Accessibility issues & incorrect information TFL how many of you also face access issues

[Kieran_MF135]

Watford high street national rail website says it step free via stair case that quite ablist even after reporting it for ages.

And recent trips resulted in failed assistance


When trying to travel faced with acces issues

How many other face similar experience with TFL staff is it common.


I have also got down the legal route against TFL due to repeatedly breaking law

 

[Dai Corner]

Apparently 'turn up and go' assistance is available at Watford High Street.

Was this refused, or did you need a form of assistance which has to be pre-booked and didn't materialise

Help from staff

We have staff at all Tube, Elizabeth line and Overground stations and on every DLR train.

tfl.gov.uk

Turn up and go service​

We offer a turn up and go service on the Tube, London Overground and Elizabeth line.
Our turn up and go service is available to everyone, including those with visual or mobility impairments, and families or groups. For instance, school trips.
Our staff are trained to give assistance to customers, including guiding visually-impaired customers by the arm and helping wheelchair users get on and off trains.
As part of our turn up and go service, our staff will:

• Let you know if there are unplanned disruptions and suggest alternative step free access routes
• Accompany you from the ticket hall to the platform and help you board the train
• Help you get off the train at any interchange stations and board the next train
• Help you get off the train when you arrive at your final destination, and accompany you back to the ticket hall
• Arrange a mini-ramp or boarding ramp, if required (and available)

If for any reason we are not able to offer you turn up and go assistance, or step-free access is unavailable, staff will help you to plan an alternative step-free journey to your destination.
If there isn't a reasonable alternative route, we'll book you an accessible taxi (at our cost). This will to take you to another step-free station. from where you can continue your journey, or to your destination station within the Greater London area - whichever is quicker and more convenient for you. This could be a Tube, London Overground, Elizabeth line or National Rail station.

​

 

[Kath123]

Apparently 'turn up and go' assistance is available at Watford High Street.

Was this refused, or did you need a form of assistance which has to be pre-booked and didn't materialise

Help from staff

We have staff at all Tube, Elizabeth line and Overground stations and on every DLR train.

tfl.gov.uk

On the National Rail website it says staff help is not available at Watford High Street station though. I was going to use the station earlier in the year and didn’t due to that but then when I got lost going back to Watford Junction a member of the public told me I should have used Watford High Street as there were staff there.

As for how I find TFL @Kieran_MF135 I usually find them pretty good but I only go to London four or five times a year and bear in mind I come from Somerset where station staffing can be poor at times.

I know some of my visually impaired friends who live in London get frustrated with TFL at times though.

I’ve only twice had problems with TFL and both were many years ago. Once there was a major event on and they refused to assist me and another time they put me and my guide dog on the tube but I wasn’t met the other end - my guide dog wasn’t escalator trained so another passenger had to get us help to get out of the station.

Sorry to hear you are still having such poor experiences.

 

[Dai Corner]

On the National Rail website it says staff help is not available at Watford High Street station though. I was going to use the station earlier in the year and didn’t due to that but then when I got lost going back to Watford Junction a member of the public told me I should have used Watford High Street as there were staff there.

Watford High Street is, I believe, managed by TfL now so I'd go by what they say online.

I'm interested to hear more from the OP about his experience.

 

[Kath123]

Watford High Street is, I believe, managed by TfL now so I'd go by what they say online.

I'm interested to hear more from the OP about his experience.

Yeah I’m interested to hear too.

That National Rail page for the station is contradictory though as at the top it says if assistance isn’t booked at the station turn up and go is fine but then if you scroll down the page to ‘Staff Help Available’ it says ‘No’.

There is a duty for information to be correct on all websites providing it. It shouldn’t be down to a disabled person to work out who runs a station.

 

[Haywain]

That National Rail page for the station is contradictory though as at the top it says if assistance isn’t booked at the station turn up and go is fine but then if you scroll down the page to ‘Staff Help Available’ it says ‘No’.

It will only be as good as the information that London Overground have provided. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t provide updates.

 

[Kath123]

It will only be as good as the information that London Overground have provided. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t provide updates.

But people rely on it. As I did earlier in the year. Where else should I have checked?

Anyhow as this isn’t my thread and I’ve given my reply to the OP I’ll bow out now.

 

[Haywain]

But people rely on it.

Indeed. Just offering a likely explanation.

