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Assisting disabled passengers: South Western Rail’s new assistance scheme

Travelling as a disabled passenger can be a stressful, anxiety inducing experience which involves booking railway assistance hours or even days in advance to ensure help will be available on arrival. South Western Rail’s (SWR) launch of a new assistance scheme sees disabled passengers being able to turn up and receive assistance ten minutes before travelling, rather than pre-planning.

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With over 14 million disabled individuals in the UK, the importance of railway assistance in the form of staff members on hand, ramps and other accessibility solutions, is imperative to ensure these passengers receive all the help they require for their journey.

At present if assistance is required by a disabled or older passenger this must be booked in advance to ensure staff at the station and on trains are able to provide the help that is needed. This process adds an extra layer of planning to travel which can impact the overall enjoyment of a spontaneous trip.

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Heathrow express.

Launched by SWR the ‘assisted boarding points’ – which will be located on SWR 189 stations – will allow passengers to interact with a QR code which will send details of their journey and assistance required to SWR staff.

Alan Benson, who sits on SWR’s accessibility panel and chairs Transport for All – the only UK disability organisation who exclusively focuses on transport – discusses the new service and how he has been impacted by accessibility rail issues.

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Frankie Youd (FY): Could you tell me about the new assistance scheme and how it works?

Alan Benson (AB):  In an ideal world I would roll up to the station in my wheelchair, I’d get on the train, just like everybody else, and get off the other end. The problem of course is railway staff are busy doing other things. Historically the railway companies have always said you need to contact us 24 hours in advance for book assistance, that’s not always been successful.

Train companies one by one have been implementing their own solutions for this. SWR have implemented ‘assisted boarding points’ at un-staffed stations. At these points there’s a poster on the wall with a QR code, and a phone number. The QR code takes you to WhatsApp or you can ring the phone number.

You say I’m at this station, I’m going to wherever you’re going to, tell them the assistance that you need, they will then contact a guard on the next train, warn the guard that you’re there so when they arrive they’ll come and find you and help you on the train.

We’ve gone from two to three hours planning ahead to turning up at the station and it taking 10 or 15 minutes.

When is this scheme going to available? Have you tested it?

It is available now, they’ve been testing it for six months I think. Unfortunately, they came up with the idea just before Covid-19, so when everybody stopped travelling that made the testing a bit difficult. The idea is to give disabled people sight of their booking, if you ring up and book you’ve got no evidence that it’s been booked – with this you have got an acknowledgement and you know what’s going on.

I do have dexterity issues so using a mobile phone is not easiest thing in the world. So, for me it wasn’t the easiest solution, but having said that it’s a lot better than the other alternatives.

Obviously, there’s some issues. If you’re blind or partially sighted and can’t see the poster – it’s no good to you. If you’ve not got a mobile phone, it’s no good to you. If you’re blind or partially sighted because the number on the WhatsApp is the same across the network you could pre-set up your phone before when you’re at home, but that takes a bit of planning.

How have you been impacted by lack of accessibility while travelling?

The thing that enables most people to travel is confidence that the solution will work, it’s really hard to build up confidence, but very easy to destroy. Everybody I know has been left on a train beyond their destination. It’s so common that the railway industry has a name for it: being over carried.

There was one occasion where I had an assistant with me, she got off the train to find me a ramp or some platform staff. The door shut and the train left while she’s still on the platform and I’m on the train. Only one quarter of the stations are accessible to disabled users so I couldn’t get off at the next station and turn around because it’s not accessible. It was another four stations before there was one that I could get off at and turn around.

Do you think the industry should be doing more within this area?

I have been doing this for about 10 years and the resistance that you come up with, particularly in the rail industry, the basic response is: “we can’t do that because we’ve always done it this way.”

The rail industry is particularly inert and resistant to change. There are some people in the industry who are really committed to making change, but the barrier we always come up against is particularly around health and safety.

What we learned during Covid-19 is when push comes to shove the industry can change, and it can change very quickly if it needs to. If enough motivation is there it can change, that gives us as campaigners some hope.

However, the other thing that’s come out of Covid-19 is all of the initiatives, all of the staff training concerning disabled passengers has been put to one side because everybody’s been focusing on Covid. There’s a lot of new members of staff on the railway, they’ve not been able to be trained properly because they can’t do large meetings.

