Claims Reported That Merseyrail Driver Demanded "Autistic Child Stop Crying"

[Discuss223]

Kenny Watkins was travelling from Leasowe to Liverpool Central on March 13 2025.

He says that the Merseyrail service came to an abrupt halt shortly after leaving Bidston and was horrified at what he witnessed next. He said the driver stopped the train and entered the passenger cabin from the drivers' cabin and said "some of us are trying to work". Mr Watkins says that the autistic child's mother responded to explain that the child is autistic and non-verbal, meaning they do not communicate through speech. She added that her child was "clearly struggling at the time".

Merseyrail, who operate services in and around the North West coast have said that they "do not comment" on individual cases but have launched an investigation in to the incident.

Full information can be found here:-

Claims Merseyrail driver demanded that autistic child stop crying

Eyewitness Kenny Watkins said he was 'livid' at what he witnessed the driver do

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

Investigation after claims Merseyrail driver stopped train and demanded that autistic child stop crying​

Eyewitness Kenny Watkins said he was 'livid' at what he witnessed the driver do​

Comments55
News
Liam Thorp Political Editor
08:32, 18 Mar 2025

The train was running on the Wirral line at the time of the alleged incident(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Merseyrail is investigating after claims that one of its drivers stopped a train to demand that an autistic child stopped crying. Kenny Watkins was travelling on a service heading from West Kirkby to Liverpool Central last Thursday (March 13), having got on the train at Leasowe.

He said there was a young child on the train with his mother who was quite distressed and screaming. Mr Watkins, 28, said he was shocked to see the train come to an abrupt halt having left Bidston Station and explained what he witnessed next.

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He said: "I was sat behind the driver when it suddenly stopped. The driver came out of the cabin and asked if someone could stop the child from screaming then said 'some of us are trying to work.' He added: "I was just so shocked at what I saw, I couldn't believe it.


"I've got two kids and it can be really difficult taking them on public transport and sometimes they are upset. When the driver did that I was just thinking 'are you for real?' This person is supposed to represent Merseyrail.

Mr Watkins said that the mum responded to tell the driver that her son was only three-years-old and was non-verbal, autistic and was clearly struggling at the time. She got off at the next station.

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Mr Watkins, who is from Croxteth but had been in Wirral for work, said he was so stunned and unhappy with the actions of the driver that as soon as he got off the train he went to the Merseyrail ticket office to ask for details of how to file a complaint, something he did shortly afterwards.


He added: "I just think this needs to be highlighted. This person works on public transport and needs to be able to respond appropriately to the public. I was livid at what happened to be honest."

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Merseyrail has said that it cannot comment on individual cases but has said it will investigate Mr Watkins' claims and respond to him directly.

Greg Suligowski, head of communications at Merseyrail said: “Customers travelling on Merseyrail services should expect to receive a kind, professional and polite welcome at all times”.

“Whilst we can’t comment on individual cases, we take all complaints from customers extremely seriously. Kenny’s concerns and any others raised with us, will be thoroughly investigated and we will respond to them directly”.

What are your thoughts on the alleged incident?

 

[bramling]

Kenny Watkins was travelling from Leasowe to Liverpool Central on March 13 2025.

He says that the Merseyrail service came to an abrupt halt shortly after leaving Bidston and was horrified at what he witnessed next. He said the driver stopped the train and entered the passenger cabin from the drivers' cabin and said "some of us are trying to work". Mr Watkins says that the autistic child's mother responded to explain that the child is autistic and non-verbal, meaning they do not communicate through speech. She added that her child was "clearly struggling at the time".

Merseyrail, who operate services in and around the North West coast have said that they "do not comment" on individual cases but have launched an investigation in to the incident.

Full information can be found here:-

Claims Merseyrail driver demanded that autistic child stop crying

Eyewitness Kenny Watkins said he was 'livid' at what he witnessed the driver do

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

What are your thoughts on the alleged incident?

Sounds like a bit of a muck-stir to me.

However, unlike the passengers on the train, the driver was carrying out a safety-critical task. So if they felt their concentration was being compromised then it’s entirely reasonable for them to attempt to address that. It would be remiss if they didn’t, and if something happened then the first questions that’s going to be asked it “what did you do about this problem?”.

How it was dealt with is of course another matter, and of course none of us were there, so it’s hard to comment.

I think there’s worse things to get “livid” about, TBH.

 

[omnicity4659]

Could have been worded better by the driver, in all honesty. But it is reasonable to ask someone to move further away from the driving area, as long as they’re able to do so.

I have autism myself, and I’m sensitive to certain pitches of noise which is usually children. As a coach driver I do ask that parents sit towards the back if they have a small child so if there is screaming or crying it doesn’t affect me driving, several other drivers at the company also do the same thing too.

 

[185]

Could have been worded better by the driver, in all honesty.

We're only going on what one person has said to the Echo.

Aslef should produce clear guidelines on this - Bell the guard, ask them to resolve the issue, if not stop the job and refuse to move the train until safe.

