Maxson Goh reports from the 2025 Transport Design Forum in London, which focused on the need for changing accessibility models to address ‘invisible’ sensory and cognitive challenges
“London again?”, I mused to myself as I watched the south of England whizz by from a packed Thameslink train on a warm Thursday morning. This journey marks the third time this week I’d be setting foot in the Capital, although I didn’t have that far to travel, having set up my base of operations in Peterborough for the week. Arriving at Farringdon station with just 10 minutes to spare before the 9am start, I hurried towards Altro’s London showroom, which was said to be a stone’s throw away. However, a sudden loss of internet connection made it annoyingly hard to find.
Locating the showroom, I walked in bang on time but was not prepared for what I came to face: Everyone was bustling around, setting up the showroom floor for the conference. Confused, I soon learned the event didn’t start for another hour, but I was welcome to stay. Embarrassed and not wanting to impose, I retreated to a nearby Pret and later inevitably found myself photographing some of London’s iconic red buses over the next hour.
Showtime
When I returned, the room had been transformed into a proper conference space, complete with a barista offering drinks. I gratefully accepted a cup of Belgian hot chocolate, ready to dive into the event, hosted by Altro in collaboration with Autoglym, Camira, and Autistica.
Altro Marketing Director Sarah De Los Rios, who has been with the company for 26 years, was the first to take the stage. “We are interested in where our products end up,” she said, revealing the fact that outside of the UK, Altro’s biggest market was the USA. “We are a third-generation family business founded in 1919,” she continued, “with a strong ethos of valuing our customers and valuing each other. In 2019, we established the Altro Foundation as a separate legal entity to use our expertise in transforming healthcare spaces to help the more vulnerable communities and capitalise on our strength in the transport industry.”
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