The other thing is that disabled people haven’t been travelling, many of them have been isolating – railway staff have got out of that habit of helping them. What we’re seeing is that the level of service has gone down since the pandemic, the number of stories on Twitter that you’re seeing about people being left on trains, and people not being able to get on trains during the pandemic has increased.

I have been quite disappointed by the assistance kings cross station recently they’re ability to meet disabled people of the train has been quite appalling. Today no one met me or the wheelchair user in the carriage of the train today and no platform staff anywhere to be seen — Guide dog and blind moments (@dog_moments) July 23, 2021

Where have you noticed change within the industry?

Heathrow Express was step free with level boarding: Paddington to Heathrow the trains were level access I didn’t need assistance to get on one. In an ideal world as a wheelchair user, I would like to be able to just get on and off trains. If there was no gap, if there was no step then I wouldn’t need a ramp.

They’ve just replaced the whole fleet with a new fleet of trains that are not level access, so they have taken a really big step backwards. Whereas I used to just turn up and roll on then roll off, now I need assistance, now I need a ramp. This is an example where things are getting worse.

On the positive side you look at Greater Anglia, they’ve just bought new trains that have ramps built into them. I turn up and wheel on and off, they are much safer in terms of platform to train interface. Mersey Rail are just about to introduce a new fleet of trains, they are also level access. What they’ve done is they’ve altered all the platforms across the network, so that now you don’t need a ramp at any of their stations.

There are shining examples of good practice, but mixed in with them are some dreadful examples of taking steps backwards.

What would you like the future to hold?

The rail industry has been training platform staff, training the passenger facing staff in disability equality for the last 10 years. Most of that training hasn’t been delivered by disabled people. I strongly believe that if you’re going to train about disability equality then disabled people ought to be doing it.

I would like to see the rail industry train the back-office staff, the project managers, the senior managers, the directors, and get them out on the network with disabled people to see what their journeys are like. This is something that Transport for All has been doing with London Underground. The interesting thing is, they come away from that training realising that with the decisions that they make every day it’s within their power to make a difference.

I think with all the government initiatives, the National Disability Strategy, all of these things are great – but until the senior managers understand the impact that they can have, that’s what’s going to make the difference. We need accessibility to be considered in the same way that health and safety is. Health and safety is at the heart of every decision – if you put accessibility up there as well that’s how we will get significant change.

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South Western Railway launches 10 minutes’ notice assistance scheme

Disabled or elderly passengers will no longer have to book hours or a day in advance to travel

Disabled or elderly passengers who need assistance to board trains will be able to turn up and travel rather than book six hours ahead, under a scheme launched by South Western Railway.

The launch of “assisted boarding points” at stations on SWR, one of Britain’s biggest networks, allows passengers to contact a customer service team who then alert the guard on the next available train to ensure assistance is provided.

SWR said the service would require only 10 minutes’ notice. Standard industry practice is usually to request bookings the day before travel if possible to guarantee assistance.

The points, to be rolled out on all platforms across SWR’s 189 stations in the coming months, will include clear signage with a QR code that customers scan to send details of their journey and the type of assistance they require, such as a wheelchair ramp or visual impairment support.

The rail network described the scheme as an industry first that would make travel more accessible and the provision of assistance more efficient.

A spokesman said: “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.”

Campaigners welcomed the scheme, but pointed out it would only help those with smartphones, and there was still much to do to ensure accessible travel.

Alan Benson, who sits on SWR’s accessibility panel and chairs Transport for All, has tested the assisted boarding point at his local station, Teddington in south-west London. He said: “Getting help on and off the train is vital for disabled people travelling, and this is the most common source of problems. Anything that makes this easier has to be welcomed.

“Other schemes set disabled people apart from other people’s travel experience. All across the country you have rail companies coming up with ideas to tackle a problem that we think should not be there. Given that caveat, SWR’s is probably the best of those.”

Katie Pennick, the campaigns lead at Transport for All, said current national schemes and apps, such as Passenger Assistance, often failed to guarantee help, adding that staff shortages during the pandemic had worsened the situation. “There are no shortage of horror stories. In an ideal world – certainly in an accessible world – disabled people would be able to travel with the same ease and spontaneity as anyone else, and independently.”

Both Benson and Pennick said major investment and commitment in the UK were needed to create level boarding between platforms and trains, in order to allow many passengers, particularly wheelchair users, to travel independently.

