Passenger assistance can be improved still further, regulator concludes

A study by rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road into how train operators at busy rail stations communicate and record requests by passengers for assistance has found that a dedicated staff app has proven beneficial.

The Passenger Assist app is the shared industry software system for logging and managing assistance requests, which all operators are required to use when passengers book assistance. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) manages Passenger Assist on behalf of operators.

However, the study also concludes that there is much more scope to use data and the technology to make further improvements for passengers.

The ORR study is part of wider accessibility work aimed at improving the reliability of assistance for those passengers who need it. Staff communicating the assistance needs between stations is a key factor in successful delivery.

When assistance fails, it can be distressing for the passengers impacted. This latest report from ORR highlights the areas for improvement and follows the regulator’s previous work in 2024, which assessed the delivery of assistance by operators.

Consumer teams visited five busy stations to discover how the handover procedures worked in reality. Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Crewe, London Kings Cross and Manchester Piccadilly were the selected stations, and the ORR teams found that technologies such as the Passenger Assist staff app and dashboard mean staff providing assistance can better manage and respond to both booked and turn-up-and-go assistance requests, significantly reducing the risk of information being lost or miscommunicated between stations.

As a result of these visits and other investigations, the study concluded that stations with structured approaches to risk management and regular staff engagement demonstrate stronger continuous improvement and accountability.

However, ORR has found that, while the Passenger Assist system records the outcome of assistance requests, this data is not routinely reviewed to identify trends or help make improvements to the service. The regulator also noted that there was an increased risk of missed or misunderstood information, where some stations are moving away from telephone handovers without clearly communicating this with other operators or stations.

A number of recommendations have been made for operators and Network Rail at stations that deliver high volumes of passenger assistance. These include:

• Train operators should hold regular staff meetings at station-level to go through assistance data, to help identify and address the causes of assistance failings.
• Train operators should review how they can make best use of the Passenger Assist staff app and dashboard to improve communications between stations, and to inform ORR if they believe they can deliver equivalent or better outcomes for passengers without routinely making phone calls. ORR would assess the risks to passengers from the proposed updates to the communications processes.

The ORR will consult with operators before the summer to discuss the findings and recommendations from the report.

 ORR director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said: “The way assistance requests are communicated between stations is essential to making sure a passenger gets the help they need and expect. The process needs to work in practice and it’s essential to use data from the latest technology to learn and improve.

“We look forward to meeting with operators soon to talk through these positive and common-sense steps, which should support a more reliable service for passengers.”