 

[VItraveller]

One of the things I hope for with great British rail, and it’s probably a fantasy, is to have someone specifically dedicated to disability support and Accessibility, to ensure that all the information on various websites and webpages is up-to-date and is accurate as it can be and would be a point of contact for disabled passengers who have experienced systematic issues with particular stations and could run regular focus panels.
For all the flack Avanti gets, and to be fair they deserve most of it, they do seem to be much more understanding of disabled passengers needs as they have regular focus groups with their disability managers and a WhatsApp number tw offer additional support.

 

[Kieran_MF135]

One of the things I hope for with great British rail, and it’s probably a fantasy, is to have someone specifically dedicated to disability support and Accessibility, to ensure that all the information on various websites and webpages is up-to-date and is accurate as it can be and would be a point of contact for disabled passengers who have experienced systematic issues with particular stations and could run regular focus panels.
For all the flack Avanti gets, and to be fair they deserve most of it, they do seem to be much more understanding of disabled passengers needs as they have regular focus groups with their disability managers and a WhatsApp number tw offer additional support.

TBH Avanti I have good thinks with for example Watford junction due to TFL issues on overground where I would have become stranded the train manger allowed me to board in my wheelchair on the service to Euston station. Avanti I do find to be more helpful when stuff goes south

 

[Dai Corner]

TBH Avanti I have good thinks with for example Watford junction due to TFL issues on overground where I would have become stranded the train manger allowed me to board in my wheelchair on the service to Euston station. Avanti I do find to be more helpful when stuff goes south

Watford Junction is managed by London Northwestern Railway, whose trains provide the fast service to Euston. I would have expected you to be directed/assisted to board one of those. Up Avanti trains generally only stop there to set down.

I'd still be interested to hear how you got on with the London Overground staff at Watford High Street when you requested assistance. Did they explain that as the platforms aren't wheelchair accessible they'd work out an alternative route for you or, failing that, pay for an accessible taxi as per the policy I quoted above? Why did you go back once you knew you wouldn't be able to access the platform in your wheelchair?

 

[Kieran_MF135]

Watford Junction is managed by London Northwestern Railway, whose trains provide the fast service to Euston. I would have expected you to be directed/assisted to board one of those. Up Avanti trains generally only stop there to set down.

I'd still be interested to hear how you got on with the London Overground staff at Watford High Street when you requested assistance. Did they explain that as the platforms aren't wheelchair accessible they'd work out an alternative route for you or, failing that, pay for an accessible taxi as per the policy I quoted above? Why did you go back once you knew you wouldn't be able to access the platform in your wheelchair?

Taxi was booked apparently but turns out they failed to book the correct taxi overground did as was pre booked assistant turned up at station they sent a taxi and shocked at end they forced me to pay the taxi fare.


Reason as why going back is due my ticket vaildty and the basis of the correct taxi being booked to ensure I can travel to my destination back without breaking rules on permitted route which would be override due to station inaccbilty form zone 8 station.

I travel a lot form station near me that is inaccbile and you still have to arrive to station to get taxi to nearest accibile station when I want to travel to the location this due to it being the station wanted and needed.

As TFL order taxi to and from Watford high Street to carpenter park station. But due to negligence they messed up.

So I then rerouted to avoid being left stranded on ticket that not valid at Watford junction. Due to fact they sent taxi I had pay for form Watford high Street.


Not sure if you used taxis by railway who booked them but I used them lots of times form range of different tocs

 

[Dai Corner]

I'd advise you carry a copy of the TfL policy and clarify who is paying before getting into the taxi.

The policy says nothing about what happens if the fare from the accessible station you get a taxi to is higher than that from the inaccessible station you wanted to travel from. I'd ask TfL to clarify that.

I don't think you can expect TfL to pay for a taxi to pick you up at home instead of your inaccessible nearest station I'm afraid.

I'm not disabled in the legal sense so am not writing from personal experience but I hope it helps you and anyone else reading the thread in the future find your way round the rules.

 

[Haywain]

I don't think you can expect TfL to pay for a taxi to pick you up at home instead of your inaccessible nearest station I'm afraid.

Agree with this. You are buying a ticket to get between station A and station B, and cannot expect travel to be provided outside of that. Getting to the starting station or to your final destination from the end station is your problem.

 

[Tetchytyke]

TfL should have paid the taxi fare, so if you had to pay it you should raise a complaint.

However if you were travelling south from Watford High Street I would expect them to send you in the taxi to Carpenders Park, as it's the closest station to Watford High Street in the direction you are travelling. If you asked the driver to take you to Watford Junction instead then I can see how that may have caused issues.