• Rail industry

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• South Western Railway
• Transport for All
• Christian Neill
• Alan Benson

Author: Connor Fairhurst

Job Title: Journalist

Company: Rail Technology Magazine

Published: November 25th 2021

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South Western Railway introduce Assisted Boarding Points at stations

South Western Railway (SWR) have introduced an industry first Assisted Boarding Points to its stations across London to help improve accessibility.

Customers at SWR stations will find Assisted Boarding Points on platforms where they can WhatsApp or call a dedicated customer service team.

The customer service team will contact the guard on the next available service and ensure assistance is provided when the train arrives.

Customers will need to give just 10 minutes notice prior to travelling.

Clear signage with a QR code will be available for customers to scan to instantly message the team with details of their journey.

A telephone number will also be readily available.

Customers will need to give details of their departure and destination stations and the type of assistance they need.

This can include a wheelchair ramp, support getting onto the train due to visual impairment, reduced mobility or an injury.

The Assisted Boarding Points will help to improve the overall travel experience for customers.

Christian Neill, Customer Experience Director at SWR commented on the improved travel experience the scheme will bring.

Mr Neill said: “ We’re really pleased that our industry first assistance service is now available at our London stations.

“It makes it possible for all of our customers who require assistance to travel with minimum fuss or difficulty, wherever they are on our network.

“This is just one way in which we’re boosting the accessibility of our network and helping all of our customers to travel with confidence.”

Alan Benson, Chair of Transport for All elaborated further on the importance of Assisted Boarding Points.

Mr Benson said: “Getting help on and off the train is vital for disabled people travelling, and this is the most common source of problems.

“Anything that makes this easier has to be welcomed.

“This initiative by SWR puts disabled travellers in control of their own journeys and will give them the confidence that is too often missing.”

Further information on the Assisted Boarding Points can be found at the SWR website .

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Passenger Assist

Passenger Assist is a service available for older and disabled passengers travelling on the rail network.

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How to book Passenger Assist

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The National Rail Enquiries website has information on how to book assistance in a variety of ways, including the Passenger Assistance Smartphone App. It also has detailed information on the accessibility of all stations. You can also call or text National Rail Enquiries to arrange assistance

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Sunflower lanyards are available in participating managed stations  – if you are travelling through our stations you can ask a member of staff for one. You can also download the exemption card below to print off or display on your phone.

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Book passenger assist with the transreport app..

The Transreport app takes the time and fuss out of having to call our contact centre. Instead, input your requirements and book passenger assist on the go. Download the Transreport App via the links below:

Need assistance for your journey?

By letting us know your travel requirements in advance, we can help make sure you have a hassle-free journey.

Passenger Assist can be booked up to two hours before your journey.

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To book passenger assist for your next journey you can contact us via using the methods detailed below:

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If you're going to buy or have already purchased a ticket for an upcoming journey you’ll able to book passenger assistance before you travel.

• Sign in to your account (top right the Avanti West Coast website). Then go to “My bookings”.
• Select an upcoming journey you wish to book assistance by clicking the “Book passenger assist” button.
• Fill out your requirements and we'll take care of the rest.

Book Passenger Assist using the Transreport App

You can book Passenger Assist using the Transreport App.

This app takes the time and fuss out of having to call our contact centre. Instead, you can input your requirements and book passenger assist on the go. Click the links below to download it now:

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Book Passenger Assist for your next trip by using  online form .

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What is Passenger Assist?

Passenger Assist is our service for passengers with special travel requirements.

It gives us the ability to:

• Arrange assistance
• Help you on and off our trains
• Reserve wheelchair spaces and seats
• Provide you with detailed rail information 
• Assist with any animals or pets you have with you

Please let our team know if you’d like to maintain social distancing during the Passenger Assistance process.

Find out how we're  Making Rail Accessible and learn more about our policies and practices .

More information

Book passenger assist via our phone line.

Call us on 0345 528 0253 - option 3  -  we're open 24 hours a day Monday to Sunday . Tickets can also be purchased using this service.

You can find station accessibility information here:

Station information And, you can find information on all temporary reductions in accessibility of each station we call at by visiting our journey check page here:

Will assistance still be available if I haven’t booked?

If you need a hand on the day and haven’t booked, we will do everything that we can to help. Please speak to a member of our team. If there are no members of our team available, please contact us on social media @avantiwestcoast or by using the station help points.

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We recognise that not every disability is visible, and we hope all our customers can travel with dignity. That’s why we’ve partnered with The Sunflower Scheme. By wearing The Sunflower Scheme lanyard, you can discreetly indicate to our staff that you may need additional support, a little more time or that you’re unable to wear a face covering.

