Goodness me I could be on a roll here, with my deal about Disabled Railcards nearly at 2000 degrees! So, having helped my mum get her disabled railcard, I booked tickets for her and her older 84yr old sister on the train from Waterloo to Yeovil. Because of ny aunt's difficulty walking we use a wheelchair to get her between points. So again I did a little research. There is a service offered by the railway companys called 'Passenger Assist'. It is completely free. I telephoned them and explained about the difficlty my mum and aunt would have with the wheelchair and bags. They took the details of the train journey we had booked. Really helpful on the phone. Today when we arrived at Waterloo we spoke to a guard to say we had booked Travel Assist. He spoke to someone on the radio and a lovely lady appeared. She pushed my aunt to the right carriage, helped them on with bags. Found them seats with a table etc. She said a lot of people don't know about it and the more who use it the more secure the future of it will be. Anyway once settled on the train, she liaised with her counterpart at Yeovil. When mum and her sister stopped at Yeovil, my mum said a wonderful man jumped on. Carried their bags off, helped them off train (I had taken wheelchair back). All before the train carried on to the next station which is always a worry for my mum - that they and their bags can't get off in time. He carried bags and helped them out of the station to the taxi rank. Mum said she can't believe how helpful they all were.
The service is free, but they do need 24hrs notice. Link is to the contact details. You don't need to be registered disabled, just need support to use the train so particularly ideal for frailer passengers. Fabulous free service :-)
All comments (20)
redondo
12 Jan 17#1
not that I need it now, but great to know that help is there if you need it ,
Great find
nokiafusion
12 Jan 17#2
I think people who are full time wheelchair users and use trains will already know about this service. The mobile ramps that are needed to brace between the train and the platform are locked away and can only be unlocked by a person from the special assistance team.
halecrater
12 Jan 17#3
I think you are right that wheelchair users would know, but they stressed they are able to help anyone with using the train. I think there are a lot of older people like my mum who just get anxious about being able to get off at a stop and get their bags off at the same time etc. They didn't need ramps, just support getting on and off safely :-)
Sambat
12 Jan 17#4
Not much help on Southern, first requirement is a train!
ctprice
13 Jan 17#5
You do need to book though, your not able to turn up and get assistance
usetheforceluke
13 Jan 17#6
which the Op has already stated.
halecrater
13 Jan 17#7
Sorry my mistake - I made it clearer in the original post after that comment.
juliettcronk
13 Jan 17#8
cant believe that if you are blind or partially signed you cant get a discount when travelling on your own???? that ridiculous
''If you are registered as blind or visually-impaired and are travelling with another person, the concessionary discounts shown below apply for both you and your companion. You cannot get the discount if you are travelling on your own''
seaniboy
13 Jan 17#9
Better than BA, would not help when I could not lift a bag off the conveyor belt onto a trolley because of long term injury classed funny enough as a disability!
Anyhow enough about how horrific airlines can be (some don't even accept DLA/PIP as a disability unless you get a Blue Badge ??)
This service is the old Britosh Rail service that the companies has to take in for the stations they manage, it can be hit and miss if you don't give 7 days notice as regular staff have to do the assistance, there isn't specialist staff just the usual staff who have minimal training so although the link below says a day ahead book way in advance, remind them a week and also a day in advance you will still be requiring assistance. This ensures enough staff are on at usually manned stations, unmanned stations you are out in a limb (or not so to speak)
Textphone/relay users numbers are also in this link
You mean driver/conductor and the staff member with degree in door opening/closing buttons engineering with honours formerly known as a BR guard.
There are a crap load of rolling stock at Southern, just door engineers would rather roll about their bed. As would the rest of the carriage walkers.
Next the food trolley staff will be striking as they need automated wheels due to damage from the repetitive strain injures - I thought we outsourced the trains to get rid of one of many underperforming overpaid/pensioned public body, but we are still wiping bottoms...
seaniboy
13 Jan 17#11
They are locked away from theft, under Disability Discrimination Act staff must be available at stations due to the very unsafe nature of heights, gaps and no barrier at platform level to stop danger access to the tracks.
Many of the train operating blank cheques were skimping back on the old BR assistance until the DDA really enforced Station Health & Safety for patrons of stations, not just for staff and able/mentally bodied.
Staff all receive basic training and access to keys for ramps which must be stowed away after use due to H&S.
Only place I ever seen dedicated Passenger Assistance was Edinburgh Waverley because that station is that big and busy that it prob is a full time job being the main train hub of Scotland and run by the Scottish Government/Transport Scotland sub division and not by the outsourced Train Operating blank cheque banker Ltd.
Sambat
13 Jan 17#12
What food trolleys? There isn't any room to move them on the trains due to overcrowding. Things were better before privatisation.
jazzy42
13 Jan 17#13
It's a brilliant service I booked it and a electric buggy met us at Liverpool Street station and drove us to the taxi rank and on way home met us to at the train and took us to the car.
seaniboy
13 Jan 17#14
Sorry but way up North, like way up North (think Northern Britain) we still have overpriced 'consumables' trolley dollys between stops where they open and close doors, multi-tasking eh...
