Help needed with travel for blind person

July 29, 2012 2:16 AM

London transport: help needed to plan a journey for a blind person

I have a blind relative travelling alone from Windsor to Stansted on the 5th of August, and then Stansted to Southampton on the 8th of August. I need help to make his journey as simple as possible - either public transport with few/simple train changes, or a recommendation for a reliable private driver. Please feel free to memail me. Many thanks.

(PS I have already checked with minicab companies, but they are so expensive, especially for the second trip)

posted by superfish to travel & transportation around Stansted, England (6 answers total)

From organising travel for a blind friend with London itself speak to Transport for London - station staff are trained to help people with visual impairments -

"A member of staff will help you onto the train if it is safe to do so and, if necessary, help you find a seat. They will then call ahead to your destination or interchange stations on request and arrange for a member of staff to meet and assist you there too."

How I'd do Windsor to Stansted -

Windsor > Vauxhall with South West Trains - are they being dropped off at Windsor? Find a member of staff to help get your relative onto the train at Windsor. Call ahead to TfL and organise for a member of the Vauxhall station staff to get them from the rail line to the Victoria tube line.

Vauxhall > Tottenham Hale - the TfL staff at Vauxhall will then call ahead to Tottenham Hale and a member of staff there will then take your relative to the train that goes from there to Stansted Airport. The operator for that line is Greater Anglia. Is someone meeting your relative at Stansted?
posted by ozgirlabroad at 2:37 AM on July 29, 2012

One way would be to avoid London entirely, which will be very busy thanks to the Olympics. Get a cab from Windsor to Heathrow and get them to drop you at the coach stop. Get an airport transfer from Heathrow to Stansted by coach. The cab should be about £15. National Express run coaches to Stansted every hour and they take around 2 hours. Prices are about £25.

National Express provide support for blind passengers.

On the return leg, you can do Stansted to Southampton in just under 5 hours with a change at Victoria Coach Station, from £22 all in. This includes an hour wait at Victoria Coach Station. If that is no good, then still go to Victoria CS. It is a 250m walk From Victoria CS to Victoria Rail Station, then a change at Vauxhall, then a direct train to Southampton. Or get a cab from Victoria Coach Station to Vauxhall railway station and get the train to Southampton.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:10 AM on July 29, 2012

Just chiming in to second what ozgirlabroad said, I've seen Tube staff helping blind passengers on and off trains numerous times, and people in general seem quite respectful/helpful if the person is clearly blind (guide dog, cane).
posted by pink_gorilla at 3:45 AM on July 29, 2012

2nding MuffinMan for ease and comfort, especially if there is any luggage involved
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:56 AM on July 29, 2012

To reiterate what is said above, if going down the train route, you will want to contact the assisted travel teams for (assuming the journey starts at Riverside rather than Central) South West Trains and Greater Anglia well in advance; there won't necessarily be people available or in place to help unless you give them plenty of warning. You probably want to ask them at the time of booking how the TfL connection will be handled.

Network Rail operates the major London Termini, but they suggest that you contact the train operating company with which the journey starts in the first instance.

Assuming you've arranged all that, I'd also (based on nervously reading this FlyerTalk thread as it developed) recommend that the person receiving the assistance have a mobile phone so that they can be contacted by worried relatives (or vice versa) when things don't quite go to plan - especially when the journey involves a nontrivial connection.
posted by Talkie Toaster at 5:32 AM on July 29, 2012

Thank you for your very detailed answers. We have decided on National Express, as there are fewer transfers, but it's good to know about Transport for London's help team, for the future.
posted by superfish at 12:16 AM on July 31, 2012