To find out more, please click here .

Alongside this, we also still recognise Just a Minute (JAM) cards. For more information about JAM cards, please take a look here: JAM cards

What if I need help with my luggage?

We can help with your luggage, but we’d really appreciate if you could limit the amount you bring along to the essentials.

Wheelchair users

Space for wheelchairs can often be limited, so it’s usually best to let us know at least 24 hours before you travel. You’ll have peace of mind for the journey and we’ll be able to arrange for a member of the team to give you any help you need. Booking ahead will also help us plan with Network Rail and other train operators to improve your onward journey.

Wheelchairs and scooters carried

• Width: 700mm
• Length: 1200mm
• Weight: (including passenger) 300kg

If we do not provide the support you booked.

Our teams work hard to provide you with the help and assistance you need to be able to complete your journey with ease, however we recognise that sometimes, things do not go as planned.

If the assistance you have booked is not provided or does not meet your requirements, please let a member of staff or the Passenger Assist team know at the time so that we can resolve the issue.

If you need to provide feedback after travelling please contact our Passenger Assist Team on 0345 528 0253 - option 3.

Where things have not gone as planned, we will use feedback provided to improve how we work and the approach of others who provide the assistance service on our behalf.

When you have booked assistance and it has not been delivered you will be eligible for compensation for your journey. When your assistance was booked for travel on one of our trains we will provide both the compensation and a response. You can claim this by contacting our Passenger Assist Team. If you were travelling on another train company’s service for all or part of your journey, you can choose to contact them directly, or we can liaise with them on your behalf.

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You can ask for an alternative format by contacting our Customer Resolution or Passenger Assist team on 0345 528 0253 - option 3.

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Luggage Guidelines and support for carrying luggage on board

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Find a quieter train Want to have the best chance of getting a seat?

Wi-Fi on board Keeping you connected

Station information

Car parking Parking availability and information across our stations

All stations (A-Z) Facilities, addresses, maps and more, for all stations

Getting to the station Find out about taxis, buses and how to get to the station

Tickets & Payment methods

Off-Peak Reduced fares during off-peak hours

Super Off-Peak weekdays Reduced fares during off-peak weekdays

Anytime Tickets valid for travel at any time

Child tickets Child fares and discounts for young people

First Class Guarantee a seat and power socket

Season tickets Discounted long-term tickets for regular commuters

Flexi Season Flexible season ticket options for part-time commuters

Advance tickets Discounted tickets booked ahead of travel

Transport for London Off-Peak Fridays trial Off-peak fares on Fridays for a limited time

Ways to pay eTickets, Smartcard and Oyster card payment methods

Discounts & Offers

Unizone Discounted ticket for students in Brighton and Worthing

Railcards Save up to 1/3 off tickets with railcards

DaySave Cost-effective day pass for unlimited off-peak travel

GroupSave Off-peak saving sfor 3-9 adults travelling together

PlusBus Combined train, bus and tram tickets

2FOR1 offers 2-for-1 entry at attractions in London, Brighton and more

Kids for £2 Cheaper child fares starting from just £2

Accessibility

Book assistance Our online form for booking assistance for your journey

Assisted travel Assistance for those with access needs

Priority seat card A badge for those who require priority seating

Support whilst you're travelling Information and guidance on accessing our trains

Wheelchairs & Mobility scooters Guidelines for wheelchairs and mobility scooters

Help & Support

Contact us Need help? Find out how to get in touch

Delay Repay Compensation for unexpected delays and cancellations

Refunds & Amendments How to refund and change your ticket

Money Back Guarantee Plans can change, and it's fine to change your mind

Penalty fares Information on penalty fares and prosecutions

Failed to carry Submit proof of your ticket or railcard

Lost property Lost property services, collection and enquires

First Class claim form First class claim form for reimbursement

At Southern we’re committed to accessible travel for everyone. Our assisted travel scheme Passenger Assist helps passengers with disabilities and older people who need a little extra help using our services.

At Southern, we are committed to making sure everyone can travel with confidence. The industry assisted travel scheme ‘Passenger Assist’, enables disabled and older people who prefer to request their assistance in advance, up to two hours before their journey.

Many of our passengers travel on our network without booking assistance (turn up and go), which is something we’re proud of. No matter how you choose to travel, please make yourself known to a member of staff or use a Help Point when you arrive at the station.

