we will be staying yet, but it WILL be somewhere close to a BUS STOP! I appreciate all of the information!

Emma forgot to give you her post on riding London buses.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/using-london-buses-advice-from-a-local-it-s-a-bit-of-a-long-one-sorry

I wish your daughter all the good luck in the world to be accepted by one of the schools.

There are maximum sizes for mobility scooters on buses, so if you are going to contemplate using one you would need to check this out. These are a bit different from those elsewhere in the UK and are slightly more restrictive overall. You can use a class 2 mobility scooter (i.e. not for road use, with an upper speed limit of 4mph) conforming to the following dimensions:

Maximum width: 600mm
Maximum length: 1000mm
Maximum turning radius: 1200mm

As to the use of the underground in central London completely step free access is only at about 10% of stations, which are those that have been rebuilt in the last 20 years or so, typically either because of a new line or for access to sites of the 2012 Olympics / Paralympics, or sometimes because of an office development.

For the sake of completeness, to answer Colette's questions,

How long due the doors of the cars remain open? Are they sensitive to movement so they remain open as long as people are getting in and out? Does the driver have the means to keep the doors open while someone who is slow is getting on/off?

A few seconds, maybe up to around 20, until the driver is satisfied that the doorways are clear.

No, although it is possible that the new trains coming on might have that capability. It is also true that the old trains have no touch sensitive door edges, so they don't reopen if something is caught in them.

Yes, but only if she or he is aware of somebody moving slowly. They use video screens of the length of the train but tube stations, and tube trains, can be crowded and one person moving slowly might not be seen.

It is worth mentioning that my Underground colleagues are concerned because there is a movement within the management of the Tube to remove all drivers from Tube trains and have them work automatically. There would not be any way for the missing driver to take action if somebody were to be moving slowly or have other issues. This is one of the reasons they are taking strike action so frequently.

There is also another movement, much further along, to remove all ticket window staff and close all booking windows. The plan is that these staff, who the traveling public rely on so much for help, would wander the stations randomly assisting if called upon. Instead of them being in one easily defined space they would be elsewhere, and wouldn't be assisting with purchasing of tickets, Travelcards, etc. It remains to be seen how things play out. It is another reason why there are currently so many strikes. Members of these unions always put safety first and are concerned to see it eroded. Off soapbox, but it may be helpful to others to be aware of the source of industrial unrest.

Thank you, Nigel, for your answer. It has been 40 yrs since I was on the tube.

One Hoveround for you, Nigel.

fpm, as someone else already asked, is it possible for you to bring a lightweight (perhaps folding and or 'carryable') wheelchair on your trip instead of the Hoveround? Plus, you'd eliminate all the trouble with the batteries, damage to your Hoveround while in transit to Europe, etc. I've been in some elevators that absolutely would not accommodate a Hoveround. Just something for you to consider doing, if at all possible. I don't know how long your trip is, and if you're planning on visiting anywhere else besides London...it would make a big difference if you're doing any traveling once there.

London has places where wheelchairs or electric carts can be rented. No need to bring one from the States.

Emma, can you recommend any?

Cheers!