We were recently very proud to announce the launch of the Passenger Assistance web app. Passenger Assistance has existed as a mobile technology since 2021, and we recently finalized the launch of our web version. Some people have asked us why we needed a web version when we already had a fairly comprehensive mobile solution.
Before answering that question, I’d like to pose a different one; ‘why doesn’t every mobile tool have a related web technology?’
A lot of the technology sector is focused on mobile app development and without realizing the negative impact are moving away from desktops and laptops. So that means a lot of major developments overlook the importance of making products available and accessible to people who don’t or can’t use mobile devices. There is a lot of work to be done to ensure people with accessibility requirements have better access to digital products.
We are humbled to be able to serve a user base that has diverse accessibility needs. Blind people, people with physical impairments, people with cognitive impairments and those that care for and support them all use our technology. Because of the service we provide - making rail travel easier and simpler for people with accessibility limitations - our user base is necessarily and significantly influenced by our accessibility decisions. To that end, it is imperative that we listen to our audience and offer a web app to go alongside our mobile technology.
According to estimates from the UK’s Office for National Statistics, published in their ‘Digital Lifeline’ impact assessment, 15% of disabled people have never been online. Furthermore, mobile devices are less accessible to disabled people for reasons related to both their physical impairments and matters of affordability. Sadly, disabled people are statistically more likely to be affected by poverty. This means they are less likely than most to have access to a new mobile device.
For disabled people, rail travel is complex. In addition to buying tickets and navigating stations, many need help to travel and need to book suitable assistance for each leg of their journeys, such as the use of a ramp, room for an assistance dog, or wheelchair space.
Our technology is transforming the process of booking travel assistance. What used to be a complex process can now be finished in moments through our mobile tool. And now, the new Passenger Assistance Web App means users can book their assistance through a website as an alternative platform.
Whilst mobile apps are becoming a default, unlike websites, there is no standard for accessibility meaning some people are unable to use or interact with them. For example, individuals with limited dexterity or other mobility impairments who find a desktop easier to use may struggle with a mobile device. The web app also means a carer or personal assistant can book assistance more easily.
The Passenger Assistance Web App has been designed with insight and feedback from disabled people with a range of varying accessibility needs.
Since launching in the UK, we have received the most incredible stories from users of the Passenger Assistance app who have travelled confidently, often for the first time, to visit family, enjoy days out and get to work.
Transreport’s purpose is to enable everyone globally to make journeys freely with comfort and ease. Our latest offering, the Passenger Assistance web app, creates even more opportunities and a more accessible platform for disabled and older people to travel and enjoy more freedom.
We believe in the social model, that people are not disabled by their impairment but by barriers in the world around them and we hope both the mobile app and now web app continues to break down some of those barriers on an even larger scale.