How to book assisted travel with Passenger Assist

There are several ways to book Passenger Assist. You can fill in our assisted travel booking form online  or you can contact us via telephone or text message.

Book online:

Fill in our assisted travel booking form online

Call us on: 0800 138 1016 (your information may be recorded) Textphone: 0800 138 1018

Our assisted travel helpline is open 24 hours a day, except on Christmas Day. To make sure we have staff available to help you, we recommend you book at least two hours in advance of travelling. We can tell you about your nearest station with step-free access and give information about ramps and lifts. We can also arrange help both at stations and on trains, as well as provide train times and travel information. If you’d like help with planning your journey and booking a train ticket in advance, please call our assisted travel team at least seven days before you’d like to travel. If your journey involves another train company, we may need to confirm part of your journey with them. If this is the case, we will discuss options with you. Or, should you wish to contact other operators directly, contact details are available on National Rail’s website .

Book assisted travel

You can also request assistance via Passenger Assistance by Transreport – a new smartphone app. Find out more .

What to do when you arrive at the station

To offer you the best assistance possible, we recommend that you arrive at the station 20 minutes before your train is due to depart. When you arrive let a member of staff know, you require assistance, or you’ve booked assisted travel.

We can help you:

• buy a ticket and anything else you may want for your journey
• show you where to go – you’ll need to get to the platform 5 minutes before your train leaves
• get around the station, providing ramps or another kind transport if you can’t use steps
• board the train and find a seat
• change trains during your journey

We can also carry light luggage and let other stations know you are coming so that you are looked after when you arrive at your destination.

View our resources for further support whilst travelling.

Accessible facilities at the station

Make sure to check our station pages , for information on accessibility at your station.

You can also search for your station on this page , to see if there are any temporary reductions to the accessible facilities.

You can also watch our video to see what’s available at the station .

Our commitment to you

We are committed to working towards providing accessible travel for everyone, and our ongoing programme of access improvements will see more and more stations and trains becoming more accessible.

We know as an industry we can do better to give everyone the confidence to travel. We’re working hard to empower disabled people and others who require assistance by making our services easier to use and have set out our commitments in our Accessible Travel Policy.

For example, the notice you give to pre-book assistance is reduced to two hours before travel, although you’re always welcome to turn up at a station unannounced. All our staff are having improved accessibility training, we’ve enhanced our websites and signs at stations, and we are rolling out mobile assistance teams serving our smaller unstaffed stations.

Learn more about our accessible travel policy .

Watch our Making Rail Accessible videos here for more information

Planning your journey

What's available at the station

Getting on board

Arriving at your destination

Further information

Click to expand each section

Our on-board staff are trained to help you if there is an emergency on the train. In most cases it’s usually safer to stay on the train and tell a member of staff that you need assistance. In an emergency, you should contact a member of staff, or press the emergency button to speak with the driver. We’ll advise you what to do and make sure someone comes to your aid.

We will work with the emergency services to get you off the train safely if you’re in any danger. Speak to our assisted travel team if you’d like to know more about our emergency procedures for disabled people:

Telephone: 0800 138 1016 Textphone 0800 138 1018

If you’ve recently travelled with us using assisted travel and would like to provide feedback on your experience, you can do so through our online contact form .

Customers who have not received the level of assistance they would reasonably expect after they’ve made a booking can contact us via our customer relations team. If a booked assistance fails then customers are asked to contact us as soon as possible, and to include the ticket or proof of purchase and an overview of what went wrong, and we will take appropriate action including arranging to refund the ticket cost.

See our ‘ Easy Read Feedback Guide ’ here.

Explore Assisted travel

• Book assistance for your journey
• Support whilst you're travelling
• Mobile assistance teams
• Wheelchairs and mobility scooters
• Try a train
• Accessible travel policy

Book assisted travel for your journey

If you’d like to book assistance, we can arrange your help, contact you with confirmation and answer any questions you may have.

Stay up-to-date

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We will not pass on your personal information to any organisation outside of Southern.

Should we no longer operate the Southern franchise, please be aware that we will pass your details to the Successor franchise or Secretary of State for Transport to allow you to continue receiving service and/or marketing emails if you have consented to them.

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Southwest USA Tours for Seniors

Explore Southwest USA with other Seniors. These 241 tours include popular destinations like Las Vegas and Grand Canyon National Park.