The cab backwall and door are as cheap and flimsy as on a Metrolink tram. You can't drive a train with all that going on behind you.

Leasowe repeatedly loses its Arriva buses, diverted due to anti-social behaviour, and I wonder if Aslef might demand a refuse to call there too.

 

[Sheridan]

We're only going on what one person has said to the Echo.

Aslef should produce clear guidelines on this - Bell the guard, ask them to resolve the issue, if not stop the job and refuse to move the train until safe.

The cab backwall and door are as cheap and flimsy as on a Metrolink tram. You can't drive a train with all that going on behind you.

Leasowe repeatedly loses its Arriva buses, diverted due to anti-social behaviour, and I wonder if Aslef might demand a refuse to call there too.

What’s your last paragraph based on? Are there any documented issues on the trains specific to passengers who board or alight at Leasowe compared to any other Merseyrail station?

 

[norbitonflyer]

Could have been worded better by the driver, in all honesty. But it is reasonable to ask someone to move further away from the driving area, as long as they’re able to do so.

I have autism myself, and I’m sensitive to certain pitches of noise which is usually children. As a coach driver I do ask that parents sit towards the back if they have a small child so if there is screaming or crying it doesn’t affect me driving, several other drivers at the company also do the same thing too.

Which would have been a reasonable thing for the driver to ask the passenger to do. If necessary to spare the parent's feelings, clearing the first carriage altogether, citing a "safety issue" (which would be true, if the child was distracting the driver).

"Reasonable adjustments" cuts both ways, and those responsible for the care of people who are prone to disruptive behaviour have a responsibiity to mitigate the effects of that behaviour on the safety and well-being of the general public.

 

[yorkie]

Could have been worded better by the driver, in all honesty. But it is reasonable to ask someone to move further away from the driving area, as long as they’re able to do so.

I have autism myself, and I’m sensitive to certain pitches of noise which is usually children. As a coach driver I do ask that parents sit towards the back if they have a small child so if there is screaming or crying it doesn’t affect me driving, several other drivers at the company also do the same thing too.

Agreed; it's reasonable to politely ask the parents/carers to move towards the rear of the train.

Unfortunately some people don't know how to approach people in a reasonable manner (we don't know if that was the case here or not) and, similarly, some people don't like to comply with politely worded reasonable requests either (again we don't know if that was the case here or not).

But, for sure, if both parties had acted reasonably, the issue would have been resolved and the news article wouldn't have been created.

 

[185]

Leasowe was used as an example of an area with recent, severe problems affecting public transport (buses bricked & drivers threatened on Twickenham Drive, next to the primary school I went to). Someone also (March 2023) drove a stolen van through the level crossing gates on Reeds Lane.

Only Speke in recent years has also lost it's buses, but it has no rail service.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It might be necessary to move the child away from the cab for safety reasons. That is fair enough; it is not a "reasonable adjustment" for a driver to accept being dangerously distracted, but the passenger can clearly be accommodated elsewhere on the train.

However there's a need to be professional. I had a giggle when I heard over the PA on Merseyrail not so long ago "train's browk". I mean really? There is a clear training issue here (even if the driver doesn't have customer service skills and doesn't really need them, the guard is there for that purpose - the driver should only be speaking to passengers if they're able to do so in a professional manner, otherwise such communication should go through the guard instead).

 

[enginedin]

Only Speke in recent years has also lost it's buses, but it has no rail service.

Isn't South Parkway technically in Speke?

 

[43066]

Sounds like a bit of a muck-stir to me.

Agreed - it’s odd that a complaint was made at all. It should be immediately obvious why a driver can’t accept being distracted - the fact the child was autistic is of no relevance.

The fact that the complaint was apparently filed by someone else (not the child’s parent), who has apparently run to the papers, also speaks volumes.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Isn't South Parkway technically in Speke?

It's not in the main Speke estate which is where the social issues will be. It's in a reasonable semi detached type area on the edge of it. The main estate is a fair way south east, bordering the airport.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

How do drivers cope with loads of schoolchildren on their trains...?

 

[43066]

How do drivers cope with loads of schoolchildren on their trains...?

The same way as any other group of passengers: if they’re causing a distraction, you refuse to move the train until they stop.

 

[enginedin]

It's not in the main Speke estate which is where the social issues will be. It's in a reasonable semi detached type area on the edge of it. The main estate is a fair way south east, bordering the airport.

Yeh, I realise that (I used to live a bit further into town), I was being slightly pedantic

 

[jon0844]

How do drivers cope with loads of schoolchildren on their trains...?

Probably tell them to shut up? But nobody is likely to bat any eyelid at that.

I've heard of drivers of trains to Sevenoaks stopping and refusing to move because of the craziness going on from school children inside the train just behind the cab (front first class of a 700).

 

[Djgr]

Sounds like a storm in a teapot.

A misunderstanding where an oversensitive driver meets an oversensitive mother.

