Passengers now only need to give 10 minutes’ notice for assistance on South Western Railway

Disabled and elderly passengers will no longer have to book in advance for assistance to travel on South Western Railway services.

The launch of assisted boarding points at stations on the SWR will allow passengers to contact a customer service team member who can then alert the guard on the next available train to ensure assistance is provided. According to SWR, this will only require ten minutes notice, a change to the usual industry practise of requesting assistance the day before travel.

The points, which will be rolled out on all platforms across SWR’s 189 stations over the next few months. The points will all have clear signage with a QR code that customers can scan to send details of their journey and the type of assistance they require. The scheme is an industry first and it is hoped that it will make travel more accessible and provide more efficient assistance.

A spokesman for SWR told reporters: “We know that not every journey is planned in advance, and indeed they shouldn’t have to be. We’re proud to be launching this industry first service, which will make it markedly easier for our customers who require assistance to travel with minimum fuss or difficulty.”