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Today I came across this video posted by my MP calling for GWR & SWR to provide staff specifically for providing assistance at Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction stations.
As a disabled person I support their call but I don’t think it will ever happen. I just wondered other people’s thoughts?
Other TOC’s like GTR & SE have mobile assist teams for unmanned stations to provide assists either by driving to the station to provide assistance or travelling by train
Rural sort of areas are always going to be difficult as they don't have the spread of stations of more urban areas to make the staffing financially viable - in my own area for example Sleaford and Boston are fairly large towns but both just have a morning single shift despite Sleaford in particular being an interchange with 3 platforms and it is not unusual for it to be unstaffed due to shortages. The train guards will help with exiting if necessary with the delay being absorbed by the TOC but that doesn't help with entering.
Guaranteeing staffing will come at a cost and it is largely down to the Government as to whether they wish to do that - I suspect the answer will be not, but there needs to be a better focus on mitigating the issues caused.
I am glad your MP is taking things seriously though, they're evidently paying attention to what you have to say.
Ideally, there would be people living close to each station and willing to turn out at short notice any time between the first and last trains of the day for, say, ten minutes work which would probably be at minimum wage. Perhaps they could offer free travel as an incentive.
If a taxi is being sent, maybe the driver could provide the assistance instead of taking the passenger to another station? That might be a better solution than mine in post#5
Rural sort of areas are always going to be difficult as they don't have the spread of stations of more urban areas to make the staffing financially viable - in my own area for example Sleaford and Boston are fairly large towns but both just have a morning single shift despite Sleaford in particular being an interchange with 3 platforms and it is not unusual for it to be unstaffed due to shortages. The train guards will help with exiting if necessary with the delay being absorbed by the TOC but that doesn't help with entering.
Guaranteeing staffing will come at a cost and it is largely down to the Government as to whether they wish to do that - I suspect the answer will be not, but there needs to be a better focus on mitigating the issues caused.
I am glad your MP is taking things seriously though, they're evidently paying attention to what you have to say.
I’m glad I don’t live in Sleaford! (No offense!). I find the half day staffing thing is really frustrating. Pen Mill has this on weekends - it’s scheduled to be staffed in the morning on a Saturday and afternoon on a Sunday. If you are an Assisted Travel
Passenger and feel you need station staff to be present for both ends of your journey you can’t currently have a day out at the weekend!
According to Google figures taken from the 2021 census show the population of Yeovil was 50,176 and the population of Sleaford was 19,807 so it appears Yeovil is the bigger town but I’ll try not to be competitive as I don’t think it’s helpful and believe everyone regardless of where they live should have access to station staff when they need them.
I’m not sure it is me the local MP is listening to - he talks about people having had accidents at Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction and I’ve never had an accident at either station.
I have had this happen on occasion previously but the nearest staffed stations are not that close so then I feel guilty.
From Yeovil Pen Mill heading towards/back from Bristol the nearest staffed stations if Yeovil Pen Mill is unstaffed are likely to be Castle Cary or Westbury. Going in the direction of Weymouth the nearest staffed station would be Weymouth itself.
If Yeovil Junction is not staffed when I’m coming from London back home the nearest staffed station has on a couple of occasions been Salisbury. I don’t know where the nearest staffed station would be likely to be if I was heading towards/back from Exeter and Yeovil Junction isn’t staffed as I’ve not had that happen yet.
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If a taxi is being sent, maybe the driver could provide the assistance instead of taking the passenger to another station? That might be a better solution than mine in post#5
It’s an interesting thought but I don’t know if the taxi company would be happy with that and I’m not sure if taxi drivers are trained to sighted guide? Or how it stands with railway insurance if a taxi driver provides the assistance?
London and Thames Valley services. If you pre-book then a member of staff will travel to your station of choice. They will then help you into the train. If you’re only going a short distance they will travel with you,if long distance someone different will meet you at your destination to help you off.
Often, the expense involved is less than converting a station to be fully accessible, and might be less than providing a member of staff at remote stations whose principal function is to provide assistance. Ideally, on-train staff would be able to assist, but they cannot usually provide a full assist off the station premises - only to or from the platform. Whichever way you look at it, there is expense or time involved, but this doesn't mean you should have feelings of guilt. You have every right to be as mobile as anyone else.
It’s an interesting thought but I don’t know if the taxi company would be happy with that and I’m not sure if taxi drivers are trained to sighted guide? Or how it stands with railway insurance if a taxi driver provides the assistance?
The taxi driver wouldn't be insured to provide assistance away from the taxi, so it would be a non starter from both the railway's and taxi company's perspective.
London and Thames Valley services. If you pre-book then a member of staff will travel to your station of choice. They will then help you into the train. If you’re only going a short distance they will travel with you,if long distance someone different will meet you at your destination to help you off.