I'd agree that the National Rail wording is confusing. They're trying to say that it is step-free into the ticket hall where you can seek assistance from staff, but it just ends up a garbled mess. Often the way with the National Rail website tbh.

 

[Kieran_MF135]

TfL should have paid the taxi fare, so if you had to pay it you should raise a complaint.

However if you were travelling south from Watford High Street I would expect them to send you in the taxi to Carpenders Park, as it's the closest station to Watford High Street in the direction you are travelling. If you asked the driver to take you to Watford Junction instead then I can see how that may have caused issues.

I'd agree that the National Rail wording is confusing. They're trying to say that it is step-free into the ticket hall where you can seek assistance from staff, but it just ends up a garbled mess. Often the way with the National Rail website tbh.

watford high steet sent taxi to watford junction insted station staff called for taxi and ended up to watforjed juction i refused to pay as stated the pollicy and was forced to pay the fare cost as yeah

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Dec 2024 ==

Agree with this. You are buying a ticket to get between station A and station B, and cannot expect travel to be provided outside of that. Getting to the starting station or to your final destination from the end station is your problem.

starting station was easy as where ticket is permited on zone 8 so it be station A i arrive to meet pre booked taxi that was aggrend apnelry i have call logged and all docs i need for court if needed as per policey and law. i shouldt be charged more fare for same jounrey due to station inaccbiley.
they failed to send the taxi and taxi they sent was not a Wav either after stating on assistes needed it needed to be wav.
lot of issue happend on both parts of my trip that day and yeah i was not happy as i was dleayed by ages both times due there screw ups and is constnt issues we face

 

[30907]

Can I just check, as I am a little confused:

You arranged with TfL for a wheelchair accessible taxi to allow you to travel towards London.
The taxi didn't show but another non accessible taxi (arranged by who?) took you to Watford Jn.
You had to pay the taxi fare.
You had to pay the higher rail fare from Junction not High Street.

If so, I agree you should not have had to pay either of those and should complain.

A separate complaint about the confusing info on NRE is in order - there are loads of errors, not only about accessibility

 

[Kieran_MF135]

Can I just check, as I am a little confused:

You arranged with TfL for a wheelchair accessible taxi to allow you to travel towards London.
The taxi didn't show but another non accessible taxi (arranged by who?) took you to Watford Jn.
You had to pay the taxi fare.
You had to pay the higher rail fare from Junction not High Street.

If so, I agree you should not have had to pay either of those and should complain.

A separate complaint about the confusing info on NRE is in order - there are loads of errors, not only about accessibility

TFL overground had allegedly arranged both taxis for outbound and return they where also made aware days in advance about it and said they have arranged accibile taxis. Either rear loading or side loading taxi.



Taxi for outbound arrivals wasn't wheelchair accessible and wouldn't fit chair in anyway .
This where major delay occured as was told 10-15 min wait and accbile taxi would show up this turned into hour wait and then phone call saying 1-2 hour additional wait at carpters park station. This is where took train to junction to reroute after long wait due to not risking be stranded in freezing cold


On arrival back to Watford high Street station to meet for taxi that was no show the taxi that was allegedly pre-booked by railway never showed up. This where it also goes wrong and delayed saying the same thing 1-2 hour additional wait.

Spoke to ticket office staff member explained what happened he then arranged taxi which turned out it wasn't paid for by TFL didn't even say into after it arrived which I was forced to pay.



Also NRE don't help either with the incorrect information.

As result I had been majorly delayed and made to pay more for my journey and forced to spend less time I had planned due to the incident where I had Enough time if it went correctly.

 

[reb0118]

This is a general point: it is my understanding that if one's local station (or indeed a platform within that station) is inaccessible due to one's disability, then one may be sent (by taxi if need be) to a nearby suitable station to complete one's journey by rail - at no additional monetary cost.

This can be to a station where normally a higher fare applies.

 

[Haywain]

Also NRE don't help either with the incorrect information.

The poor quality of the information on NRE is just a side issue here - it appears that London Overground were aware of your requirements and, for whatever reason, failed to fulfil those requirements. Have you made a complaint to London Overground?

 

[Kieran_MF135]

The poor quality of the information on NRE is just a side issue here - it appears that London Overground were aware of your requirements and, for whatever reason, failed to fulfil those requirements. Have you made a complaint to London Overground?

Yes they have been they have been sent a complaint.