The 32-year-old from Carndonagh, who was left wheelchair-bound after a car crash in 2004, said all buses purchased by Bus Eireann since 2008 were wheelchair-accessible yet drivers were informing him they were not trained to operate the lifts and therefore he was forced to crawl onto the bus.

The athlete took a case to the Equality Tribunal in 2010 after experiencing difficulties over a four-year period while travelling the Derry to Dublin route to access sports camps and nutritionists in his bid to row for Ireland at the 2012 Paralympics.

He is making good progress and performed well for Ireland at the World Rowing Championships in Slovenia earlier this year but said his experiences of training at home have been overshadowed by the humiliation he has to suffer to get to training.

"Every time I got on the bus it was so embarrassing," said Doherty.

"You had to climb up the stairs and your hands were on places where people's feet had been.

"If it was a wet day, your clothes got wet.

"It was degrading.

"Why drag yourself on when there is a ramp on the bus?"

The equality officer found Bus Eireann had discriminated against Doherty and had failed to provide him with reasonable accommodation and therefore order the bus firm to pay him €1,000 (£833/$1,302) for distress caused.

The equality officer also found the bus company did not consult with Doherty about his requirements at any stage.

Michael Doyle, a spokesman for the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), said it was "disappointing" that someone had to bring a case to fulfill their right to access public transport.

Doherty also told the tribunal the Ulsterbus service Translink, which jointly operates the route, provided him with a wheelchair-accessible bus any time he requested at 24 hours' notice.

Bus Eireann told the tribunal it believed it had met the requirements of the Equal Status Acts as it considered it reasonable for a driver to help the man get on and off the bus.

A Bus Eireann spokesman said the route from Derry to Dublin has now been made "accessible end-to-end" and all allocated drivers would be trained to use the lifts.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]