Southern and Thameslink have deployed new mobile assistance teams at nine stations in South London in a trial intended to support disabled passengers and other customers.
Their deployment means that support should be available at each station within 20 minutes every day, including weekends, to board every train that is running.
Until now, assistance could only be provided at those stations only when their ticket offices were staffed, which was mostly on weekday mornings and early afternoons.
The mobile assistance teams are now available at Chipstead, Coulsdon Town, Haydons Road, Kenley, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Reedham, Whyteleafe and Whytleafe South.
Coulsdon Town is staffed until 22:00 each day, but a mobile assistance team will be available for some late-night services outside these hours.
Although Chipstead, Haydons Road, and Reedham stations each have steps to one of their two platforms, a team can still assist those passengers who can negotiate the steps but, for example, may be infirm or have a visual impairment.
The service is intended for anyone who requires assistance to get around a station and board a train. This may an older person with luggage, someone who is visually impaired, or a ramp to board the train for wheelchair or mobility scooter users at stations with step-free platforms.
The mobile assistance teams are based at Purley and Streatham Common. Once they receive a request, they will drive to the relevant stations with a target arrival time of within 20 minutes. The team will then help the customer board the train and notify the destination station of their arrival.
On the customer's return journey, the mobile assistance team will be waiting to greet them off their train.
Customers who require assistance should make their request when they arrive at a station. This can be either by contacting the control centre from the station help point using the ‘emergency and assisted travel button', by calling freephone 0808 168 1238. or texting 07970 511077. Alternatively, passengers can book a mobile assistance team in advance by contacting the assisted travel team online or by calling 0800 138 1016.
If passengers wish to feed back their experience of the service, they can do so by email at comments@southernrailway.com or customerservices@thameslinkrailway.com, or by calling 0800 138 1018, which is a Relay UK text service for people with hearing and speech difficulties.
Southern and Thameslink's Accessibility Lead Carl Martin said:
“We're constantly looking for ways to improve the level of service we give people who need assistance, to overcome the barriers that prevent independent travel on the railway.
“These new mobile assistance teams could transform the lives of many of our customers. It will help us create a more accessible and inclusive railway, where everyone has the confidence to travel with us.
“We really want people to try out the service and let us know what they think about it through our customer contact centre.”