241 trips for 'over 50s' in Southwest USA with 5,970 reviews

• Mountain Hikes
• Hiking & Trekking

7 Day Southwest National Parks Grand Canyon Camping Tour

Hogan was our tour guide driver, fun fact infotainment, cook, photographer... he was outstanding.

• 5% deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

7 day Southwest National Parks Grand Canyon Tour

Outstanding tour and tour guide. The trip was well organized, with half of the guests camping and half of the guests lodging. John, our tour guide, kept us informed and entertained us during the entire trip. Only criticism is that we had the same lunch just about every day. Highly recommend.

• Christmas & New Year

Mighty 5 From Las Vegas

Excellent tour of the Mighty 5 in Utah. Our guide Robin was knowledgeable and accommodating throughout the tour. Just enough time was allocated for hiking the trails, viewing the sites in the distance and even visiting the Visitor Centers in each park. Hotel/motel accommodations were good and chosen for access to restaurants. Lunch stops with corresponding places to eat were well planned and the food and service was good. We thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Hiking Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite

Great and rewarding experience.

• In-depth Cultural

Vegas to San Fran

Wild Western USA

The tour was amazing. Everything was just how it should be, this was only possible because of our amazing tour guide Chris Patric! Our campgrounds and hotels were just fine. Special Greetings from Berlin. I had the time of my life.

Hiking Utah's Mighty 5

Tour itinerary was well planned in order to see and hike Utah’s Big 5 National parks in 9 days. Our guide Rachel was excellent and did her best to manage 12 clients, drive, buy food, supervise food preparations and clean up, and break camp. However, given the amount of organization needed for camping, meals and driving required; and overseeing the often difficult and strenuous hikes, it would have been a better trip if there were 2 guides instead of only one. This trip went very well because we were an older group with many professionals with administration experience who pitched in to help the trip go smoothly. If a group on this tour does not blend as well as we did, don’t pitch in to do their share of work, and/or do not have experience working as a-team with administration experience, it may not go so well or more likely be a disaster. To avoid this, better to have 2 guides.

USA - The Western Deserts

We have chosen the tour specifically because it was in German and also in other languages shown. Also on our voucher was again confirmed the tour with professional, German-speaking tour guide. Unfortunately, the tour guides did not speak German. We were able to help ourselves a bit with the translation app but we also missed a lot of information. We are very disappointed about this and expect compensation. The tour guides have tried and were very nice also the tour was very nice.

Mighty 5 From Salt Lake City

Wynn was a wonderful guide. Hotels were very nice. No complaints about anything. This is an amazing adventure and the entire trip was flawless.

Incredible Canyons of the West Experience 3D/2N (from Las Vegas)

Great tour!! Our guide, Eduardo, was extraordinary with his knowledge and passion. He was also very entertaining. The 3 day tour was perfect!

• 10% deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Sedona, Monument Valley & Antelope Canyon Experience 3D/2N (from Las Vegas)

The 3 day Sedona trip from LV is expertly organised. Comfortable coach transport with apprecited charging ports. Hotels are a wonderful standard and above others I have been put on on tours of this type. Guides are brilliant and informative. Would definitely pick Bamba again for another tour.

Best of the Canyonlands (7 Days)

Great tour of a vast part of our country. Knowledgeable tour director.

• €100 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Golden West Adventure

NJ is very nice traveling place in us

• Coach / Bus

Best of the West (12 Days)

The tour was good, the destination highlights were amazing! The hotels were good, but sometimes outside towns so there was nothing to do and not much choice for food- a bit disappointing. Breakfast not included. The guide was good, driver amazing! There was a lot of extras to choose from, so spent more than originally anticipated this will cost, especially with tips!

Exploring America's National Parks

It was a nice tour. The itinerary was good, perhaps have more time at each site. Pace quite rapid sometimes, just the time for photos. At the same time there was so much to see, the only way would have been to lengthen the trip which was already long. I would recommend this trip.

What people love about Southwest USA Tours for Seniors

What a lifetime experience everyone needs Jun 2023 • Solo Within 7 days, we drove in 3 states, visited 5 national parks / 2 state parks, hiked 60 miles, made friends from 7 different states/nations, and eventually traveled through the iconic Route 66 back to Las Vegas. What a lifetime experience everyone needs Day 1 - Zion National Park Day 2 - Bryce Canyon National Park Day 3 - Canyonlands National Park Day 4 - Arches National Park Day 5 - Monument Valley Navajo Nation Day 6 - Grand Canyon National Park / Antelope State Day 7- Grand Canyon back to Las Vegas via Historic Route 66 AMAZING!

