|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
    |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Disabled passengers too often let down by rail companies' failure to provide assistance
Disabled passengers are being left stranded on the platform or abandoned on the train, the national rail watchdog has found. A Passenger Focus study found staff at stations expected the mystery shoppers on only two out of three occasions, despite assistance having been booked through the Assisted Passenger Reservation Service (APRS). Also, in 15% of all cases no assistance was provided to help passengers get off the train. Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: "APRS is crucial in helping many passengers with disabilities to travel by rail. "As a national reservation service APRS can only be as strong as the weakest link in the chain. Rail companies must act to make this work for passengers. "Our mystery shoppers experienced varied levels of service - from excellent staff assistance, to a mediocre reception, through to no help at all. In one instance a passenger refused to travel again by rail because of poor service from staff." The APRS research was carried out across Great Britain using mystery shoppers with various disabilities. Research reviewed whether National Rail Enquiries directed passengers to an appropriate train company to book assistance; the quality of the APRS booking service and information supplied; and the service provided on the day of travel by station and/or train staff. Just under half of the passengers carrying out the mystery shop felt that assistance provided on their journey met their expectations. One in four of the passengers participating said they were not confident that their needs would be met despite having phoned APRS to book help. The research also found that four out of 10 passengers who were given an appointed meeting place at the station were still not met by staff. Jocelyn Pearson, Passenger Focus manager, said passengers who booked assistance should be able to rely on the service. "The system appears to be failing because of a communication breakdown between the booking service, station and train staff and between rail companies," she said. Following on from the research, Passenger Focus has drafted a checklist of recommendations that it wants the industry to adopt. Suggestions include: the national monitoring of APRS; appropriate training across the industry; improved communication between the APRS booking service and station and train staff; and giving a reference number to passengers for each booking.
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
