A NINETY year old blind man from Port Glasgow is leading a campaign to help people with disabilities get fairer and more affordable rail travel.

Armed forces veteran Martin Lindsay has suffered from sight impairment for the last seven years and has now been diagnosed with macular degeneration.

He has spoken about the barriers he faces when using public transport and the need to have a guide with him.

Now he has joined with armed forces charity Sight Scotland Veterans (SSV) to call for a national travel policy to support passengers who need to travel with a companion.

Martin says that there needs to be a standard concession and companion scheme for those who are visually impaired, applied across all local authority areas.

Former Royal Artillery serviceman Martin, who is supported by SSV, said: “I think there’s definitely a lack of public awareness around the challenges of travelling by train if you have sight loss.

"Having a guide is very important for many people with sight loss.

“I can’t read the electronic boards to read the platforms and the train times.

"I can’t see too far ahead, that’s the main problem for me.

"If I’m travelling by train, I’ve got to ask somebody to read things for me.

"It is stressful because you’re standing beside somebody, they’re looking at the board and you’re asking them to help you to see if your train is there.

"Then if they go away you’ve got to keep asking other people who can see it and tell you.

"It’s frustrating.

"I think it’s important that there’s consistency in concessionary and companion schemes across Scotland for rail travel for blind and partially-sighted people."

Sight Scotland Veterans have teamed up with Sight Scotland to campaign for improvements, after ScotRail moved into public ownership.

They say there are different schemes in place for concessionary travel and companions across the country, which impacts on the ability to use trains and there is a lack of consistency.

Craig Spalding, chief executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: "So many visually impaired people rely on the rail network to get around, and problems with accessibility create a real barrier to independent travel.

“Travelling with a companion can make a real difference for visually impaired people, providing support which is vital for many blind and partially sighted people to be able to use rail services safely and with confidence.

“A new national policy which would enable free rail travel across Scotland for any holder of a National (Scotland) Concessionary Travel for Blind Persons card and their companion would be a huge step forward for an inclusive Scotland.”

To sign the charities’ open letter in support of the campaign, visit sightscotland.org.uk/fairrail