Dai Corner
Established Member
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- 20 Jul 2015
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I don't have a nearby inaccessible station but I probably wouldn't get anywhere anyeay as the RMT would say "no" .
I'll stop now too as we're veering off topic.
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Assistance Staff Being Provided For Smaller Stations
- Thread starter Kath123
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I'll stop now too as we're veering off topic.
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Dr Hoo
Established Member
‘Community Transport’/Volunteer drivers are a common thing in rural areas as, often retired, people with spare time give lifts and assistance to otherwise housebound people to get to medical appointments, visit partners in care homes and so on. No need for uniforms, high vis, 24/7 availability or whatever. This fills a niche below Dial-a-Ride but above paying for a commercial taxi. Yes there are DBS checks.
Is it the case that all rail staff who may have to assist passengers - guards, platform staff, booking clerks at single-staffed stations - have to clear DBS these days?
Is it the case that all rail staff who may have to assist passengers - guards, platform staff, booking clerks at single-staffed stations - have to clear DBS these days?
Most volunteering still has a schedule. Who would want to earn £3-4 to do an assist at 6am or 11pm, being called just 20-30 minutes previous? Turn up in PJs and a hi-vis? That looks professional for the person who is being assisted! Zero hour contracts surely have at least some core hours where you're expected to be available, but they don't call you at ridiculously short notice and expect you to work for 10 minutes + travel time.
And I would hope someone who will be at close quarters with people with disabilities gets a basic DBS check. Can you imagine if they don't? Suddenly loads of freaks would be lining up to offer their services, giving a 'guiding hand' to people.
I think it's fair to say the RMT would indeed say no, as would everyone else - including those booking assists with no clue as to who will turn up. I mean, what's to say that some random doesn't don a yellow hi-vis and just hang around at a station because we've supposedly accepted that there's no need to have a full uniform etc.
And I would hope someone who will be at close quarters with people with disabilities gets a basic DBS check. Can you imagine if they don't? Suddenly loads of freaks would be lining up to offer their services, giving a 'guiding hand' to people.
I think it's fair to say the RMT would indeed say no, as would everyone else - including those booking assists with no clue as to who will turn up. I mean, what's to say that some random doesn't don a yellow hi-vis and just hang around at a station because we've supposedly accepted that there's no need to have a full uniform etc.
Dai Corner
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- 20 Jul 2015
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- 6,768
I've explained before about availability and unbooked requests for assistance.
And thank you @Dr Hoo for giving an example of people giving similar assistance for nothing except expenses. Some of us genuinely enjoy helping people and enjoy train travel so a small payment plus some free travel in exchange for assistance at stations would be an attractive proposition however strange it seems to others. It's something I'd like to see somebody with influence, such as an MP, take forward.
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renegademaster
Established Member
The silly low (lower than minimum wage) prices delivery riders accept to do food delivery runs show that there would be people available for such a model to work.
UberEats drivers probably don't require as much training and red tape that a passenger assist. They are in theory required to prove immigration status and a basic DBS but the subcontractor model effectively means that they dont. It would not be good optics for National Rail to have passenger assist mainly staffed by illegal immigrants earning less that minimum wage. Not sure how unionized the current assist staff are but they'd probably kick back at being converted into gig workers.
UberEats drivers probably don't require as much training and red tape that a passenger assist. They are in theory required to prove immigration status and a basic DBS but the subcontractor model effectively means that they dont. It would not be good optics for National Rail to have passenger assist mainly staffed by illegal immigrants earning less that minimum wage. Not sure how unionized the current assist staff are but they'd probably kick back at being converted into gig workers.
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Dr Hoo
Established Member
I’m not clear how ‘volunteer’ helpers such as commonly found in rural areas (there’s a story about it in my current village newsletter as it happens) who may help out for car expenses and/or (say) travel facilities have anything to do with gig economy delivery drivers/riders.
Nobody is proposing replacing existing assistance staff at principal stations with volunteers or gig workers. This thread is about how to provide help and reassurance at stations like the Yeovils or Sleaford if the single shift ‘booking clerk’ is not on duty.
Nobody is proposing replacing existing assistance staff at principal stations with volunteers or gig workers. This thread is about how to provide help and reassurance at stations like the Yeovils or Sleaford if the single shift ‘booking clerk’ is not on duty.
styles
Member
Putting aside my views on having volunteers do this..