Whilst there have been a few issues with the Leasowe estate and public transport, this is not a regular occurrence and it is certainly not rough in (for example) a South London sense.

Leasowe station doesn't even predominantly serve the housing estate, as it has a large park and ride.

Anyway this is all irrelevant as this was not an example of anti social behaviour

 

[anthony263]

Could have been worded better by the driver, in all honesty. But it is reasonable to ask someone to move further away from the driving area, as long as they’re able to do so.

I have autism myself, and I’m sensitive to certain pitches of noise which is usually children. As a coach driver I do ask that parents sit towards the back if they have a small child so if there is screaming or crying it doesn’t affect me driving, several other drivers at the company also do the same thing too.

Same here hate driving services on bonfire night or new years eve try to book them off because I've been startled a few times.

Strange really though being autistic i don't like fireworks yet a loud volvo engine won't fase me.

In all fairness my employers and colleagues plus my regular passengers understand i dislike a lot of noise and are usually pretty good with me.

Sometimes if I got streaming kids on i can try to tune them out although certain buses make so much rattle you can hardly hear the screaming

 

[greeny11]

With the 777s, it's pretty straightforward to move seats down the train, as you don't have to open doors between carriages, so I can't really see why the passengers couldn't have moved. If the driver has spoken to the passenger in that manner, then maybe some training on dealing with the public is needed.

Leasowe is a station on the line I frequent, and never had an issue with anyone that's got on or off there - even late at night.

 

[Sheridan]

There’s no suggestion that the passenger wouldn’t have moved if spoken to differently, or if they were travelling further than the next stop, which would have been about a minute away.

 

[Bishopstone]

I would have thought noise travelling from the passenger compartment behind the cab was an unavoidable occupational hazard. Football crowds, hen/stag parties, business people on loud calls, kids playing TikTok videos, excited children, drunken arguments etc. All stuff that bus drivers encounter daily and are just expected to zone out from.

Ideally the cab would be soundproofed within reasonable practical limits, and if that's not being done on new build stock, it's regrettable. But I hope a few incidents attracting media and union interest don't lead to sections of trains being cordoned out of use, Covid style.

 

[sannox]

Having driven a car with my own child screaming to high heaven, it is incredibly distracting.

This sounds like something out of nothing. It's fair for the driver to ask for a distraction to be away from the cab although in this instance perhaps needed to word it better. Also interesting that it appears only a single bystander has complained and sent it to the papers- not the mother.

 

[Egg Centric]

But, for sure, if both parties had acted reasonably, the issue would have been resolved and the news article wouldn't have been created.

Alternatively it's possible both parties acted reasonably and "Kenny" is just out to cause trouble

 

[jettofab]

I would have thought noise travelling from the passenger compartment behind the cab was an unavoidable occupational hazard. Football crowds, hen/stag parties, business people on loud calls, kids playing TikTok videos, excited children, drunken arguments etc. All stuff that bus drivers encounter daily and are just expected to zone out from.

Ideally the cab would be soundproofed within reasonable practical limits, and if that's not being done on new build stock, it's regrettable. But I hope a few incidents attracting media and union interest don't lead to sections of trains being cordoned out of use, Covid style.

No one is going to cordon off sections of trains. But if the travelling public listed in your post are asked to move or change their behaviour often enough, perhaps that will start to sink in?

 

[Pacef8]

The sun ! the echo nothing to see move along.

 

[amahy]

What I don’t understand here is the fact that the driver is picking on an autistic child and their parent, yet you never see train staff telling drunk football hooligans to shut up, a noise which, I personally, find far more irritating and distracting.

 

[Merseysider]

What I don’t understand here is the fact that the driver is picking on an autistic child and their parent, yet you never see train staff telling drunk football hooligans to shut up, a noise which, I personally, find far more irritating and distracting.

a child isn't likely to knock your lights out on a whim

 

[12LDA28C]

What I don’t understand here is the fact that the driver is picking on an autistic child and their parent, yet you never see train staff telling drunk football hooligans to shut up, a noise which, I personally, find far more irritating and distracting.

So the driver was supposed to somehow instinctively know that the child was autistic and make allowances for that? And staff certainly do tell drunken 'hooligans' to keep the noise down if required.

 

[generalnerd]

I would have thought noise travelling from the passenger compartment behind the cab was an unavoidable occupational hazard. Football crowds, hen/stag parties, business people on loud calls, kids playing TikTok videos, excited children, drunken arguments etc. All stuff that bus drivers encounter daily and are just expected to zone out from.

psychologically, our body is much more likely to be affected by children crying. It’s why many people can put up with other loud noises but not crying.

It’s also something to do with pitch I believe as well, which is why people also get annoyed at school children on trains.

 

[jbqfc]

Alternatively it's possible both parties acted reasonably and "Kenny" is just out to cause trouble

I have seen a facebook ( I know not the best of sources) post about this story with several people saying that he has it in for Merseyraill and is always putting in complaints