• Delay Repay |
• Accessibility Tools
• You are not signed in
• Buy tickets You have no items in your basket
• Cheap ticket alerts
• Rangers and Rovers
• Flexi Season ticket
• Weekly season ticket
• Monthly season ticket
• Monthly plus season ticket
• Annual season ticket
• Using a smartcard
• Oyster cards and contactless
• Contactless PAYG extension
• Changes to peak times and tickets on some routes
• Advance tickets
• Anytime tickets
• Off-Peak tickets
• GroupSave train tickets
• Group Travel train tickets
• Evening Out tickets
• Sunday Out tickets
• Super Off-Peak tickets
• Semi Flex Return tickets
• London Travelcards
• TfL Off Peak Fridays
• Tap2Go pay as you go travel
• 16-17 Saver
• 16-25 Railcard
• 26-30 Railcard
• Two Together Railcard
• Disabled Persons Railcard
• Family and Friends Railcard
• HM Forces Railcard
• Veterans Railcard
• Network Railcard
• Senior Railcard
• Paying with Apple Pay
• Paying with Google Pay
• Family train tickets
• Combined ferry and train tickets
• Price promise
• Business Direct
• Industrial action FAQs
• Train times
• Download SWR timetables
• Changes to your journey
• How busy is my train?
• Live times and updates
• Planned engineering works details
• May engineering work
• June engineering work
• July engineering work
• Platform zoning pilot scheme
• Network map
• Car parking
• Live station car parking
• Onward travel
• InPost parcel lockers
• Free Wi-Fi at our stations
• Airport links
• Class 158 "Express Sprinter"
• Class 159 "South Western Turbo"
• Class 444 "Desiro"
• Class 450 "Desiro"
• Class 458 "Juniper"
• Class 707 "Desiro City"
• What can you bring on board?
• First Class
• Window Seater

Assisted Boarding Points

• Accessibility
• Assistance dogs
• Discounted fares
• Sunflower lanyards
• Wheelchairs, scooters and ramps
• Travel Assistance Card
• Travelling with a bike
• Travelling with kids
• A student's guide to train travel
• Travelling with pets
• Customer Council
• Meet the Manager
• Ticket checks and revenue protection
• Safeguarding
• Our performance
• National Rail Passenger Survey
• Our service quality report
• Destinations
• Things to do
• Day trips and breaks
• Business Life
• Local Highlights
• Sights and attractions
• SWR Rewards
• Jack Reacher competition
• 2FOR1 Offers
• Upgrading the Island Line
• Heritage railways
• Delay Repay
• Changing your train tickets
• Strike ticket acceptance, refunds and compensation
• Making a claim after disruption
• Lost property
• Smartcard help and support
• Make a complaint
• My Account |
• Accessibility Tools |
• Cheap train tickets
• Season tickets
• Smart tickets
• Ticket types
• Railcards and discount cards
• How to buy train tickets
• Industrial action
• Planned improvements
• Planned engineering calendar
• Engineering work weekly summary
• Our train stations
• On board facilities
• Assisted travel
• Customer Experience
• Staying safe
• Performance
• Where Next travel blog
• Competitions
• Island Line
• Train ticket refunds

You’re being redirected to an external website.

• Travelling with us /
• Assisted travel /

We’re introducing dedicated Assisted Boarding Points at all of our stations.

Simply WhatsApp us or call us using this number 24 hours a day: 0800 528 6599.

How do Assisted Boarding Points work?

When you arrive at the station:

• Find the Assisted Boarding Point on the platform using:
• information posters,

• announcements, and
• customer information boards around the station.
• Scan the WhatsApp QR code or use our WhatsApp number to send a message or call our contact centre team. You just need to tell us where you are, where you're travelling to, and how we can help.
• We’ll send a text message to the guard of the service that you intend to travel on, providing them with advance notice.
• When the train arrives, the guard will help you to board with the assistance you require.

This service is for any customer who may need assistance - whether it's a mobility or visual impairment, luggage or a hidden disability.

Look out for the Assisted Boarding Points icon on our Station Information Maps to find the boarding point.

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Assisted travel : how we can help / south west trains..

• South West Trains.

About this work

Publication/creation, physical description, contributors, type/technique.

• Railroad trains
• Railroad travel
• Disabled Persons
• Wheelchairs
• South West Trains

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