Thanks for explaining. I had an experience last year where I was travelling back to Yeovil Junction having been somewhere towards London (can’t remember if it was Waterloo or somewhere else) and about 5 minutes before the end of the journey a lovely member of SWR staff came upto me and said ‘I’m X and I’m a member of staff from SWR. I’m on the train to help you get off incase the staff at Yeovil Junction aren’t there’. When we got there the member of staff from Yeovil Junction was there but I felt re-assured by the person on the train being there and was touched it had been arranged. I think it was a one off though and the staff at Yeovil Junction do usually meet me though I think the Ticket Office does usually only have one member of staff per shift so I’m always conscious they could get caught up with something else.
It’s an interesting thought but I don’t know if the taxi company would be happy with that and I’m not sure if taxi drivers are trained to sighted guide? Or how it stands with railway insurance if a taxi driver provides the assistance?
The taxi driver wouldn't be insured to provide assistance away from the taxi, so it would be a non starter from both the railway's and taxi company's perspective.
Train and insure at least some of them then. After all there are taxis built or adapted for wheelchair users so why not cater for other disabilities too? If the passenger is getting a taxi to/from the station, which I imagine is often the case, the driver would already be there anyway.
It occurs to me that assistance would be useful in other places besides inaccessible railway stations. Perhaps 'assistance taxis' could become a general thing, perhaps with a fee payable by the passenger out of their PIP (Personal Independence Payment)?
I mean, in many cases, I could imagine that the person assisting with the boarding of a passenger may be the same person assisting with the alighting of said passenger, if they're going from unstaffed station to unstaffed station. At which point, maybe the passenger assistance vehicle could indeed carry passengers, much like an accessible taxi. Doesn't account for all assistance needs etc, and often people will be going from unstaffed to staff and vice-versa, but could be a legitimate option, and in some cases, quicker.
Train and insure at least some of them then. After all there are taxis built or adapted for wheelchair users so why not cater for other disabilities too? If the passenger is getting a taxi to/from the station, which I imagine is often the case, the driver would already be there anyway.
It occurs to me that assistance would be useful in other places besides inaccessible railway stations. Perhaps 'assistance taxis' could become a general thing, perhaps with a fee payable by the passenger out of their PIP (Personal Independence Payment)?
Assistance is needed in other places sometimes but I feel if I was to get in a discussion about that it would be taking the thread off topic.
Again re PIP I’d be taking the thread off topic to get into a discussion about it but despite being registered severely visually impaired (and having a mental health condition) with upcoming possible changes to benefit criteria im not convinced I’ll definitely always qualify. At present I do and I have to make tough decisions carefully about how to spend the money.
That said I think it’s important I try and stay on topic.
Assistance is needed in other places sometimes but I feel if I was to get in a discussion about that it would be taking the thread off topic.
Again re PIP I’d be taking the thread off topic to get into a discussion about it but despite being registered severely visually impaired (and having a mental health condition) with upcoming possible changes to benefit criteria im not convinced I’ll definitely always qualify. At present I do and I have to make tough decisions carefully about how to spend the money.
That said I think it’s important I try and stay on topic.
Rural sort of areas are always going to be difficult as they don't have the spread of stations of more urban areas to make the staffing financially viable - in my own area for example Sleaford and Boston are fairly large towns but both just have a morning single shift despite Sleaford in particular being an interchange with 3 platforms and it is not unusual for it to be unstaffed due to shortages. The train guards will help with exiting if necessary with the delay being absorbed by the TOC but that doesn't help with entering.
Guaranteeing staffing will come at a cost and it is largely down to the Government as to whether they wish to do that - I suspect the answer will be not, but there needs to be a better focus on mitigating the issues caused.
I am glad your MP is taking things seriously though, they're evidently paying attention to what you have to say.
An there's plenty of places as big, or bigger, than Boston and Sleaford that have no or minimal staffing too, in more urban areas so not isolated, but with typical urban traffic issues making getting to stations quicker than the train a non-starter.
I dont think the railway is unique in that respect but again we are going off topic and I think you are deliberately trying to make me feel bad which you are succeeding in doing. Which is a shame because I’m just trying to get back my confidence travelling from my local station and I feel I and my local station have both been working hard the past few weeks to make things work.
If you want to have a thread to discuss whether it’s unfair that the railway ‘have to provide assistance’ than I’m sure you are free to create one.
Many places provide me with assistance including bus drivers, shops, shopping centres, cafes, event venues and theatres and most do it without commotion as does the railway the majority of the time. Utility providers and others often provide bills and communication in alternative formats so no the railway is not the only one to have to provide assistance.
I much rather people want to assist than feel they have to.
I will be taking a break from coming back to this thread for now.
Ideally, there would be people living close to each station and willing to turn out at short notice any time between the first and last trains of the day for, say, ten minutes work which would probably be at minimum wage. Perhaps they could offer free travel as an incentive.
Mobile Assist Team staff work normal hours, and can do other duties when they're not doing assists. You could not expect to hope someone is at home and ready and able to rush into their car to a station at short notice, then pay them for ten minutes!
