04 Mar 2026
Transport for Wales (TfW) has helped a record 75,339 passengers travel with confidence in 2024/25, people who may not have made the journey at all without the support of its Passenger Assist service.
The figure represents a 23% increase on the previous year and is the highest number of assistance bookings recorded on the Wales and Borders network, reflecting TfW’s commitment to making rail accessible to everyone.
Jo Foxall, Customer Experience Director at Transport for Wales said: “We want to help make public transport easy to use and accessible for all and our passenger assistance service is just one way of doing that.
“We want people to feel confident to travel and the figures show that more and more people are accessing the help that is on offer.
“Our Customer Service Advisors take an agile approach to supporting customers, which has resulted in fantastic feedback on their assistance.”
The Passenger Assist service is available for all customers who need the additional support to complete their journey safely and efficiently. Staff are trained to assist passengers with both visible and non-visible disabilities, helping with journey planning, purchasing tickets, and getting on and off the trains. They can also assist with manageable luggage for customers with reduced mobility or visual impairments, in line with National Rail guidance.
Passengers can book assistance up to two hours before their journey is due to depart, at any time of day. For those unable to pre-book, station and on-board teams will always do their best to provide necessary support.
TfW has also continued to invest in new Changing Places and have recently installed these facilities at key stations around the network at Shrewsbury, Bangor, Chester and Carmarthen.
In addition to Passenger Assist, TfW supports a range of accessibility initiatives including the Orange Wallet Scheme for passengers who find communication on public transport difficult, the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme and the BSL app to make public transport more accessible.
TfW is also developing sensory kits and expanding its staff training programme to further enhance accessibility across the network.
Notes to editors
Passenger Assist is a national system supported by all train operating companies, which helps operators to arrange passenger assistance for disabled customers or customers with restricted mobility.
Information as reported by Office of Rail and Road https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/passenger-assistance/
|
Date Range |
Passenger assists |
|
Apr 2024 to Mar 2025 |
75,339 |
|
Apr 2023 to Mar 2024 |
61,230 |
|
Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 |
50,933 |
|
Apr 2021 to Mar 2022 |
33,232 |
|
Apr 2020 to Mar 2021 |
6,215 |
|
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020 |
55,580 |
|
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019 |
60,443 |
|
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018 |
60,084 |
|
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017 |
56,849 |
|
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016 |
55,696 |
|
Apr 2014 to Mar 2015 |
50,913 |
|
Apr 2013 to Mar 2014 |
47,601 |
|
Apr 2012 to Mar 2013 |
46,285 |
(Figures for the Wales and Borders Network Via ORR)
There are several ways to book Passenger Assistance:
- Online when you book your tickets: choose the help you need from our range of options
- Online using our book assistance form
- By phone: call our Passenger Assist team on 03330 050 501 (24 hours a day, every day, except 25th and 26th December)
- Using the Passenger Assistance web and mobile customer system. Please note, this system is not available in Welsh.
If you have not booked assisted travel, we will always do our best to help you, but it may take a little more time to arrange the support you need.
For National Rail
- Tel: 03457 48 49 50 or 0800 0223720 (Open 24 hours every day except Christmas Day)
- Online - Website: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
- Text Direct: 0345 60 50 600: (for people who are hard of hearing or deaf)
Confidence to Travel
TfW’s Community Rail team visit local groups to talk about the assistance available at our stations and on our trains, how to buy a ticket and book assistance, station and train facilities, and what discounts are available.
They can also arrange familiarisation trips so you can experience a journey by train.
To arrange an awareness visit, contact TfW Customer Relations team on 03333 211 202 (From 08:00 - 20:00 Monday to Saturday and 11:00 - 20:00 Sunday except 25 and 26 December) or email community@tfw.wales.
