A NEW smartphone app has become available today to make it easier and quicker for people who need special assistance when travelling by train to make their requirements known.
The ‘Passenger Assistance’ app, developed with operators, allows passengers the choice of requesting assistance, updating their profile and reviewing their journeys. It’s the first time that this has been possible on public transport in Britain.
Passengers will also be able to update their needs ‘on the fly’ if their plans change, so that they can let operators know that, for example, they will now be alighting at a different station.
Because their details will be stored by the app, there will also be no need for passengers to repeat every detail about themselves when they make further journeys.
Until now, calls to book assistance could take up to 40 minutes by phone. Staff at stations then received a printed list of booked assistance each morning, which meant when plans changed, the list wouldn’t be updated automatically and staff could end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
‘Passenger Assistance’ by Transreport is available to download on the App Store and Google Play from today.
Rail Delivery Group chief executive officer Jacqueline Starr said: ‘We want to make the railway more accessible to more people and this new app is a first step towards transforming the way disabled passengers request assistance, with greater control at their fingertips. To help all our passengers travel with confidence as restrictions ease, we’re also providing effective ventilation on trains, continued cleaning and better information about busy services to help with social distancing.’