I dont think the railway is unique in that respect but again we are going off topic and I think you are deliberately trying to make me feel bad which you are succeeding in doing. Which is a shame because I’m just trying to get back my confidence travelling from my local station and I feel I and my local station have both been working hard the past few weeks to make things work.
If you want to have a thread to discuss whether it’s unfair that the railway ‘have to provide assistance’ than I’m sure you are free to create one.
Many places provide me with assistance including bus drivers, shops, shopping centres, cafes, event venues and theatres and most do it without commotion as does the railway the majority of the time. Utility providers and others often provide bills and communication in alternative formats so no the railway is not the only one to have to provide assistance.
I much rather people want to assist than feel they have to.
I will be taking a break from coming back to this thread for now.
Please don't feel you need to leave the subject. I find your insight very useful, not least as I have several visually impaired friends and have found myself chairing a visual impairment charity so your observations are of great interest.
Mobile Assist Team staff work normal hours, and can do other duties when they're not doing assists. You could not expect to hope someone is at home and ready and able to rush into their car to a station at short notice, then pay them for ten minutes!
would you guarantee to be available if/whenever needed? A token reward which costs the rail company almost nothing and you are dangling 7 days a week just in case?
That sums up the gig economy.
would you guarantee to be available if/whenever needed? A token reward which costs the rail company almost nothing and you are dangling 7 days a week just in case?
That sums up the gig economy.
Obviously not, but assistance is often (usually?) pre-booked. If neither I nor another casual assistant was available it would be a taxi to/from the nearest staffed or accessible station or a travelling TOC employee as at present.
Passengers who turned up without booking may find an assistant was available straight away or have to wait as they do now.
It's not the cost to the TOC of the free travel, it's the value to me. A return from Yeovil Junction to Waterloo is nearly £150. I'd be happy with that for, say, a dozen assists.
Gigs suit some of us, and many like to feel they're giving something back to society and even do so for nothing.
Obviously not, but assistance is often (usually?) pre-booked. If neither I nor another casual assistant was available it would be a taxi to/from the nearest staffed or accessible station or a TOC employee as at present.
I may be unduly cynical, but I can't see today's railway coping with this level of "If: then, otherwise option b - or fallback to option c."
We have read of loads of grief suffered by people who should have been put into a taxi when the train service had gone down the pan. How robust do you think your suggestion really is?
It would literally be a few quid, given minimum wage is hourly and you are doing 10 minutes work. You'd need to don a uniform and confirm the details of where to be and when, and who to assist. You'll also need training on use of the ramps etc.
Can you not see how this idea isn't going to work even if you lived literally next door? What next, TOCs call up local people to ask them to shut down or dispatch a train?
What if you're asleep, away, sick, hungover (indeed you better not drink or take any drugs ever again).. Does the person needing assistance get told 'sorry, you can't travel to/from this station today'?
It would literally be a few quid, given minimum wage is hourly and you are doing 10 minutes work. You'd need to don a uniform and confirm the details of where to be and when, and who to assist. You'll also need training on use of the ramps etc.
Can you not see how this idea isn't going to work even if you lived literally next door.
What if you're asleep, away, sick, hungover (indeed you better not drink or take any drugs ever again).. Does the person needing assistance get told 'sorry, you can't travel to/from this station today'?
With the free travel it would be more like ten quid per assist. I'm sure a hi-vis, badge and ID card would suffice. A text message or email from the TOC would give me the details of the job. Presumably that's how it works for station staff?
The training would be an enjoyable and interesting day out.
I'd make my availability known in advance and I explained what happens if I'm unavailable above.
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I may be unduly cynical, but I can't see today's railway coping with this level of "If: then, otherwise option b - or fallback to option c."
We have read of loads of grief suffered by people who should have been put into a taxi when the train service had gone down the pan. How robust do you think your suggestion really is?
With the free travel it would be more like ten quid per assist. I'm sure a hi-vis, badge and ID card would suffice. A text message or email from the TOC would give me the details of the job. Presumably that's how it works for station staff?
You'd need to have all the same checks as a normal member of staff, given you're alone with someone who may have specific needs. So that's a criminal records check, and the need for a uniform, compliance with drug and alcohol policies and so on. You also need to be home and ready to assist with short notice, from first train to last. Maybe when there are rail replacement buses, you can assist there? Is that okay?
Assuming you don't live next door to the station, you'll need transportation. MAT staff get vehicles provided. I doubt you will get one for the odd 10 minutes here and there.
I am only continuing to comment because I actually think you're serious. Apologies if I'm falling for an obvious prank.
You'd need to have all the same checks as a normal member of staff, given you're alone with someone who may have specific needs. So that's a criminal records check, and the need for a uniform, compliance with drug and alcohol policies and so on. You also need to be home and ready to assist with short notice, from first train to last. Maybe when there are rail replacement buses, you can assist there? Is that okay?
Assuming you don't live next door to the station, you'll need transportation. MAT staff get vehicles provided. I doubt you will get one for the odd 10 minutes here and there.
I am only continuing to comment because I actually think you're serious. Apologies if I'm falling for an obvious prank.
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