Passenger Assist: free help at the station and on the train

If you need help at a station or on a train — because of a disability, age, an injury or a temporary limitation — Passenger Assist operates across the whole UK rail network. You can use it by booking in advance or by turning up without a booking. Here is how it works.

How do you arrange help?

One contact is enough — a call to the operator's assisted travel line, an email, or the Passenger Assistance app (built by the firm Transreport). A single request covers a journey with changes across several companies: you are given a unique reference number and sent a confirmation, which you should check. If you wish, you can buy your ticket in the same contact.

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How many hours ahead should you book?

The railway recommends giving at least 2 hours before you travel. Under the rules of the regulator ORR, an operator cannot require more than two hours, and some need no notice at all. The earlier you book, the more reliable it is: those who booked in advance get priority.

What if you could not book?

There is a Turn Up and Go option: you can arrive at an accessible station without a booking and ask staff for help. At unstaffed stations there is a Help Point or a freephone to call for assistance. But there is no guarantee here: if staff are busy elsewhere, you may miss your intended train, so booking is more reliable.

What does the help include?

The service tells you which stations are accessible and what they have; helps you get around the station; helps you board, brings a ramp and shows you to your seat; meets you on arrival and takes you to your next train or the exit. Under the National Rail Conditions of Travel, staff will help carry up to 3 pieces of luggage free of charge. The assistance itself is provided at no extra cost.

Who qualifies, and what if the help does not come?

Passenger Assist is not only for wheelchair users. Help is available to people with sight or hearing impairments, older passengers, pregnant travellers, those with an injury or temporary limitation, and people with "hidden" conditions — for whom there is, for example, the sunflower lanyard that staff recognise. The assistance is provided at no extra charge. If booked help does not arrive — say no one meets you with a ramp — the operator has a complaints process and possible redress under its Accessible Travel Policy, which the regulator ORR approves. Report the failure to the operator, keeping your booking reference number.

Each operator has its own line — for example, ScotRail is 0800 0461634 (textphone 18001 0800 0461634) and c2c is 03457 444 422 (option 3). The Passenger Assistance app brings operators together in one place. Help booked in advance turns a difficult change into a calm journey.