Record number of rail passengers supported with assistance service

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.

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.

The latest figures 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.