07 Aug 2024

Record numbers of people have used Transport for Wales’ passenger assistance service according to new figures. 

More than 61,000 people pre booked assistance in 2023/24, a rise of 20% on the previous year.

Customer Experience Director Jo Foxall said the figures showed people had “more confidence to travel and access the help on offer”.

She said: “We’ve introduced Travel Companions at some of our busiest stations and have had fantastic feedback on their agile approach to supporting customers both in person at stations and as part of the work they do for Customer Relations.

“Ultimately we want to help make public transport accessible to everyone regardless of their individual needs and our passenger assistance service is just one way of doing that.

“The rise in the number asking for assistance shows people do have more confidence in traveling and accessing the help on offer.”

Passenger assist is available for all customers who needs the additional support in order to be able to complete their journey safely and efficiently as they might not have travelled without it, particularly those with reduced mobility or visual impairments.

It is an essential mean of rail travel. We want everyone to travel with confidence. That's why, if you're planning on travelling with us, you can request an assistance booking in advance - now up to 2 hours before your journey is due to start, any time of the day.

You can always simply “turn up and go” without booking assistance in advance, or if you have made an online booking that has not yet been confirmed. We'll provide assistance to get you to your destination.

As well as the travel companions, we have been investing in new changing places at key stations around the network at Shrewsbury, Bangor, Chester and Carmarthen.

(Figures for the Wales and Borders Network Via ORR)

Up and down Wales and the Borders, our Community Rail team are working with local schools, charities and groups with the Confidence to Travel scheme making people aware of what we offer and the support we can give.

In addition to Passenger Assist, we also support the Orange Wallet Scheme which helps people who struggle to communicate on public transport, the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme and the BSL app to make public transport more accessible.