Here's how it works at one such station where I worked, with three separate TOCs. I have done both the controller and CSA roles that I am about to describe.
At 01:00, the station control receive (used to be by fax, now by email) the assistance list for that day. 20-25 A4 pages is about average, I have seen as many as 70 pages.
The controller takes that information and types it into a spreadsheet, showing:
- Time of assistance
- TOC
- Headcode
- Planned platform
- Customer's name
- Assistance required
- Booked location on the train
- Originating station
- Destination station
This is then distributed to the assistance staff (two for each TOC) at the start of shift, along with any relevant information (e.g. no working lifts at a station).
When a job is confirmed by a station (let's say Manchester Piccadilly), the controller logs who they spoke to at what time, the controller will (hopefully) get the above information from the departure station, and then which CSA they passed the job to at which time:
e.g. John 08:28 Nick 08:30.
When that CSA has met the customer, it is up to them to finish the assistance. That might mean escorting them to other transport (taxi, bus etc.) or to another CSA that is doing assistance for another TOC. In this case, the assistance may be logged as two separate jobs, e.g.:
Mrs Jones needs a wheelchair, arriving from A to B at 09:15, then departing B to C at 10:00.
The CSA calls the control room and they log when the job is completed, e.g. Nick 11:48
All this information is recorded on the spreadsheet.
Once a CSA is confirmed as accepting that job, it is up to them to do it. If they get called away for some reason, they MUST arrange someone else to cover that assistance.
When a customer travels from the station, the CSA meets them, carries out the assistance and then confirms all the information above to the controller. If ther is a train manager, they should inform them, or the driver (if possible) if it's DOO.
The controller confirms all this information to the destination station, again recording who they spoke to and the time.
e.g Nick 08:29 John 08:48.
The CSA is logged as the time they confirmed the assistance, not the train that the customer travels on.
If an assistance is unbooked (an 'additional'), then the procedure is carried out as above. it is certainly not unusual for 'additionals' to outnumber booked assists.
The difficulties arise when:
- a booked job is not confirmed (either as having travelled or as a 'no show'). If the controller has time, they will call the boarding station and try and find the information but this isn't always a) possible or b) successful.
The mantra is 'you must meet a booked job', i.e. be on the platform ready. Now, if the incoming train is any more than four coaches, then it can be difficult to find the customer, because the CSA has no idea where they are on the train. They know where they *should* be, but these are not always the same thing! This is the first stage where assistance can fall down.
And with station dwell times being so short, this is where there is the biggest opportunity for assistance to fail.
- information passed is not correct. If the boarding station say '4th coach from London end', and it's actually 4th from the country end, then there's another issue. If the information was 'station wheelchair required' but it's actually a customer needing a ramp, then there is yet another issue.
- when a customer is departing the station, they may not make themselves known to staff. Even though there is a Meeting Point, not everyone makes their way there. In a big, busy station, it is not impossible for customers to get missed.
- sometimes destination stations don't (or can't) answer the phone. In that case, the controller will try and contact the TOC control to pass the information on.
In cases like Christmas and Easter, often managers come out of the offices and assist with assistance (if you see what I mean!)
I don't know what their current stats are, but when I left that station, 'assistances missed' were recorded as 0.2% of all assistances.