Operator’s to be Ranked on Assisted Rail Travel

A report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) shows satisfaction with assisted rail travel remains unchanged as it sets out a new operator rating system.

Its latest survey shows once again there remain too many instances of passengers not receiving the help they had booked.

As part of the regulator’s priorities for the coming year, it will now benchmark and rate each operator on its delivery of passenger assistance to better target interventions.

More than 8,700 people participated in the Experiences of Passenger Assist survey, and while 94% of passengers were satisfied with the assistance they received, the service remains inconsistent with 11% reporting that they received none of the assistance that they booked.

Other key findings from the report:

·       88% were satisfied with the service from booking to receiving assistance in 2024-2025 compared to 87% in 2023-2024

·       Four in five (82%) passengers who booked assistance felt they were met in an acceptable time frame, compared to 80% in 2023-2024

·       The proportion of passengers who were not met at all stayed the same in both 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 (10%)

·       The proportion of passengers who received all of the assistance that they booked (78%) remained comparable to 2023-2024 (76%)

In the latest Annual Rail Consumer Report ORR set out its priorities for rail accessibility for the coming year, which includes its first report ranking each operator on how well it is delivering assistance.

Operators will be marked on reliability, passenger satisfaction and staff training. The poorest performing operators will also be assessed on their capability to improve, including considering how they monitor their delivery of assistance and how they identify risks that affect performance.

The first report will be published this autumn.

“Ensuring that disabled passengers consistently receive the support they need to travel by train requires clear focus, collaboration and a commitment to continuous improvement,” said Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform.

“Our latest survey shows that overall passenger satisfaction has plateaued, and we know that, in some instances, assistance failures can leave passengers feeling powerless and frustrated.

“This new rating system will help us target our efforts and use resources effectively, focusing on working with those operators where improvement is most needed to deliver better outcomes for passengers.”

To find out more visit https://www.orr.gov.uk