Mind you I think the old Strathclyde Passenger Transport area now served by Scotrail Holland is in the same boat, which is more boat than the Clyde, of course I'm summarising as I don't live south with all the middle class scum who actually can afford Scotrail pricing on a monopoly after paying the roof above their head, affording a service is better than being pushed off a train service by cost even if you can't sit for a while.
England has choice and competition and thus promotions, don't know how good you have got it.
vinny939
13 Jan 17#15
We used to do this years ago when i worked for the railway 86-05 but you always get those who take the mickey, its assistance for disabled/ limited mobilty people, but you always get idiots who are able bodied who just wanted someone to carry their case for them or in the instance of one bloke at Winchester station was someone to carry his 18 suitcases he brought onto the station which is not what this service is for, railway companies did away with porters years ago to save money.
johnsmith1997
14 Jan 17#16
I've not seen those food trolleys on the London trains in years. Used to see them on the Thameslink trains and the trains to Brighton. I kinda miss them.Makes you feel like you're on a plane,even though you're on a train.:)
comriegold99
16 Jan 17#17
the staff at Glasgow Central station are lovely
apfel21
16 Jan 17#18
Well I for one didn't know!!!! oO HEAT
dilbertov
17 Jan 17#19
The operation of the assistance is patchy. My 89-year-old mother gets very stressed when travelling to visit family so she booked this service. At the start of her journey she arrived early (Newcastle Central Station) and a helpful Passenger Assist guard was assigned to look after her. He did this by telling her to take a seat in a waiting area and he would come and help her on to the train when it arrived, only to forget about her completely. Fortunately as the departure time approached and decided to drag her case to the train where a fellow-traveller helped her on. Not a good start to a 300-mile journey.
majortom
18 Jan 17#20
Okay unless you get some anti-social mother who refuses to move her buggy! bbc.co.uk/new…322
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
So, having helped my mum get her disabled railcard, I booked tickets for her and her older 84yr old sister on the train from Waterloo to Yeovil. Because of ny aunt's difficulty walking we use a wheelchair to get her between points. So again I did a little research. There is a service offered by the railway companys called 'Passenger Assist'. It is completely free. I telephoned them and explained about the difficlty my mum and aunt would have with the wheelchair and bags. They took the details of the train journey we had booked. Really helpful on the phone. Today when we arrived at Waterloo we spoke to a guard to say we had booked Travel Assist. He spoke to someone on the radio and a lovely lady appeared. She pushed my aunt to the right carriage, helped them on with bags. Found them seats with a table etc. She said a lot of people don't know about it and the more who use it the more secure the future of it will be. Anyway once settled on the train, she liaised with her counterpart at Yeovil.
When mum and her sister stopped at Yeovil, my mum said a wonderful man jumped on. Carried their bags off, helped them off train (I had taken wheelchair back). All before the train carried on to the next station which is always a worry for my mum - that they and their bags can't get off in time. He carried bags and helped them out of the station to the taxi rank. Mum said she can't believe how helpful they all were.
The service is free, but they do need 24hrs notice. Link is to the contact details. You don't need to be registered disabled, just need support to use the train so particularly ideal for frailer passengers.
Fabulous free service :-)
All comments (20)
Great find
''If you are registered as blind or visually-impaired and are travelling with another person, the concessionary discounts shown below apply for both you and your companion. You cannot get the discount if you are travelling on your own''
Anyhow enough about how horrific airlines can be (some don't even accept DLA/PIP as a disability unless you get a Blue Badge ??)
This service is the old Britosh Rail service that the companies has to take in for the stations they manage, it can be hit and miss if you don't give 7 days notice as regular staff have to do the assistance, there isn't specialist staff just the usual staff who have minimal training so although the link below says a day ahead book way in advance, remind them a week and also a day in advance you will still be requiring assistance. This ensures enough staff are on at usually manned stations, unmanned stations you are out in a limb (or not so to speak)
Textphone/relay users numbers are also in this link
nationalrail.co.uk/sta…spx
There are a crap load of rolling stock at Southern, just door engineers would rather roll about their bed. As would the rest of the carriage walkers.
Next the food trolley staff will be striking as they need automated wheels due to damage from the repetitive strain injures - I thought we outsourced the trains to get rid of one of many underperforming overpaid/pensioned public body, but we are still wiping bottoms...
Many of the train operating blank cheques were skimping back on the old BR assistance until the DDA really enforced Station Health & Safety for patrons of stations, not just for staff and able/mentally bodied.
Staff all receive basic training and access to keys for ramps which must be stowed away after use due to H&S.
Only place I ever seen dedicated Passenger Assistance was Edinburgh Waverley because that station is that big and busy that it prob is a full time job being the main train hub of Scotland and run by the Scottish Government/Transport Scotland sub division and not by the outsourced Train Operating blank cheque banker Ltd.
Things were better before privatisation.
Mind you I think the old Strathclyde Passenger Transport area now served by Scotrail Holland is in the same boat, which is more boat than the Clyde, of course I'm summarising as I don't live south with all the middle class scum who actually can afford Scotrail pricing on a monopoly after paying the roof above their head, affording a service is better than being pushed off a train service by cost even if you can't sit for a while.
England has choice and competition and thus promotions, don't know how good you have got it.
Used to see them on the Thameslink trains and the trains to Brighton.
I kinda miss them.Makes you feel like you're on a plane,even though you're on a train.:)