You can DBS volunteers and you can give volunteers uniforms and ID badges.
In that sense I don't see how a volunteer role would be any different from an employed role in terms of attracting 'weirdos''.
Most rail staff are Basic DBS checked yes. There was a whole thread the other week about whether guards should be Standard or Enhanced checked, in light of a guard being sacked for sexually assaulting a female passenger.
VItraveller
Member
I don’t think this is a bad idea, there are already similar services which exist, there’s a quite famous app called Be My Eyes which connects blind people with sighted volunteers for every day tasks and a service called travel hands in London where volunteers can sign up to Guide blind people across the city.
The logistics would need to be considered, but it’s definitely worth trialling at some smaller stations to see how it works out.
suspect most disabled people would be much happier if a scheme like this was put into place instead of paying for taxis which can often get you to a destination late and then always equipped with the right wheelchair facilities and the volunteers themselves would be more flexible in where they can take passengers afterwards.
As for safety, well after being threatened by a lady with clear mental health issues at Birmingham International and being helped out of that situation by a friendly passer by, I don’t think that would be a problem.
The logistics would need to be considered, but it’s definitely worth trialling at some smaller stations to see how it works out.
suspect most disabled people would be much happier if a scheme like this was put into place instead of paying for taxis which can often get you to a destination late and then always equipped with the right wheelchair facilities and the volunteers themselves would be more flexible in where they can take passengers afterwards.
As for safety, well after being threatened by a lady with clear mental health issues at Birmingham International and being helped out of that situation by a friendly passer by, I don’t think that would be a problem.
Travelmonkey
Member
It's tricky, I've been let down recently with a trip to Rugley Trent Valley, my assit said staff would "meet me on platform" at Rugley, got there and noone to be seen, I did chase for my NR taxi but ticket office staff nor call center on passenger assist app had no clue that was a thing.
VItraveller
Member
Not sure how confident you are using WhatsApp, but Avanti who manages that station has a travel companion service and it’s always worth texting the details of your journey and Passenger Assistance number when you get on the train just so that they can arrange for someone to meet you
Travelmonkey
Member
I am kinda savy although Avanti don't routeenly serve there it's LNWR, although deffinatley should get the watsap ready as I am back to LTV later in this week & they can be hit or miss, Although I will passcom if needs be, I'm not gonna be damaging my new wheelchair for the sake of a unmanned station,
Chrius56000
Member
. . .Given that Rugeley Trent Valley is an important interchange between the Cannock Chase Line electrics and main line connections it's high time that stupid footbridge there was replaced with a fully accessible one!
. . .What would it cost to rebuild Rugeley Trent Valley to make it fully accessible?
. . .What would it cost to rebuild Rugeley Trent Valley to make it fully accessible?
Travelmonkey
Member
Quite easily a 6 figure sum, having the station accessible would be a small win but staffing knowing what to do is a bit issue, I had 2 fails on southbound avantis this week sadly from LTV, one requiring a pascom and another where I dislocated my hip & ankle as I was manhandled aboard as my travel companion didn't want me to pull the red leaver. Although after seeing my left leg out of place he now knows why I do ramp request
, I mean if EMR could get money for Kidsgrove lifts surley LNWR/WMT can for Rugley trent Valley. If I had been in my wheelchair on the Rugley incident I'd have been really stuck,
Dr Hoo
Established Member
Some recent posts on another thread relating to Stowmarket and Horton-in-Ribblesdale (sorry can’t link from mobile phone) suggest that a new accessible footbridge at a two-platform, double-track station costing £4-5 million is nearer the mark. Given the fact that Rugeley Trent Valley is on the four-track West Coast Main Line with extreme difficulty in arranging suitable possessions I suspect that a price even higher is likely. This is without the further question of staff assistance at an unstaffed location.
An accessible footbridge installation alone would cost something like several million pounds. Theale’s cost £9.5m.
In rail's inflated infrastructure costs world it would. The reality night be different.
Travelmonkey
Member
alas acessibillity costs alot, luckilly the trains that call at Rugley all have guards although not much help it being a lone Island platfrom for Chase & Northbound trent's. wonder if a ramped solution would work off the south end, in reality it would need to be lift enabled though probably. deffenatley one for another discussion,