Britain’s equality watchdog has concluded a legal agreement with rail provider LNER after the company took the necessary steps to improve access to its services and facilities for disabled passengers.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) entered a legal agreement with LNER in July 2020.
This regulatory enforcement action followed a legal challenge from a visually impaired customer who received inadequate support and assistance while travelling.
Under the agreement, LNER, which operates trains from London to the North of England and Scotland, were required to improve their assisted travel service and to conduct new training on accessibility and inclusion for all staff who deal with their customers.
LNER also set up new ways proactively to monitor the assistance it provides, and to learn lessons and find new solutions where these are needed.
In addition, the rail operator has established a disability access forum to generate further improvement initiatives, which have included a new wheelchair space booking feature and a 24-hour booking service for passenger assistance requests.
The EHRC formally monitored this action plan for the period of the legal agreement.
The EHRC is now content that LNER has a better understanding of the reasons why its assistance to disabled customers failed previously and that the company has made the necessary changes to improve their services and facilities for disabled passengers.
Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said:
'Transport operators have clear responsibilities in law to ensure travel is just as possible for disabled people as it is for every other passenger. This includes a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments for disabled passengers.
Through our legal agreement, LNER have now demonstrated a renewed focus on improving accessibility to meet the needs of its disabled passengers.
We are pleased with their cooperation throughout this agreement. Their commitment to improve has been demonstrated in the changes they have made.
These improvements will help to ensure that their rail services can be used by everybody and that disabled passengers can travel where they want, whether they are travelling to study, for work, or to go on holiday'.
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